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When We Wake #2
While We Run
It's 2127, and the future is at stake . . . Abdi Taalib thought he was moving to Australia for a music scholarship. But after meeting the beautiful and brazen Tegan Oglietti, his world was turned upside down. Tegan's no ordinary girl - she died in 2027, only to be frozen and brought back to life in Abdi's time, 100 years later. Now, all they want is for things to return to normal (or as normal as they can be), but the government has other ideas. Especially since the two just spilled the secrets behind Australia's cryonics project to the world. On the run, Abdi and Tegan have no idea who they can trust - and, when they uncover startling new details about the program, they realize that thousands of lives may be in their hands. Karen Healey offers a suspenseful, page-turning companion to When We Wake that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and make them call into question their own ideas about morality -- and mortality, too.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2014
34 people are currently reading
2163 people want to read
About the author
Karen Healey
34 books428 followersKaren Healey lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she jars stubborn scenes loose by wandering along the river.
She writes speculative fiction and magical romance for young adults and adults, including the award winning When We Wake duology and Guardian of the Dead. Her recent books include Bespoke & Bespelled and (as Kate Healey) the Olympus Inc. series.
She writes speculative fiction and magical romance for young adults and adults, including the award winning When We Wake duology and Guardian of the Dead. Her recent books include Bespoke & Bespelled and (as Kate Healey) the Olympus Inc. series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
May 18, 2015
A copy of this novel was provided by Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review.
While We Run was so completely different to When We Wake. For one, our protagonist is Abdi, not Tegan. And boy do I have a lot to say about this boy.
Abdi’s character voice in While We Run is possibly one of the most unique that I have ever read. He’s bordering on being an unreliable narrator, simply because he is so very unemotional. He looks at everything from a mechanical viewpoint, and is always thinking about what he can do and who he can manipulate to get to his endpoint. It’s fascinating, and I want to read more books in this style (and more books about Abdi, let’s be honest here).
I think one of the most interesting things to read about from Abdi’s perspective regarded his feelings for Tegan. As I mentioned before, Abdi is not very emotional in his internal monologue and his thoughts about Tegan were no different. He feels betrayed by her throughout pretty much the whole novel because of this thing that she knew but couldn’t tell him, and then the repercussions that this withheld information brought upon Abdi (woo! That was hard to do without any spoilers *pats self on back*). And then when they’re reunited, Abdi is kind of sceptical of his feelings for Tegan. Does he really love her? Can he give her the things she wants and deserves? He doesn’t know, and I actually loved that. It wasn’t a book about how much a guy is in love with a girl. Yes, he cares about her but their world is falling apart, and there have been secrets and lies and confusion, and so he’s confused as well. It was very real to life, and I appreciated it very much.
Not a lot happens plot-wise in this novel, but I also liked that. It was really an exploration of the aftermath of the events that took place in When We Wake, which a lot of the time we don’t get in YA novels. It’s usually all: here’s a series of events and no you do not get to see what happens afterwards. So it was wonderful (and also really really depressing) to see what happened to Tegan and Abdi after they shared their information with the world.
The characters in While We Run were amazing. Some of them were heinous (looking at you, Diane you beeatch), some of them were confused (yes, you, Lat), some of them were out for their own power (HURFEST), and some of them were just plain shady (those guys towards the end). It was fantastic! I loved being introduced to such a wide range of flawed characters. Not everyone can be trusted, and not everyone is a decent human being and I felt like Healey really captured this in While We Run.
The ending was kind of open, but I can understand why. Whilst I would be ridiculously happy with another book to finally let us know if everything turns out okay, I am pleased with how this book ended. I am definitely a Healey fan and look forward to reading her other novels.
© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
Your Turn: Have you ever read a novel with an unreliable or unemotional narrator? Do you think YA books should explore the aftermath more often?
While We Run was so completely different to When We Wake. For one, our protagonist is Abdi, not Tegan. And boy do I have a lot to say about this boy.
Abdi’s character voice in While We Run is possibly one of the most unique that I have ever read. He’s bordering on being an unreliable narrator, simply because he is so very unemotional. He looks at everything from a mechanical viewpoint, and is always thinking about what he can do and who he can manipulate to get to his endpoint. It’s fascinating, and I want to read more books in this style (and more books about Abdi, let’s be honest here).
I think one of the most interesting things to read about from Abdi’s perspective regarded his feelings for Tegan. As I mentioned before, Abdi is not very emotional in his internal monologue and his thoughts about Tegan were no different. He feels betrayed by her throughout pretty much the whole novel because of this thing that she knew but couldn’t tell him, and then the repercussions that this withheld information brought upon Abdi (woo! That was hard to do without any spoilers *pats self on back*). And then when they’re reunited, Abdi is kind of sceptical of his feelings for Tegan. Does he really love her? Can he give her the things she wants and deserves? He doesn’t know, and I actually loved that. It wasn’t a book about how much a guy is in love with a girl. Yes, he cares about her but their world is falling apart, and there have been secrets and lies and confusion, and so he’s confused as well. It was very real to life, and I appreciated it very much.
