Review: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Rebel Heart
by Moira Young
Series: Dust Lands #2
Publication date: 02 August 2012
Marion Lloyd Books, Paperback, 393 pages
Source: Library

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WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BLOOD RED ROAD.

Danger. Betrayal. Destiny. Passion.

The superb sequel to Blood Red Road, the most exciting YA debut of 2011

Saba has rescued her kidnapped brother and defeated the fanatical Tonton. But the price to be paid for her violent victory is terible. Jack has disappeared – and can no longer be trusted. A new and formidable enemy is on the rise in the dustlands. No one is safe. And Saba must confront the terrible secret hidden in the darkest depths of her soul.

Rating: ★★★★½

Realistic. Amazing. Romantic. Action-packed. Emotional. Gorgeous. I can’t seem to stop showering this scrumptious book with compliments. Rebel Heart is the sequel to Blood Red Road by Moira Young. It basically picks up where the previous book left off, which is where Saba & Jack, the protagonists, separated temporarily.

In summary, the story starts from Jack’s point of view, where he met some trouble while delivering bad news to a close friend. The rest of the book is back to Saba being the narrator and about how her actions in the last book is affecting her. Namely, they people that had to die in order for her to save her brother and defeat Vicar Pinch. The first quarter of the book had a lot to do with overcoming guilt & the action comes in after that. Saba did a lot of assuming in this book which isn’t really smart because they mostly lead to bad decisions and trust me when I say she made some horrendous decisions.

Unfortunately, Rebel Heart did not have a lot of Jack scenes it but in a way, the book does revolve around him. Because practically every decision Saba made had to do with him in some way. Although I mentioned Saba made a lot of mistakes in this book, I actually like her better that way because it shows that she’s human and, as a young adult, would definitely make stupid choices. Anyway, perfect protagonists who don’t make mistakes are just boring.

As for Jack, I’m head over heels for this charming, brave & endearingly flawed fictional male. Even though he only sort of appeared at the start & end, every scene with him in it was so life-like & realistic. It’s hard to say why, but Ms. Young is definitely working some magic with Jack. From the many YA books I’ve read, he’s probably one of the best male protagonists.

Now, on to Jack & Saba’s relationship. I loved how real Ms. Young kept it with their long-distance relationship. Saba’s doubts about Jack was exactly what any girl in love with a boy far away would experience. With doubts comes fear and with fear comes irrational decisions. Every event that added to Saba’s doubts killed me a little on the inside. However, lets just say the ending is worth going through any emotional rollercoaster.

In a nutshell, I love every single bit of this book, yes, every single bit. I just feel that it’s everything I love (great plot, awesome sub characters, even better protagonists, lots of action, emotional oh-crap-I’m-tearing-up moments) in one mindblowingly good book! I’m obviously looking forward to the next book but unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait about year. Someone stab me now. Ms. Young sure know how to torture us fans with the wait!