Laterre is a planet on the brink of explosion. Unrest is mounting in the impoverished Third Estate, the Patriarche's attempts to smother it growing increasingly brutal. From this toxic atmosphere, a new threat is rising that may prove more deadly than any rebel force yet.
Caught up in the brewing storm are three unlikely moving pieces. Chatine—a prisoner entangled in the rebellion by an unlikely rescue mission. Marcellus—a traitor who knows better than anyone how ruthless the enemy can be. Alouette—a fugitive searching for answers that may be the keys to unlocking far more than she imagined.
As is often the case with long-awaited sequels, my soaring expectations for Between Burning Worlds likely put the book at an unfair disadvantage, but once again Jessica Brody and Jody Rendell have managed to pique my hunger for the next instalment of the series. The French Revolution undercurrent is fantastic (this history nerd thoroughly enjoyed connecting sci-fi surprises to real historical events), and I loved venturing beyond the planet Laterre into new corners of the System Divine. Admittedly, the love triangle (or is it a square?) is causing some problems for me, but since that boils down to my preferences as a reader, I can't really hold it against this otherwise dynamic novel.
Content Notes: Between Burning Worlds is relatively clean. Mild innuendo or crudeness is featured, more than in Sky Without Stars, but not overpowering. Language is limited to handful of "d*mns," one "h*ll," and fairly frequent use of the French-inspired "fric." A wedding between two men is the context of one brief scene.
Brody and Rendell's captivating and fast-paced writing makes it very difficult to set this book aside! I definitely appreciate the clean trend the series seems to be following and hope that pattern continues in the next explosive instalment.