Rogue Heart

Rebel Seoul #2

by Axie Oh

Neo Beijing, 2201.

To escape the ghosts of her past, eighteen-year-old telepath Ama works by day in a bakery and cafe, and moonlights as a lounge singer in a smoky bar at night. She's anonymous, she's safe from the never-ending world war, and that's how she'd like to stay. But then a resistance group called PHNX recruits her to help save young girls from a government experiment exactly like the one she fled. Soon, Ama is traveling with the resistance on a series of dangerous missions, using her telepathic and telekinetic powers to infiltrate authoritarian Alliance operations and gain intelligence for the democratic resistance.

As they move closer and closer to the warfront, Ama hears about a brilliant new commander rising in the ranks of the Alliance, a young man rumored to have no fear of death. Her unit is assigned to dismantle his operation from the inside. But when Ama sees the commander for the first time, she discovers his identity: Alex Kim, the boy who once broke her heart.

The plan is for Ama to use her telepathic abilities to fool everyone and pose as an officer in Alex's elite guard. But as the final battle approaches, she struggles with her mission and her feelings for Alex. Will she be able to carry out her task? Or will she give up everything for Alex again--only to be betrayed once more?

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Dystopia, Asian Literature, Fiction

357 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Eri · Rating 5 out of 5]

after like two years of emotional pining over Alex and Ama from Rebel Seoul....this book just decided to deliver the most pitch-perfect concoction of everything I adore from kdramas in the form of this innocent looking book. THE ANGST LEVELS IN THIS

also [redacted spoilery name] is like favorite favorite character and really took me by my surprise how much I fell in love as literally he's my favorite archetype in fiction ever. probably.

anyway, fans of the first book definitely will not be disappointed to catch up with Ama who I adore and Alex and other characters! publishing give Axie more books!!

coherent review coming soon....hopefully

[USOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

For fans of Rebel Seoul, let me just start this off by saying you have to read Rogue Heart - it will soothe your soul. Although Rogue Heart is full of all the angst! What I adored about Rogue Heart is a combination of the detailed science fiction world and the characters. It's been so long since I read a science fiction world in the psuedo future. I'm such a sucker for technology! Oh delivers a world that feels far away from our reality, but also within grasp. At the same time, Rogue Heart is a book full of characters. I was reading for the side characters as much as for the main character, my precious Ama!

Thematically, Rogue Heart is pure gold. In a world with super soldiers, we are asked at what cost? In a seemingly endless war, what will we do to get the upper hand? And when there's this list of sacrifices and tough decisions, what differentiates us from our enemies? Rogue Heart asks us how we can achieve a true sense of peace.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


The Buzz

Rebel Seoul was my top read of 2017!! So when I heard there was a companion novel / sequel I knew I had to read Rogue Heart, especially if it shed light on what happened between Ama and Alex!! I am always on the lookout for books set in Asia and this series fits the bill.

Rogue Heart as a title does speak to the romance in the book. It's not a bad title... but I would have loved to continue the location titles... Rebel Seoul... Rogue Beijing... that would have been a really neat title!! I DO like this cover a lot better than the Rebel Seoul one though. It still has the character at the center of the art but it speaks a little more to what the story is about... which is a little spy thriller set in the future.


The Premise

In Rebel Seoul we get a super future world where a War is going on in Asia... using mechs! Experimentation with orphan children is set to release the first super soldiers to win the war... unless they can escape first! I really enjoyed Rebel Seoul and felt like the world, characters and plot came together in a delightful adventure. And we return to this rich sci-fi world in Rogue Heart!! This time we follow Ama. She's the super soldier who is all telepathy and mind control rather than kickass fighter like her sister friend Tera. So instead of jumping into the mechs again we get into the spy part of the war. Ama gets a chance to USE her powers... and to choose which side she's on.