Not a lot happens plot-wise in this novel, but I also liked that. It was really an exploration of the aftermath of the events that took place in When We Wake, which a lot of the time we don’t get in YA novels. It’s usually all: here’s a series of events and no you do not get to see what happens afterwards. So it was wonderful (and also really really depressing) to see what happened to Tegan and Abdi after they shared their information with the world.
The characters in While We Run were amazing. Some of them were heinous (looking at you, Diane you beeatch), some of them were confused (yes, you, Lat), some of them were out for their own power (HURFEST), and some of them were just plain shady (those guys towards the end). It was fantastic! I loved being introduced to such a wide range of flawed characters. Not everyone can be trusted, and not everyone is a decent human being and I felt like Healey really captured this in While We Run.
The ending was kind of open, but I can understand why. Whilst I would be ridiculously happy with another book to finally let us know if everything turns out okay, I am pleased with how this book ended. I am definitely a Healey fan and look forward to reading her other novels.
© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
Your Turn: Have you ever read a novel with an unreliable or unemotional narrator? Do you think YA books should explore the aftermath more often?
August 12, 2017
I really enjoyed this! It's deeper, darker and more political than the first, and the problems the MC's are grappling with are so relevant - immigration, environmental collapse, political manipulation, corporate greed etc. And its Aussie YA which is almost as good as Kiwi YA ;)
April 19, 2016
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed When We Wake, so I was really excited to read this sequel. Especially seeing as it featured the Somalian protagonist on the cover.
Abdi is kind of a hard protagonist to like at times. He's almost clinical in the way he looks at things, totally emotionless a lot of the time. That said, he and Tegan have been through a lot since we last saw them. They're effectively slaves, controlled by the government. They're being tortured regularly, and .
That said, the story was full of action, and I adore how diverse this book is. So there are definitely plenty of perks, provided you can get past Abdi's clinical attitude a lot of the time.
I really enjoyed When We Wake, so I was really excited to read this sequel. Especially seeing as it featured the Somalian protagonist on the cover.
Abdi is kind of a hard protagonist to like at times. He's almost clinical in the way he looks at things, totally emotionless a lot of the time. That said, he and Tegan have been through a lot since we last saw them. They're effectively slaves, controlled by the government. They're being tortured regularly, and .
That said, the story was full of action, and I adore how diverse this book is. So there are definitely plenty of perks, provided you can get past Abdi's clinical attitude a lot of the time.
January 8, 2015
Abdi Taalib and his best friend Tegan, who he's very much in love with, are prisoners of the Australian government. They tried to expose the government's wrongdoings when it comes to a cryogenics project, but ended up captured, tortured, and forced to publicly recant their statements and support the project.
I haven't read WHEN WE WAKE, but WHILE WE RUN contains plenty of recap. In addition, at the beginning of the novel Abdi doesn't know much about what is going on and is pretty preoccupied with the mental and physical stress of being a performing monkey with the promise of worse on the horizon. I was really impressed by this opening, which drew me in despite my unfamiliarity with the setting. It is not easy to read, but it is engrossing. Karen Healey does not back away from the horror of the government using Abdi and Tegan as slaves, and the consequences of these months linger throughout the novel.
Healey combines strong character work with a plot from a political conspiracy thriller to bring a future world to life. It's not too far in the future - countries and religions of today are still recognizable - but technology and social issues have progressed. The mingling of real-world issues with future tech is very well done. The world of WHILE WE RUN is relevant to today's reader, but doesn't come off as a blatant screed.
Actually, several elements prevent WHILE WE RUN from being a blatant screed. For one thing, there are no easy answers. Abdi might not have any fondness for the Australian government, but that doesn't mean that he agrees with the various terrorist/freedom fighters he encounters either. He's very determined to make up his own mind, which forces him to face that there often are no good answers. Then there's the delightful mix of character backgrounds.
Abdi is a second-class citizen in Australia, but in his home country he's wealthy and privileged. He's also atheist, but his family thinks he'll come around. The other characters come from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, and represent a variety of sexualities and genders. This diversity helps show how all of the characters come at the issues in question from different angles.
I'm quite happy that WHILE WE RUN made the Cybils shortlist in YA Speculative Fiction this year. It's a thought-provoking read that doesn't forget to throw in some action and keep things moving.
I haven't read WHEN WE WAKE, but WHILE WE RUN contains plenty of recap. In addition, at the beginning of the novel Abdi doesn't know much about what is going on and is pretty preoccupied with the mental and physical stress of being a performing monkey with the promise of worse on the horizon. I was really impressed by this opening, which drew me in despite my unfamiliarity with the setting. It is not easy to read, but it is engrossing. Karen Healey does not back away from the horror of the government using Abdi and Tegan as slaves, and the consequences of these months linger throughout the novel.
Healey combines strong character work with a plot from a political conspiracy thriller to bring a future world to life. It's not too far in the future - countries and religions of today are still recognizable - but technology and social issues have progressed. The mingling of real-world issues with future tech is very well done. The world of WHILE WE RUN is relevant to today's reader, but doesn't come off as a blatant screed.
