Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Day 21 (The 100 #2)

Kass Morgan

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 15, 2014
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Source: ARC from Little Brown Books

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

There's nothing I hate more than Second Book Syndrome. You know, when you wait months and months for the second book of the series and it sucks? I was terrified that this would be the case with Day 21 after The 100 was so amazing. But Day 21 was far from having Second Book Syndrome, in fact, I think I liked it even better than The 100The 100 was so fast paced and exciting that I thought there was no way Day 21 could live up to it, but Kass Morgan strikes again. Day 21 has so many twists and turns that it will leave you guessing until the very last page.


Wells is our lovable leader as always. He has a constant internal struggle between being the strong leader that they all need, but will dislike and being a weak leader that will let them do what they want. I was a little disappointed about how little he seemed to care about losing Clarke. Their relationship went back to platonic so quickly and there were barely any mentions of their previous relationship. I'm also a little confused about why he never worries about Glass back on the ship (especially after what he admits he did in the first book to save Clarke). Glass often makes off-handed comments and thinks about him, but he never so much as mentions her. Instead, his back story and flashbacks switched to revolving around his father. That was still pretty interesting though.

Clarke fell flat for me in this book. I still loved her and her determination to get things done, but it felt as if her personality just kind of got pushed to the back burner to the plot points and her relationship. Because she has strong connections to both Bellamy and Wells and her parents were important in the colony, I feel as if her chapters are often used to get the most information and plot across and it washes her out a little bit. However, her story line continues to be one of the most exciting parts of the books.

Bellamy just doesn't do it for me and it has nothing to do with the book itself. I just really don't like Bellamy and his cocky, over-confident attitude and the fact that he's so hot and cold with everyone. I do like his devotion to his sister and his story, especially at the end of this book (can you say jaw-dropping?), but I'm pretty eh about Bellamy. This is probably because I want Clarke and Wells to get back together, but since that idea wasn't mentioned at all this book, maybe I'll get over it and like Bellamy? (Never!)

Glass's story is my favorite. It's the perfect balance of plot and emotions. Her chapters are always heart-pounding and full of action as she and Luke try to fight their way around the ships. The lack of oxygen adds a sense of desperation that even the Earthborns didn't bring. People can be fought off, but there's nothing you can do about running out of air in space.

The overall story in Day 21 was great. The discovery of other people on Earth at the end of the first book didn't lose any of its tension as even the reader will struggle with what to believe and what's a lie. It all builds up to the bombs dropped (plot points, not actually bombs!) at the end of the book that hopefully ensure that book three will be just as amazing!



2 comments:

  1. It's always so funny to me how people can be so different. I much preferred Bellamy's character over Wells. To each their own eh. I liked this book but I found it a bit predictable.
    Monique @ Mo_Books

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    1. My friend and I are the same way! She'd take Bellamy over Wells any day, and I'm the complete opposite. It is really entertaining to see the different ways people perceive the same book!

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