The sequel to New World: Rising picked off right where the first book had ended, and it kept it's fast pacing and gripping storyline. I quite enjoyed this second book in the New World trilogy! There was one big issue I had with it though.
The book managed to keep me engaged at all time and it was a fast and exciting read. There were action scenes, new characters and mysteries to uncover about Phoenix' past. The writing was fluent and I enjoyed that for once, we have a ya dystopian that's NOT written in the present tense - no, it's written in past tense and that was a nice change. (I don't have a problem with 1st person present, but it seems like almost all ya dystopians are written that way.) There were some revelations I didn't see coming and at some points, it was surprisingly brutal for a ya (think torture and child fights).
Phoenix is a very strong MC. She already was in the first book and in this one, it showed again. Not only is she a good fighter, she also has a strong mind and refuses to let others break her. While I love a kickass heroine, sometimes it was a bit too much. Like how can a 17-year-old girl (even if she grew up under rough circumstances) be a better fighter than a bunch of trained soldiers? But well, I could deal with that.
Triven was nice and I really liked them together, and again I loved little Mouse. I love seeing children as main characters (or important characters), and she's just so cute and strong as well!
There were some new characters in this one, the most important one being Ryker. I don't know what to think of him. The more you get into the book, the more you find out about him, which is a good thing, but still...he's well written, but not especially likeable.
The only point I really disliked about that book was how much it reminded me of Mockingjay. Sure, you might say that almost every ya dystopia is like The Hunger Games in some ways, but in Ashes, the similarities were too much to overlook. I'm not saying the entire book is a rip off (it's not!), but the parallels were too much for my liking. The brewing rebellion that the MC didn't know about? The MC being the face of the rebellion against her will? Her being asked to complete some dangerous yet important task for the rebels? Sound familiar? Yep, that's what I thought.
So in the end, New World: Ashes was a very good book that I liked and I'm excited for the sequel (what was that ending? You give us a big reunion and them leave us hanging? Argh), but I can't rate it higher than 4 stars because of the similarities to Mockingjay. I still recommend this trilogy for all those who are looking for an engaging and fast paced read and who can't seem to let go of the "good old dystopia".