Actually, several elements prevent WHILE WE RUN from being a blatant screed. For one thing, there are no easy answers. Abdi might not have any fondness for the Australian government, but that doesn't mean that he agrees with the various terrorist/freedom fighters he encounters either. He's very determined to make up his own mind, which forces him to face that there often are no good answers. Then there's the delightful mix of character backgrounds.
Abdi is a second-class citizen in Australia, but in his home country he's wealthy and privileged. He's also atheist, but his family thinks he'll come around. The other characters come from a variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, and represent a variety of sexualities and genders. This diversity helps show how all of the characters come at the issues in question from different angles.
I'm quite happy that WHILE WE RUN made the Cybils shortlist in YA Speculative Fiction this year. It's a thought-provoking read that doesn't forget to throw in some action and keep things moving.
August 11, 2019
Rated 4.5 really.
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
Pros: Strong, mostly diverse characters with distinctive voices, often dealing with moral dilemmas and hard decisions to make. Never a dull moment, even when the pace gets slower.
Cons: A few familiar tropes/premises.
WARNING! Offscreen torture (but we also get a few glimpses of it) and rape. Some gruesome deaths.
Will appeal to: Readers who care about the state our world is in. Readers who like a thrilling yet romantic adventure.
I'm ordinarily all for books without tropes, or employing as little of them as it's humanly possible - but sometimes an author can breath new life into an old concept, or make up for a familiar scenario with a great execution. Both things happen in While We Run - hence my rating. (Also, for your information, this one is set in Australia, which is a nice change from your usual all-American scenario).
A DIFFERENT ANGLE
For books with such a meaty sci-fi premise, both While We Run and its predecessor When We Wake are, at their core, good old dystopians, but with an unusually strong SJW vein, dealing with ethical, environmental, and even political issues. And the latter is especially true about WWR, since its main character Abdi (who was Tegan's sidekick in When We Wake) is a Djibouti immigrate, whose politician mother has indoctrinated him since a very young age with the tricks of her trade. This duology may be built on a few tropes, but it's entirely its own thing, and one we rarely see in YA. Especially WWR, with its diverse lead and his peculiar outlook. Abdi is a thinker, an observer, even a manipulator if need be (but he questions himself and realises it's not ethical to act like that around friends). He's also an atheist, unlike Tegan and Bethari (and most of his family, not to mention country), and while believers might find him harsh, he's a fascinating, complex character with a conscience, if not a creed. And he does struggle with doing the right thing, or choosing the lesser of two evils, which makes him stand out among your usual holier-than-thou or (most often) one-track-mind characters. [...]
Whole review here.
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
Pros: Strong, mostly diverse characters with distinctive voices, often dealing with moral dilemmas and hard decisions to make. Never a dull moment, even when the pace gets slower.
Cons: A few familiar tropes/premises.
WARNING! Offscreen torture (but we also get a few glimpses of it) and rape. Some gruesome deaths.
Will appeal to: Readers who care about the state our world is in. Readers who like a thrilling yet romantic adventure.
I'm ordinarily all for books without tropes, or employing as little of them as it's humanly possible - but sometimes an author can breath new life into an old concept, or make up for a familiar scenario with a great execution. Both things happen in While We Run - hence my rating. (Also, for your information, this one is set in Australia, which is a nice change from your usual all-American scenario).
A DIFFERENT ANGLE
For books with such a meaty sci-fi premise, both While We Run and its predecessor When We Wake are, at their core, good old dystopians, but with an unusually strong SJW vein, dealing with ethical, environmental, and even political issues. And the latter is especially true about WWR, since its main character Abdi (who was Tegan's sidekick in When We Wake) is a Djibouti immigrate, whose politician mother has indoctrinated him since a very young age with the tricks of her trade. This duology may be built on a few tropes, but it's entirely its own thing, and one we rarely see in YA. Especially WWR, with its diverse lead and his peculiar outlook. Abdi is a thinker, an observer, even a manipulator if need be (but he questions himself and realises it's not ethical to act like that around friends). He's also an atheist, unlike Tegan and Bethari (and most of his family, not to mention country), and while believers might find him harsh, he's a fascinating, complex character with a conscience, if not a creed. And he does struggle with doing the right thing, or choosing the lesser of two evils, which makes him stand out among your usual holier-than-thou or (most often) one-track-mind characters. [...]
Whole review here.
Want to read
September 13, 2013squee I can't wait and I love this cover so much
December 19, 2018
4.5 stars. A great addition to the first book, which I loved. Abdi is a complicated, interesting narrator and I just love all the characters from the first book that returned. The plot of this book feels a bit thinner than the first one, but it deals with more personal consequences of trauma than the first on.
I know this book is probably the last one in the series, and it came to an end, but I feel like there's just so much more potential in this world that I want to read more of it!
I know this book is probably the last one in the series, and it came to an end, but I feel like there's just so much more potential in this world that I want to read more of it!
January 9, 2022
2.5 stars
May 20, 2014
View the full review here:
http://www.iswimforoceans.org/2014/05...