As you can probably already tell I loved this sequel!! We get a new POV, Ama, instead of Jaewon, but we pick up where we left off in the war. So its a bit of companion novel and a bit of a sequel. I really enjoyed this aspect of Rogue Heart because I wanted to know so much more about Ama and Alex than we got from Jaewon's POV. And Ama made for a equally compelling protagonist as Jaewon!! I loved how Tsuko kept popping up and causing Ama's heart to be in conflict. It really helped her to be able to choose the path she wanted to take. Sometimes our friends do that for us. Even though we can't travel together there is a bond that won't break.

Axie Oh somehow is able to develop new characters in a short amount of time that I care about. And we see the return of many of the characters we loved in Rebel Seoul. I also enjoyed seeing more of the world... We leave behind Seoul and travel to Neo Beijing, pick up a translation app, and infiltrate a mech training base! I was happy to see Ama find a life of her own. She's more than a love interest and a best friend. And we get to see her come into her powers... But I was also happy to see Alex again. Ama needed closure. We go fast and furious and don't linger because this war is about to explode!!


My Experience

One of the things that quite impressed me about Rebel Seoul was the world. Sure we had stellar characters that I wanted to follow... but this Asia centered war and these new Asian capitals took on a character of their own. We had mechs, scheduled battles, a war of knowledge and the media. And then we had protected cities with shield domes and towers of power. We see a different side of all of this in Rogue Heart. I LOVED THIS! There wasn't rehash but an expanding world.

I loved how we saw doppelgangers in Rogue Heart and Ama even touches on them. Similarities in personality or focus that reflect one another while also being independent at the same time. Tera became quite jealous and this touch of friendship was so adorable. We also meet Jaewon's "reflection" and he became my favorite new character!! We also see that the Alliance is not done experimenting on kids. This was a POW! moment for me. I admit that I didn't see them coming but the way Ama dealt with them was so, so good.

I'm quite happy with where this current duology has gone. But I also could see jumping into a third book with Su as the lead character... His philosophy on how to end the war is fascinating and I wouldn't mind seeing how that plays out in a plot with him at the center. Plus who doesn't want to see Su happy?!

Rogue Heart is a stellar sequel to Rebel Seoul where we follow a different super soldier who isn't sure she wants to be involved in the war anymore. Ama is a strong woman who didn't fight in the traditional way but found her place in a team who searches out the truth! Find out who wins and what happens with TEAM Amaterasu!!


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
B+ Cover & Title grade

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. Read my special perspective under the typewriter on my reviews...

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[➺ kath [ia] · Rating 5 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 4.5 stars. ݁˖౨ৎ⋆˚｡⋆
reviewed on 02.05.24
revised on 06.20.24
*review may contain minor spoilers !!
trigger warnings listed at bottom.

꒰ now playing :: afterlife - hailee steinfeld ✧ ˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹

tropes:
➳ second chance
➳ guy takes care of girl
➳ angst
➳ HEA
➳ impossible love
➳ forced proximity

⊹。°˖➴ ❝ I don't want to close my eyes to feel alive. ❞

⋆.˚⋆₊ ⊹ ↷ i feel like most people don’t realize how much i used to hate sci-fi. reading one in school in 5th grade honestly erased any intention of mine to ever touch another sci-fi book again. but recently i started picking up sci-fi books (since my favorite genre dystopia go hand in hand with sci-fi), and it really has healed my inner 5th grade heart. and how does this tie in with this book? books like this one are the reason why i enjoy sci-fi so much more.

also moment of silence for the beautiful cover pls and ty 😭

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ᯓ.❝ I wanted to survive, I wanted to live, I wanted to love again. ❞ ᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

⋆˚࿔ ama 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
↷ this book, instead of focusing on the romance, focused on ama’s character development and honestly it was one of the best decisions the author could've ever made: we watched as ama became this strong, fearless girl from the shy, sweet and innocent one in rebel seoul ;; knowing her self worth even through her fear of her abilities. she selflessly loves even through war, and her perspective was definitely the best one this book could’ve been narrated from. she has such a pure, loving heart and her growth on her journey in rogue heart made me cheer for her so much.

