There's always room for another dystopian YA series!

 

The Fire Sermon

By Francesca Haig

Series: The Fire Sermon (1)

Hardcover: 384 pages

Publisher: Gallery Books; 1st Edition (March 10, 2015)

ISBN-10: 1476767181

ISBN-13: 978-1476767185

Approximate Lexile: 1090

 

The Map of Bones

By Francesca Haig

Series: The Fire Sermon (2)

Hardcover: 416 pages

Publisher: Gallery Books (May 3, 2016)

ISBN-10: 147676719X

ISBN-13: 978-1476767192

Approximate Lexile: 1090

Publisher’s Blurb:

Nuclear war, dystopian unrest, a genetic mutation that divides twins in life and unites them in death—the “refreshingly nuanced” (Booklist, starred review) first novel in award-winning poet Francesca Haig’s richly imagined and action-packed post-apocalyptic trilogy “is poised to become the next must-read hit” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Four hundred years after a nuclear apocalypse, all humans are born in pairs: the deformed Omegas, who are exploited and oppressed, and their Alpha twins, who have inherited the earth—or what’s left of it. But despite their claims of superiority, the Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: whenever one twin dies, so does the other.

Cass is a rare Omega whose mutation is psychic foresight—not that she needs it to know that as her powerful twin, Zach, ascends the ranks of the ruling Alpha Council, she’s in grave danger. Zach has a devastating plan for Omega annihilation. Cass has visions of an island where a bloody Omega resistance promises a life of freedom. But her real dream is to discover a middle way, one that would bring together the sundered halves of humanity. And that means both the Council and the resistance have her in their sights.

My Thoughts:

It seems as though every writer who wants to make their name big in a hurry says, “Hey, I’ll write a dystopian YA trilogy.” Francesca Haig is a poet of some renown, and I have to wonder what made her decide on this genre.

That said, being a poet, where it’s all about saying more in fewer, but more potent, words, serves her well. Her writing is richly descriptive and the vocabulary is beautiful. She describes scenes and emotions vividly. (That would account for the higher Lexile of these books.)

 Yes, the formula is more-or-less followed. Young woman with a special gift, who feels responsible for some of the bad in the world around her. Oppressive society in which one group is pitted against another. No love triangle, at least.

In trying to stay with her twin, Zach, Cass inadvertently gives him a hatred of Omegas. He can’t exterminate them, though, for if one twin dies, the other does, too. They feel each other’s pain. But Zach comes up with a startling plan to make Omegas “disappear” nonetheless, and it is this plan which Cass and her associates discover and fight to stop.

The first book sets up the action, and is not without its climactic and heartbreaking moments. I received book two as an advance reader copy, and was glad that my library had the first book available. It’s a shame there wasn’t a longer wait for it—that means not enough people are reading it!

I could not have understood the second book without having read the first. The author does spend some time on exposition, but there is a lot that would have gone right past me without it. I look forward to reading the third installment.

 I recently reviewed the second book of another dystopian YA series, Glass Sword. This hits the mark in all the ways in which that one let me down. Yes, it’s a middle volume. They always consist of a lot of stage-setting for the climactic volume, but this one does so in a more satisfying way.

My biggest criticism is that a lot of time is spent in just traveling, in the first book and even more in the second. It’s somewhat like the final Harry Potter volume in that respect. It could probably have been tightened up and been even better.

Possible Objectionable Material:

A couple of same-gender couples. Violent deaths, not graphically described. Physical mutations described, such as missing limbs or having three eyes. A couple sleeps together; it is left to the reader to decide if they are lovers.

Who Might Like This Book:

Fans of the genre. Strong female protagonist, but shouldn’t put off the male readers if they can handle Katniss and Tris. Late middle-school on up. I’m older than the target demographic and quite enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGally, for the ARC of The Map of Bones.