When I read book one in this series, When We Wake, I remember being distinctly impressed by the crossover nature of the novel, perfectly merging science fiction and dystopia into a melting pot of drama. So, naturally, as a series this excited me even more. Author, Karen Healey, has crafted a story in which our protagonists are out of touch with the reality in which they're now forced to live, giving readers a distinct "out of body" sort of impression with her novels. And, while book one offered us the world from Tegan's point of view, While We Run changes things up a little, and we now get to see the world through Abdi's eyes.
I've always been a fan of the male perspective for young adult novels, in large part because I find it too rare. The voice in While We Run is certainly no exception. Abdi was a hauntingly unique character, and he's one that made it almost a little difficult to trust his voice, offering us a bit of a catch-twenty-two as we're exploring the world and the fallout of Project Ark. In the world in which Tegan and Abdi live, it's difficult, if not impossible, to trust anyone - especially each other. There is a distinct, acrid note of distrust in Abdi's viewpoint, and reading through his eyes, it was amazing to see the ability he had to truly manipulate a situation in his favor when necessary. He could break things, people and events into their tiniest counterparts, analyze them, and rearrange them to benefit him whenever needed, which made him a fascinating but dangerous character to follow.
What I loved most about While We Run though, was that it's more of a follow-up novel to its predecessor than most sequels I've ever read before. Rather than simply throwing us into the melee of a new problem or dilemma, this sequel explores much of the aftermath of the events of the former novel, as well as its significant impact on our characters today. I will say that it frustrated me, at times, to lack the action with whim I'm so familiar in sequels, simply because the stakes are already raised. However, it's a very internalized sort of novel in which you can't help but read, absorb and understand that while, yes, the fallout is happening all around, it's most definitely strongest for Abdi and Tegan, and that's where the power lies.
While We Run is a bit of an outlier in terms of sequels, simply because it gives us a more open-ended finish than many of us might be used to. While we get a sense of resolution and conclusion, there's also a lot left unfinished, which gives us hope, nerves and undeniable curiosity for what happened next. It's a powerful and well-done tool of Ms. Healey's, and it might be the only time I'll ever enjoy an ending like that. I give this novel a strong 4 out of 5, and I definitely recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy science-fiction and dystopian novels, as well as a male POV.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
http://www.iswimforoceans.org/2014/05...
When I read book one in this series, When We Wake, I remember being distinctly impressed by the crossover nature of the novel, perfectly merging science fiction and dystopia into a melting pot of drama. So, naturally, as a series this excited me even more. Author, Karen Healey, has crafted a story in which our protagonists are out of touch with the reality in which they're now forced to live, giving readers a distinct "out of body" sort of impression with her novels. And, while book one offered us the world from Tegan's point of view, While We Run changes things up a little, and we now get to see the world through Abdi's eyes.
I've always been a fan of the male perspective for young adult novels, in large part because I find it too rare. The voice in While We Run is certainly no exception. Abdi was a hauntingly unique character, and he's one that made it almost a little difficult to trust his voice, offering us a bit of a catch-twenty-two as we're exploring the world and the fallout of Project Ark. In the world in which Tegan and Abdi live, it's difficult, if not impossible, to trust anyone - especially each other. There is a distinct, acrid note of distrust in Abdi's viewpoint, and reading through his eyes, it was amazing to see the ability he had to truly manipulate a situation in his favor when necessary. He could break things, people and events into their tiniest counterparts, analyze them, and rearrange them to benefit him whenever needed, which made him a fascinating but dangerous character to follow.
What I loved most about While We Run though, was that it's more of a follow-up novel to its predecessor than most sequels I've ever read before. Rather than simply throwing us into the melee of a new problem or dilemma, this sequel explores much of the aftermath of the events of the former novel, as well as its significant impact on our characters today. I will say that it frustrated me, at times, to lack the action with whim I'm so familiar in sequels, simply because the stakes are already raised. However, it's a very internalized sort of novel in which you can't help but read, absorb and understand that while, yes, the fallout is happening all around, it's most definitely strongest for Abdi and Tegan, and that's where the power lies.
While We Run is a bit of an outlier in terms of sequels, simply because it gives us a more open-ended finish than many of us might be used to. While we get a sense of resolution and conclusion, there's also a lot left unfinished, which gives us hope, nerves and undeniable curiosity for what happened next. It's a powerful and well-done tool of Ms. Healey's, and it might be the only time I'll ever enjoy an ending like that. I give this novel a strong 4 out of 5, and I definitely recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy science-fiction and dystopian novels, as well as a male POV.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
March 6, 2018
I enjoyed the first book in this series more than this book, but I still liked it and enjoyed returning to the world of Tegan and Abdi.
Lines from the book I appreciated:
"Experience had taught me that people were willing to abandon hard truth in favor of comforting falsehood in almost every circumstance."
"Those people hadn't seemed stupid, and far from evil. Just lacking a lot of information and maybe a wider view. They were concerned with what touched them closest. For most people, you had to make something come home to make it real."
"I was going to have to make decisions like this often. I'd have to compromise and haggle and choose between bad options and worse ones, over and over again." "Was that what it meant to be free of people having power over me? Did I have to trade it for having power over others?"