✩ alex ☽⋆｡°✩
↷ okay so wtf this man waltzed and literally went “im going to put all your childhood celebrities to shame”. girls get yourself a alex kim ;; this man deserves the fucking world. his energy matched ama’s so well !! and !! he’s a gentleman. so please feel free to add him to your all time book bfs list cause this man deserves to be at the top <3 but on a more serious note, he’s a leader, he’s strong, and he loves and fights selflessly for those that he cares about (giwoo, gayoung, yuuki, gi-hong, jaewon, etc.)

౨ৎ ˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 ❝ i miss you ama.”
“i miss you too. i miss you even now. ❞

↷ tbh i was really disappointed how suddenly the series came to a end. there wasn’t any satisfying closure to all the people we had gotten to know and love. tsuko, shin, shiori, giwoo, gayoung, yuuki . . . there was no satisfying ending to their stories. a third book might’ve done that, and yet, it’s been five years so it’s unlikely we will get one.

also oh kangto did not get his justice, #justiceforkangto

₊ ꪆৎ ˚⋆.♡ ↷ closing msgs. this book takes us through gorgeous Ama's heartbreaking but hopeful story, and everything about it just left me so thankful to be able to be immersed in it 🫶🤭
I'm definitely glad that this book focused more on the genuine story and sci-fi development rather than Alex and Ama's story, but at the amount of romance we were getting, it might've done better to maybe play around with it a bit more. we got immersed into the romance with about 10% left and honestly, it wasn’t enough for me. !! but !! it was still enough for me to fall in love with ama and alex all over again <3

─ ⊹ ֹ ₊ xoxo, kath

trigger warnings:
➳ parental abuse
➳ death
➳ active violence
➳ depicted suicide
➳ kidnapping

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ i am not trapped. i am not waiting for someone to save me. i save myself every day. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ remember the past, strive for a better future, and embrace the moment. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ my enemy, my beloved. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ [ama] was good. she was kind. her dreams were always bright and warm. i could feel them when she was nearby. for someone like me, who always lived in darkness, she was like the sun. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ i dont need anyone else to make me feel whole. in this moment — in this song — the whole world is inside of me. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ all you can do is find someone to distract you from the pain until there is no past, no future, just a present that swallows you whole. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ i’d rather have one moment of your time than none at all. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ i love you. come find me in my dreams. ❞

‧₊˚. ❥ ❝ what i wish for most after tomorrow’s battle is that people can open their minds, seek new avenues for old problems, as questions; that they can look at their friends and their enemies and realize that every person in the world has a mind that dreams and a heart that aches. ❞

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Макар да ми беше по-интересна тази втора част, оставам със смесени чувства за тази поредица като цяло на Акси.
За мен, тук имаше малко по-добре направени герои и събития, но края нещо ме загуби тотално. И как така изведнъж войната приключи? Нещо не разбрах.

[Aila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axie Oh does it again with another scintillating spi-fi tale that spans time and dimensions. Set two years after the events of REBEL SOUL (which you can find my glowing review over here:), ROGUE HEART returns us back to a technologically-advanced future and beloved characters that are still alive, against all odds. With Oh’s beautiful writing and complex characters, ROGUE HEART is an adventure that will capture readers’ hearts and souls as we follow the adventure of Ama and her path back to justice, and the boy she loves.

“Even in a world where I was a government experiment, where the boy I love betrayed me and broke my heart, I still wanted to live in it. I wanted to survive, I wanted to live, I wanted to love again.”

There’s a lot of layers to ROGUE HEART. It’s a sci-fi adventure, yes, but also a politically-driven story as Ama gets recruited by a rebel faction, PHNX, to infiltrate the Alliance and learn its secrets. But what she ends up seeing when she becomes a new trainee is the old love of her life - Alex Kim - who seems to be having a grand time without her. After all, who would miss a girl who is presumed dead? At the end of REBEL SEOUL, Alex rejected Ama to protect her, and thinks she is dead because of an accident on her transport vehicle. The government is creating more Amas and Tera’s to finish their mission of creating a super soldier. And Ama’s pseudo-brother, Tsuko, is itching to finish the fight between the rebels and the Alliance by himself - at the sake of any life. The plot is ever-moving and changing, but what lies at the heart of it is Ama’s self-discovery of what she can do, and what she can offer to the world.

