Review: A great follow-up to Life First
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 28, 2013
The second book in this series picks up two months after the ending of the first book. Whereas the first book was told entirely from Kelsey's POV, this one alternates between Kelsey and her best friend Susan (who played a very solid supporting role in the first book), with the focus more on Susan and the consequences she has to face as a result of her decision to help Kelsey flee the FoSS. So as not to spoil the book for those who haven't yet read the first one (go read it!), I'm going to be purposefully scarce on the plot details.While the first book was more plot-driven and had a lot of action, this book seems more character-driven. The action is slower paced (although it does pick up by the end), but in return you get to know Susan much more in-depth than in the first book. Several new characters are also introduced, including a mom you'll love to hate. More details are exposed about the corruption of the FoSS, and some characters from the first book are revealed to be something other than what they seemed to be. By the time you're halfway through the book, you don't know who's trustworthy and who's not (although all is revealed by the end).I highly recommend reading the first book before diving into this one, as I feel like you'll get much more out of "Second Life" by reading "Life First" beforehand. The author does do a good job of providing the necessary back story so you theoretically *could* read this one without having read the first, but I enjoyed "Life First" so much that I have to mention it again here. And there's quite a bit of information in the first book that isn't covered in this one (necessarily, otherwise it would get pretty redundant for those who read the series in order), so "Second Life" will be much more enjoyable when read after "Life First.""Second Life" was, like "Life First," a very fast paced read and well worth picking up. I'm very much looking forward to the third book in this trilogy, as the author RJ Crayton has done an excellent job of making me care about her characters and curious to know what happens to them next.**I received a complimentary copy of this ebook in exchange for my unbiased review; all opinions expressed are entirely my own**