Lines from the book I appreciated:
"Experience had taught me that people were willing to abandon hard truth in favor of comforting falsehood in almost every circumstance."
"Those people hadn't seemed stupid, and far from evil. Just lacking a lot of information and maybe a wider view. They were concerned with what touched them closest. For most people, you had to make something come home to make it real."
"I was going to have to make decisions like this often. I'd have to compromise and haggle and choose between bad options and worse ones, over and over again." "Was that what it meant to be free of people having power over me? Did I have to trade it for having power over others?"
October 25, 2015
Title: While We Run
Series: When We Wake #2
Author: Karen Healey
Format: Hardback, 336 pages
Rating: 4.25 stars
Recommend it to: Science Fiction fans :]
My review:
Wow. This was a perfect sequel, it flowed perfect from the first book.
This one thou is from Abdi's POV, which was awesome. I loved seeing his view on the issues and how he saw the others.
The action is this book was sick, in a good way :] there was lots of it and i loved it all.
The plot twist was nice :] and now i badly need to see how this series will end.
The only issue i had was that i wish there was more of a development in Abdi and Tegan's relationship.
Series: When We Wake #2
Author: Karen Healey
Format: Hardback, 336 pages
Rating: 4.25 stars
Recommend it to: Science Fiction fans :]
My review:
Wow. This was a perfect sequel, it flowed perfect from the first book.
This one thou is from Abdi's POV, which was awesome. I loved seeing his view on the issues and how he saw the others.
The action is this book was sick, in a good way :] there was lots of it and i loved it all.
The plot twist was nice :] and now i badly need to see how this series will end.
The only issue i had was that i wish there was more of a development in Abdi and Tegan's relationship.
October 6, 2014
Wow, just wow! This was amazing. The first, maybe second time where I liked the sequel better that the first. Abdi, Abdi, Abdi. He was a amazing, he was strong, and broke down which made him stronger. I actually really like this book. The heavy stuff was well woven into the plot. Great job, Healey.
And. . . thanks for the shout out for K-Drama fans. Double trouble isn't a real drama yet, right? Just for that this book has made my special shelf.
And. . . thanks for the shout out for K-Drama fans. Double trouble isn't a real drama yet, right? Just for that this book has made my special shelf.
Want to read
September 3, 2013Yay!!! I loved When We Wake:)
June 5, 2014
What a refreshing shocker! The story ends in 2 books! It was very good. I'd give it 4.5 stars.
June 27, 2014
This is a really good book, and together with the prequel it makes an even better set. Thought provoking in the way SF is supposed to be, and ethically complex. It's a really good book.
January 31, 2014
This book was in Abdi's point of view, which was very cool. I love the way these books handle political events of the present and the way they could evolve in the future!
June 26, 2014
GOD okay no offense but... I LOVE Abdi WAY more then Tegan!!!
February 27, 2016
3.5 stars
A satisfying sequel to "When We Wake".
A satisfying sequel to "When We Wake".
June 1, 2014
The thing that I get most disappointed when it comes to Karen Healey isn’t anything that she’s doing in her writing, but really just how relatively unpopular she is in North America. Because she’s doing all of these fantastic things with her writing and characters and setting (even when she’s not 100% perfect at it), and it’s great and I want to buy all the things, and it’s everything that I want to see happening in YA literature. I’m not ignoring the other authors who are doing the same things as Healey does, but it’s frustrating that it’s not getting the sales or attention.
Because the When We Wake/While We Run duology should very well fit into the current spate of sci-fi dystopian thrillers still going strong in the post-Hunger Games/Divergent wake, but Healey’s doing something different in her series. We have a straight futuristic set-up with a world-building that feels more plausible than just “Unspecified war and/or natural disaster” plus the fact that the socio-political climate hasn’t really changed for better or worse. There’s a the whole saying that’s been going on for a year that “Dystopic fiction is about when all the bad stuff that goes on in the world finally happens to white people” and While We Run absolutely hits that nail on the head. (Of the two books, While We Run is closer to a dystopic government setting, but also deals with global ramifications.) This is a book that talks very frankly about privilege and what it means for certain characters and the situations that they’ve been placed in.
What helps is that While We Run’s narration isn’t a continuation of Tegan’s point of view, but rather picks up several months after the end of When We Wake with Abdi’s viewpoint. Which makes the ending of the first book’s more of a downer considering that both Tegan and Abdi are acting as governmental mouthpieces, claiming that the conspiracy they’ve uncovered was just a misunderstanding and those refugees are totally volunteering for the completely safe cryosis, so all the rich white people should pay to be put on ice as well! And that the way Abdi and Tegan can say that with a smiling face is because they’ve been implanted with torture devices. Which are used on them frequently. There are actual villains in this book, people who are willing to use Tegan and Abdi for their own sadistic pleasures, rather than just being evil for evil’s sake. I’m specifically talking about Diane here: Diane is outwardly evil, yes. But the way she talks to Abdi, the psychological torture she inflicts on him, and it’s said, “You don’t want to be bad; you want to be a good boy, don’t you? You don’t want me to hurt you” and the near Stockholm Syndrome that Abdi (and Tegan to an extant) develops is frightening. I think it also works to couch Abdi’s torture in that abusive language because it does put so much more realism to the situation.