Check out the rest of my review over at my blog!

I AM CRYING AND I AM READY FOR THIS BOOK TO TAKE ME.

[vxmpslibrary [hiatus exams] · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just remember angst-
read this a long time ago too.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

Дилогията „Бунтът на Сеул“ на Акси О, преведена на български от Гергана Дечева и издадена от Peppermill Books, предлага на читателите шеметни YA приключения, които успяват да съчетаят разтърсваща дистопия, кинематографичен екшън и истинска, човешка, уязвима романтика. „Бунтът на Сеул“ и „Непорокро сърце“ са две книги, които не само разширяват представата ни за азиатския футуризъм в младежката литература, но и доказват колко зрял може да бъде жанрът, когато авторът действа с размах. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Clemy-chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was as well written as its companion book, though I had a few personal issues with it that knocked it down a star compared to Rebel Seoul.

1. I liked Jaewoon more than Ama as a character.
2. I hate spy plotlines in general.
3. Even though there were battles and stakes and whatnot, I never felt the pressure of war in this book.

[Svilena Yaneva · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️ Учудващо, но предишната книга ми хареса повече.

Историята имаше няколко интересни момента, които успяха да задържат вниманието ми, но като цяло книгата ми се стори слабо структурирана и на места дори разпиляна. Политическата система във вселената продължава да ме обърква, въпреки че това вече е втора книга, в която тя би трябвало да се изясни. Ама получи малко повече дълбочина като персонаж, но Алекс, за съжаление, остана повърхностен и незавършен. А между тях… любовната линия така и не ме убеди. Колкото и да се твърдеше, че се обичат, химията помежду им липсваше и не успях да усетя връзката им на по-дълбоко ниво.

Краят също ме остави със смесени чувства - разви се прекалено прибързано и не ми донесе очакваното удовлетворение, макар формално да приключи с положителна нотка. Някои от позитивите, които ми направиха добро впечатление в първата част - интересният свят, атмосферата, технологията около Божествените машини, усещането за мащаб и мистерия - тук или отсъстваха, или бяха значително притъпени. Един от главните герои дори не участва в епилога, не знаем какво се случва с него, а не е като ролята му в сюжета да не е важна.

В обобщение, смятам, че тази книга би се харесала значително повече на по-младата аудитория - вероятно читатели във възрастовата група около 12 до 15 години. Историята носи онзи лек, приключенски дух с опростена структура и по-директен език, който според мен ще бъде по-въздействащ и вълнуващ за по-младите тийнейджъри, отколкото за по-зрялата публика. :)

[Kate Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to preface this review with two things:

1. I didn't realize that "companion novel" didn't mean "standalone novel". So some of my struggles with worldbuilding and connecting to the characters are likely because I didn't read the first book. 😂😬

2. Second chance romance and bad boy tropes have never ever been my thing, and while this book did better than some, it didn't completely convert me. 🤷‍♀️

Main thoughts: wow, the portrayal of telepathy is absolutely beautiful. I loved every description of her powers, and it was neat to see the organic way she grew in her control of them across the story. I also loved the implied ethics about reading the minds of those you love, whether you should or shouldn't and shouldn't need to. As someone with anxiety who is tempted to constantly ask for reassurance, this kinda hit home.

The commercialization of war was intensely fascinating, and I loved all the spy stuff. I would have loved more sneaking and skulking around aspects, but that's just me. I loved the theatrical worldbuilding of the battle machines, and the way they influenced pop culture.

The found family vibes. 😭😭😍

As I said before, these romance tropes just don't sit right with me, and I had already made up my non-canonical shipper mind so the last act really dragged for me and the emotional climax fell flat. I felt like some characters changed their minds too quickly and almost acted out of character. I did really enjoy the final battle scenes though. 😉

CW: heavy kissing, mentions of/flashbacks to medical experimentation. Some mild language.

