FIVE STARS!!! Lauren Nicolle Taylor deserves every single star and probably more for her sequel to The Woodlands, The Wall. The Wall picks up where The Woodlands left readers and takes you through Rosa's harrowing physical and even more powerful emotional journey. Rosa is a complex, puzzling protagonist whose internal dialogue takes the reader through every emotional up and down....I whole heartedly felt and experienced the story through Rosa's mysterious eyes. As she discovers the depth of her maternal instincts, when she deals with the obsessed perpetrator who severely abused her, as she wrestles with the need to return to rescue her mother...the tangled nest of emotions is wonderful to watch Rosa unravel. If you can love a fictional character then I love Rosa and I wish she were real...much like Katniss Everdeen or Sienna from Fire Country. Every reader of YA books needs to be introduced to this amazing unforgettable character.
Now don't think this book is some tormented emotional roller coaster, it's not an Oprah book club book, it definitely offers so much more. The plot is full of action, so much so that when you get to the end of the book and look back, you'll be amazed at truly how much has happened to Rosa and her "family." It's sort of a mini odyssey set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world that is devastated resource wise and yet incredibly advanced scientifically...makes for an interesting dichotomy. I love the fact that the ancient Wall continues to stand among the ruins of the world...I think the book is appropriately named and it came as a sweet surprise.
Above all else, this book is chalked full of unique supporting characters that enrich and often complicate Rosa's life. Rosa really discovers so much about herself as she deepens her feelings for Joseph and Orry. Most poignant was the development of Rosa and Apella's relationship which is mighty special...that's all I'm saying. I so appreciated the wisdom and bond between Rosa and Addy, dang I love that old lady and of course who wouldn't love Deshi? So many questions I had about the characters after reading The Woodlands were answered (see my review of The Woodlands), yet now I'm left with many more that will leave me impatiently waiting for the next book. In the meantime, I'm going to bask in the afterglow of reading an exceptional book since a book this good only comes along every so often, but I will miss Lauren's beautiful, poetic writing until that time.