This is also one of the more politically gray books that I have read, in which that the devious nature of politics are discussed and explored by someone who knows exactly how the game works. The situation that’s been set-up in the first novel—humanity’s dying, so we have a starship that’ll colonize other planets, except rich white people are dicks and are going to forcibly send refugees to do the colonization for us—is a black and white scenario. But realistically, overthrowing corrupt governments usually doesn’t end particularly well most of the time and sometimes we end up with something worse. Abdi calls this outright several times throughout the book. And not only that, but we see the consequences that Hurfurt and the Save Tegan movement have caused in the work of the greater good. And said consequences actually affect and contribute to the characters; decisions—once Tegan learns about how destructive the EMP Bethari constructed is, both Tegan and Bethari are incredibly upset and guilty about what’s been going on behind the scenes. And it might be easier to ignore everything, but that’s what I love about Tegan is that she doesn’t want to take the easy way.
One of the other things that I really loved about this book is that it frankly talks about privilege, and specifically, how much easier it is for Tegan, Joph and Bethari to live than it is for Abdi or the number of faceless refugees. This is something that you really don’t see in a lot of the more popular YA dystopias—the closest is probably Marie Lu’s Legend; while class is a major factor in The Hunger Games, by the series’ end it’s not as much as a motivator. Parts of it are mentioned in the first book, but we do see that in comparison to the rest of his countrymen, Abdi is very privileged in Somali, that it’s one of the factors that he gets to go to Australia. But he’s treated like a third class citizen with very real prejudices that he has to face being a “thirdie.” And that it’s his privilege that helps save the day and help possibly make a better future for those forced into cryosis by the Australian government. It’s also how the characters are even able to make their own stand—out of everyone in their group, Abdi’s family is the only one that can pay for outside resources to rescue him (and even then, we learn about the financial toll that they have to take).
I also need to talk about Tegan here, and this is my big Hunger Games comparison: this is the anti-Mockingjay. While Katniss and Tegan are both prodded into the spokesperson role for whatever faction they’re currently stuck with, Tegan is the one who breaks free of her ties and does things on her own terms. She doesn’t want to be identified with any movement, or any government lies, she just wants to live her life. And I really like that nothing is really taken away from Tegan in the end. She’s the one who makes her decision at the end, with no prodding from Marie or Abdi or Bethari, and I like that she never breaks down and goes along with someone else’s plans. Tegan can be naïve, specifically whenever it came to Lat’s character, but given what she’s been through up until that point, it makes sense that she’ll trust Lat.
I want to see more dystopia/sci-fi/futuristic stories like this, where there’s no absolutely good or evil sides, where the politics are still complicated, and things are still immensely problematic. (Actually, what I want is more positive sci-fi, especially in YA, because look, everything sucks now. I get that the world isn’t perfect and probably won’t ever be perfect, but I want to see more positive progress. And again, especially in YA, because being jaded all the time is kinda tiring and not fun.) But also dealing with the fact that most lead characters are in a better position than the people they’re setting out to free from the oppressive government chains. As for the story itself, I think that yet again, Healey has knocked this out of the park, and really, this is just one of the best YA sci-fi duology/series/what have you out there right now.
Because the When We Wake/While We Run duology should very well fit into the current spate of sci-fi dystopian thrillers still going strong in the post-Hunger Games/Divergent wake, but Healey’s doing something different in her series. We have a straight futuristic set-up with a world-building that feels more plausible than just “Unspecified war and/or natural disaster” plus the fact that the socio-political climate hasn’t really changed for better or worse. There’s a the whole saying that’s been going on for a year that “Dystopic fiction is about when all the bad stuff that goes on in the world finally happens to white people” and While We Run absolutely hits that nail on the head. (Of the two books, While We Run is closer to a dystopic government setting, but also deals with global ramifications.) This is a book that talks very frankly about privilege and what it means for certain characters and the situations that they’ve been placed in.
What helps is that While We Run’s narration isn’t a continuation of Tegan’s point of view, but rather picks up several months after the end of When We Wake with Abdi’s viewpoint. Which makes the ending of the first book’s more of a downer considering that both Tegan and Abdi are acting as governmental mouthpieces, claiming that the conspiracy they’ve uncovered was just a misunderstanding and those refugees are totally volunteering for the completely safe cryosis, so all the rich white people should pay to be put on ice as well! And that the way Abdi and Tegan can say that with a smiling face is because they’ve been implanted with torture devices. Which are used on them frequently. There are actual villains in this book, people who are willing to use Tegan and Abdi for their own sadistic pleasures, rather than just being evil for evil’s sake. I’m specifically talking about Diane here: Diane is outwardly evil, yes. But the way she talks to Abdi, the psychological torture she inflicts on him, and it’s said, “You don’t want to be bad; you want to be a good boy, don’t you? You don’t want me to hurt you” and the near Stockholm Syndrome that Abdi (and Tegan to an extant) develops is frightening. I think it also works to couch Abdi’s torture in that abusive language because it does put so much more realism to the situation.