Gorgeous, gorgeous end papers!

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ama is a lovely heroine—sensitive, capable, a romanticist—and Alex and Tsuko are deliciously complex, though ROGUE HEART's climax was not afforded adequate page space or drama. Underrated, and recommended.

My fan cast (it's my first)!

Wang Yu as Ama
I do apologize as I failed to find a Chinese idol and/or actress who's currently 18 years old—yet I do believe Wang Yu embodies Ama?


SKZ's Hwang Hyunjin as Alex, 20, 179 cm (1 cm away from Alex's 180!)

[michelle (magical reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

rep: Chinese protagonist, Korean love interest, Korean side characters, Chinese side characters; (Korean-American author)

POETIC CINEMA and YES. I AM crying rn!! the angst was Too Much and I will not be able to stop thinking about this book for quite a while

[Ellie Loredan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading Rebel Seoul, Ama and Alex had me even more intrigued than the main couple, which seems to be an Axie Oh thing (looking at you, XOXO). Naturally, I was excited when I found out the sequel was about them, even though Rebel Seoul left them and their relationship in pieces. And those shards cut deep …

Rogue Heart finds Ama two years later, living a quiet life to stay under the radar, but in constant fear of being discovered nevertheless. And yet, she has adjusted well and it's either being in her mind for once (pun intended) or the growth she went through over the time skip that made her seem much more confident and independent. I really enjoy her as a character, her loyalty towards her siblings, newfound friends, and the cause she soon finds herself wrapped up in. She took her agency into her own hands and acted when she was given the opportunity, not without an agenda of her own. Her conflicting feelings towards Alex as well as their back and forth made my shipper heart skip a couple of beats. Just the whole set up of him not knowing she's right in front of him while she's going through the motions was a treat.

However, it took about a third of the book until Alex showed up again and the actual plot kicked into motion and while I do acknowledge that there had to be some sort of setup to introduce the new characters that would later become relevant to the plot - some in unexpected ways - it did take more time than I would've liked. I enjoyed walking through this world Oh has created, with its warring factions, scheduled and live streamed battles, sinister experiments, and the general feeling of DANGER every way the protagonists turn, which now also feels so much bigger since Ama actually gets around. But I was waiting for the “reunion” so I was a little impatient. However, as soon as they were thrown back together, things picked up, stakes got higher (though I wouldn't have minded them to get even higher), and I was thrilled in more than just one way by Ama's infiltration mission.

Speaking of the new characters, I wish there were a little more of them - as in more interactions. Ama’s new team of three was only there for some of the plot and melting into the background for the rest when her new fellow soldiers took over, but they and their connections to Ama stayed all very superficial. What I really missed was something between Ama, fellow recruit Yuuki, who's severely crushing on Alex, and Alex’s first lieutenant and badass fighter pilot Gayoung. Come to think of it, I think this book cuts it very close to passing the Bechdel test if focusing on the interactions between the more prominent female characters. And these two could've been really interesting foils for Ama.

The real climax, at least for me, came about 50 pages before the actual ending when a lot of the characters and their agendas were thrown together. It ultimately worked as an ending, but everything was a little rushed. I would've hoped for a bit more tension, a bit more trouble. It all went down a little too smoothly and a lot went unsaid. Nevertheless, it worked for this novel. I am going to miss these characters and their world.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q:
The dreamers gather in Neo Beijing’s starlight district. The wanderers and the thrill-seekers. Those with poems in their souls and secrets in their hearts. All those racing toward the bright, unknowable future. (c)

[Annie Govier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic sequel to "Rebel Seoul" by Axie Oh! I love the world building, as I did in the first book. This time I enjoyed the story even more, though. This is such a great sci-fi, dystopian universe. How this hasn't been made into a major movie adaptation yet is truly beyond me. Love the lore, love the politics, love the characters. Axie Oh is becoming my favourite author!