This is also one of the more politically gray books that I have read, in which that the devious nature of politics are discussed and explored by someone who knows exactly how the game works. The situation that’s been set-up in the first novel—humanity’s dying, so we have a starship that’ll colonize other planets, except rich white people are dicks and are going to forcibly send refugees to do the colonization for us—is a black and white scenario. But realistically, overthrowing corrupt governments usually doesn’t end particularly well most of the time and sometimes we end up with something worse. Abdi calls this outright several times throughout the book. And not only that, but we see the consequences that Hurfurt and the Save Tegan movement have caused in the work of the greater good. And said consequences actually affect and contribute to the characters; decisions—once Tegan learns about how destructive the EMP Bethari constructed is, both Tegan and Bethari are incredibly upset and guilty about what’s been going on behind the scenes. And it might be easier to ignore everything, but that’s what I love about Tegan is that she doesn’t want to take the easy way.
One of the other things that I really loved about this book is that it frankly talks about privilege, and specifically, how much easier it is for Tegan, Joph and Bethari to live than it is for Abdi or the number of faceless refugees. This is something that you really don’t see in a lot of the more popular YA dystopias—the closest is probably Marie Lu’s Legend; while class is a major factor in The Hunger Games, by the series’ end it’s not as much as a motivator. Parts of it are mentioned in the first book, but we do see that in comparison to the rest of his countrymen, Abdi is very privileged in Somali, that it’s one of the factors that he gets to go to Australia. But he’s treated like a third class citizen with very real prejudices that he has to face being a “thirdie.” And that it’s his privilege that helps save the day and help possibly make a better future for those forced into cryosis by the Australian government. It’s also how the characters are even able to make their own stand—out of everyone in their group, Abdi’s family is the only one that can pay for outside resources to rescue him (and even then, we learn about the financial toll that they have to take).
I also need to talk about Tegan here, and this is my big Hunger Games comparison: this is the anti-Mockingjay. While Katniss and Tegan are both prodded into the spokesperson role for whatever faction they’re currently stuck with, Tegan is the one who breaks free of her ties and does things on her own terms. She doesn’t want to be identified with any movement, or any government lies, she just wants to live her life. And I really like that nothing is really taken away from Tegan in the end. She’s the one who makes her decision at the end, with no prodding from Marie or Abdi or Bethari, and I like that she never breaks down and goes along with someone else’s plans. Tegan can be naïve, specifically whenever it came to Lat’s character, but given what she’s been through up until that point, it makes sense that she’ll trust Lat.
I want to see more dystopia/sci-fi/futuristic stories like this, where there’s no absolutely good or evil sides, where the politics are still complicated, and things are still immensely problematic. (Actually, what I want is more positive sci-fi, especially in YA, because look, everything sucks now. I get that the world isn’t perfect and probably won’t ever be perfect, but I want to see more positive progress. And again, especially in YA, because being jaded all the time is kinda tiring and not fun.) But also dealing with the fact that most lead characters are in a better position than the people they’re setting out to free from the oppressive government chains. As for the story itself, I think that yet again, Healey has knocked this out of the park, and really, this is just one of the best YA sci-fi duology/series/what have you out there right now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2017
In When We Wake, Tegan awakes over a hundred years after her body was cryogenically frozen, to a completely different future where everyone she knew and loved has died and resources are scarce. In fact, some people in her country (Australia) believe she shouldn’t have been revived. When Tegan and her friends learn the truth about the government’s cryogenic experiments their attempts to reveal it to the world at large fail. They are captured and Tegan and Abdi are tortured and forced to promote the process (and the Ark program which promises to freeze people and then send them into space to found new human civilizations on new worlds) against their wills. When they finally escape it’s too late to save most of the people who have been frozen, but they are able to find some leverage to prevent further damage. Carrying out their plan may prove to be deadly. Suspenseful and intense, some readers may find the descriptions of the torture Tegan and Abdi (especially Abdi) endure to be disturbing. The first half of the book drags somewhat, while the ending races along at light speed. Fans of the first book will find the continuing story of interest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2025
3.5 stars
Abdi moved to Australia for school and met Tegan. Tegan had been cryogenically frozen and revived in the year 2138(?), one hundred years after she’d originally died. The Australian government then used both Tegan and Abdi to promote a program for people to be frozen, then they would be shipped to another planet to colonize there (I think that’s how it was meant to work). But Tegan and Abdi are also being tortured to do this promotion, though their audience never sees or even suspects this. But they manage to escape. And they want to bring down the Australian government and their program.
Audio. I thought this was good, and I also liked the narrator of the audio, who I thought did multiple accents well. I might have paid more attention if I was reading it, but I still caught most of it easily enough to enjoy it. Interesting… I had no recollection that this was a sequel! Apparently I read the first one, but I don’t remember it at all! I guess you don’t necessarily need to read the first one to read this one.