[Liz Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story: Two years after the battle of Neo Seoul, Ama (now living secretly in Neo Beijing) is discovered and recruited by PHNX, a group aiming to bring down the Neo Alliance. While she wants to help with their infiltration mission by using her telepathic powers, she also wants to put her feelings for Alex, the pride of the Alliance war force, to rest. Can she control the minds of those around her to see her in a different way? More importantly...can she control her own feelings for Alex long enough to bring down the Alliance he represents?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GBLT content PG; adult themes (scientific abuse) PG; overall rating PG-13. Better for grades 8-up.

Liz's comments: I loved this duology so much that I re-read the first volume, "Rebel Seoul" before moving on to this one. Anyone who likes science fiction will enjoy this series (and I personally thing they'd make a terrific pair of movies). The author's note makes it sound like this is the end of the story, but I wish she'd tell Tsuko's story in a continuation. Ah well, we can always hope. Hand the series to anyone who liked Dan Wells' "Partials" or "Mirador" series, or Brandon Sanderson's "Reckoners" books.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about love surviving like a weed in the most inhospitable circumstances - I adored this!!

[sassyspines · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Where is the war fought? On a battlefield of thousands or in the heart of one individual?"

I am grateful we got to dive back into the world from Rebel Seoul through Rogue Heart. Taking place two years after the events of Rebel Seoul, our story follows Ama who is living under a alias name and trying to get by. Ama soon joins PHNX, a group trying to end the war and save lives. Ama is sent on a mission to find out information to help the rebels, but her commander is Alex. Will she be able to keep up the illusion and hide her true identity from those around her while trying to end the war?

Alex and Tsuko being brothers and having the same father was not something I expected so not sure how I feel about that.

Overall, I enjoyed Rogue Heart and I am glad we got to read more about the characters. I am hoping we will eventually get a story following Tsuko (even if it is a short story). This story did feel like it moved at a slower pace for the beginning and a little over half way before it picked up. I do think the ending happened a little soon because I was expecting more and then it went straight to the epilogue.

Also, I loved Alex and Ama's reunion once the illusion was gone. His reaction!! I also loved Alex and Jaewon's banter and I am glad we got to see a little bit of it in this book!

"While it is glorious to be phoenix and rise from the ashes, it is perhaps more practical to be a magpie that gathers sticks and string to make a home for its children."

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book started off kinda slow, I really liked the pacing after the first few chapters. The plot and romance was really good but I felt like the book kept dismissing things it established like how Ama used to struggle to kep her illusion on but could suddenly do it without thinking, even while unconscious. The overall story was really entertaining though and it was an easy read.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun but incomplete

One of the main characters is missing in the epilogue. So I don’t know if the author is intending on a third book or if this is it and we never get closure on him or hours relationship with his family. The book feels incomplete. If we could do half stars, I’d make this 3.5. Really confused…enjoyable otherwise and so other I’s dotted and T’s crossed.

[Awa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another fantastic read, I loved these characters and their story so much!

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I enjoyed Rogue Heart as much as the previous book, Rebel Seoul. Although the focus here is more on cloak-and-dagger machinations rather than mecha battles, these very anime-inspired characters are just so much fun to follow. In the first book, we followed Jaewon as he becomes close to experimental test subject Tera. In this book, we follow fellow supersoldier test subject Ama as she attempts to hide from the authorities trying to track her down. I can only hope that Su (together, they form "Amaterasu" - the name of the project) gets a story in the next book.

Story: Ama survived the crash in which she was thought to have perished. Laying low in Neo Beijing, she works at a local restaurant quietly and efficiently. But it can be hard to hide her telepathic powers when they cause her pain - and soon she will be found by a rebel faction who wants to use her for their own ends. Unsure where to go and always caught in her memories of time with Alex, Ama will have to make some hard decisions and soon - before they are made for her.

The story moves between China and Korea, with most of the emphasis on Ama's telepathy. There is a mecha battle at the end but for the most part, this is a nice noir thriller type of story. Readers of the first book will remember that Ama formed a relationship with Alex (Jaewon's 'frenemy' and son of the dictator-like bureaucrat) and she still longs to see him again. As well, there is the conflicted Su, the male component of the Amaterasu project, who haunts her as he pursues his own agenda.