Abdi moved to Australia for school and met Tegan. Tegan had been cryogenically frozen and revived in the year 2138(?), one hundred years after she’d originally died. The Australian government then used both Tegan and Abdi to promote a program for people to be frozen, then they would be shipped to another planet to colonize there (I think that’s how it was meant to work). But Tegan and Abdi are also being tortured to do this promotion, though their audience never sees or even suspects this. But they manage to escape. And they want to bring down the Australian government and their program.
Audio. I thought this was good, and I also liked the narrator of the audio, who I thought did multiple accents well. I might have paid more attention if I was reading it, but I still caught most of it easily enough to enjoy it. Interesting… I had no recollection that this was a sequel! Apparently I read the first one, but I don’t remember it at all! I guess you don’t necessarily need to read the first one to read this one.
November 13, 2017
I find this book hard to rate. It was really slow and hard for me to get into in the beginning, but it did pick up. The tone was very different. Much darker and political! I liked it a bit less than the first book. It's hard to say why. I think maybe I actually enjoyed the lighter tone and I've never liked dystopian novels that involve a lot of running and politics. I think the author dealt with the whole torture situation pretty well. The characters are still healing and they will be for a while. I found it really annoying that Abdi was so intolerant of religion. I'm not religious in the slightest, but he was rather annoying on that front! I feel like the narrator screwed with my rating of the book a bit. He didn't do the best job in my opinion. The book picked up at the end for sure though! I liked this, but I'm not sure if I would read it again. 3.25/5 Nov. 12 2017
October 10, 2020
2 stars (maaaaaaybe 2.5 if I'm being very generous), and that's only because the last third of the book was halfway decent.
Honesty time -- I nearly DNF'ed this book, and I never DNF books. The first 50-ish pages were full of , which was completely unnecessary. That could've been covered in one chapter. The next section of the book painted Abdi as a stubborn, manipulative politician who also happened to be full of teenage angst, which didn't feel all that great, either.
Because of the POV change, this book didn't even feel like it was in the same series as its predecessor. Like I said, the ending was decent, but the beginning really ruined the book for me. Heartily disappointed.
Honesty time -- I nearly DNF'ed this book, and I never DNF books. The first 50-ish pages were full of , which was completely unnecessary. That could've been covered in one chapter. The next section of the book painted Abdi as a stubborn, manipulative politician who also happened to be full of teenage angst, which didn't feel all that great, either.
Because of the POV change, this book didn't even feel like it was in the same series as its predecessor. Like I said, the ending was decent, but the beginning really ruined the book for me. Heartily disappointed.
December 4, 2020
This book is about the aftermath of the first book - Abdi and Teegan are both kept captive by the government. They're tortured by pain implants, as well as watching each other be tortured. That keeps them in line to sell the government's spaceship plan to wealthy private donors. Eventually,
A lot of this book is about Abdi's training as a future politician - he thinks about things as how to get his way rather than the emotional impact. I thought that was a good contrast to Teegan. I also appreciated that the fear from the torture lingered.
This is quite a good series - there's a lot about the trade-offs of certain decisions as well as what the public can accept. 3/5 stars
A lot of this book is about Abdi's training as a future politician - he thinks about things as how to get his way rather than the emotional impact. I thought that was a good contrast to Teegan. I also appreciated that the fear from the torture lingered.
This is quite a good series - there's a lot about the trade-offs of certain decisions as well as what the public can accept. 3/5 stars
July 20, 2021
I was mildly excited to read this. When We Wake was a fairly good book and got my hopes up. But, I am now finding this book very hard to rate. It was difficult for me to keep reading until around 100 pages to the end. It got pretty slow at bits. The point of view was pretty different, Tegan´s narrative was open minded and almost serene at parts whereas Abdi´s was more dark and far more political. Abdi´s view of religion was alright but how he handled other people with their religions was a pretty annoying aspect. I think the narrative in this book lowered my rating. This series in whole was alright but I do not think I would read it again and I would not recommend it.
April 14, 2023
First off, great book. First things first the first chapters are very hard to get through because of the abuse the characters face. If it was not clear the sequel is from Abdi's perspective. You still see plenty of Tegan though. There is also a time jump that is 6+ months. The trauma between him and Tegan is spread out through the book. It takes about 250 pages to get a decent picture of what they went through. Also some trigger warnings for the book: abuse, rape, self-harm, death, pain, mental health issues, discrimination, and politics.
February 18, 2018
Some parts got a little confusing, but overall, the book was amazing! It’s not everyday that we come across a good book set in Australia, in particular, a dystopian and it discusses many themes and issues! It was interesting to read the story from Abdi’s point of view, to understand how he feels about Tegan and the government and the Ark Project.
July 26, 2017
While this lacks some of the immediacy and allure of the first book, readers will enjoy following Teagan and her “thirdee” friend as they do their best to save the world - and their lives. Lots of twists and turns on this adventurous futuristic story, with the occasional hints of romance.
February 19, 2018
Overall, I'd give this series a 2.5. It was an interesting premise, and I liked the 2nd book, told primarily through Abdi's eyes, better than the first - but the writing is a little too simple and stilted for me to get really involved. Perhaps the younger end of YA readers would enjoy it more.
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