Most of the characters in the first novel are present in the second, with Alex getting much of the page time due to being a love interest for Ama. More about the supersoldier program is revealed, including some interesting revelations, and more of this interesting world is explored in this second novel.

At its heart, what makes the story work is that it has characters you really want to follow - they aren't perfect but they are interesting enough to make the read worthwhile. As well, I have to appreciate the setting of Korea and China, something we don't often get in science fiction. But equally important is that this series is such a great homage to anime, especially mecha/sci fi. There are so few opportunities to read well written and culturally knowledgeable books inspired by manga/anime.

I look forward to the next book, when we can learn the story of our favorite emo guy, Su. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought the book was pretty good. At first, I will admit that I was a bit miffed that the book took place like 2 years after the end of the first one and Ama was on her own- but that had more to do with my gripes about the first book feeling unfinished rather than this one itself. Once I got into it, I got over that haha. I really liked Ama as a main character, it was really interesting to get into her head (hehe) and go through this very emotional and cathartic and healing character journey. She has very conflicted and complicated feelings on her missions and what she is doing, and that made her story more intriguing, like : “what will be her final decision??” So i really did want to see what happened at the end. Alex was an interesting love interest lead. I will say that I didn’t really feel the emotional intensity of his side of the relationship until like the very end, but i know that was kind of intentional with her being a spy and him thinking she was someone else. So we got a little taste of it at the end and that was enough for me. I thought his journey as a commanding officer was really interesting so I was fine just following that for him and getting all the emotional aspects from Ama.
In terms of plot… it was interesting. It felt a little slow to me for reasons I can’t describe, but it was definitely enjoyable and I wanted to see what happened at the end. Additionally, this book is a lot more politics/spy/ undercover vibes as oppose to the more sci-fi action vibes that Rebel Seoul had. I suppose less world building had to be done, because we already know the world.
All the side characters were great- they all lent different dynamics to the story and helped further it along well. Also, I had completely given up hope that we would see Tera and Jaewon in this book… and then they returned in Act 3!!! Honestly, i thought this was a great decision because it did allow me to focus on Ama’s journey, and this was HER book. Tsuko was a really wild card and interesting character- i never knew what he was up to!!
The ending… i love a completely wrapped up ending and while this one still had a lot of open ended things, it was a much more solid ending than Rebel Seoul, so i think I was more satisfied with this ending. Comparing Rebel Seoul and Rogue Heart, I think I liked the overall story and plot of Rebel Seoul better, but I thought the ending of Rogue Heart was better. So they evened out to being pretty equal in terms of likability.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ama has been in hiding since she was presumed dead in the carrier crash and got free from a life being groomed to be a weapon two years ago. She's carved out a decent life for herself in Neo Beijing, but one night an assassin comes for her and Tsu comes to her rescue. He has decided that the best way to stop the insanity that led to their childhoods is to attack both sides of the war. He wants her to join him, but Ama has enjoyed being away from the conflict. Very shortly afterwards she is also approached by PHNX, a resistance group. Initially she tells them no, but when she hears they are rescuing kids from the Neo Beijing tower in the training program, she can't say no. They soon ask her to be a part of a new undercover mission, one that has her getting close to the new commander and war hero for the created land of NIC. And it is someone they don't know has haunted her dreams for two years. Can Ama bring down the group that made her who she is by getting to Alex without him knowing who she really is?

This was everything I was hoping for in a sequel to Rebel Seoul. Don't worry. Jaewon and Tera definitely show up for their share of the action in this too, even if it is told from mostly Ama's point of view (with an occasional Alex chapter). There's plenty of action too, and some interesting new characters. Oh has created a fascinating futuristic Asia. Highly recommended to those who enjoy high action scifi, and can't get enough of Asian settings and characters.

Notes on content: Sporadic mild swearing. No sex scenes. It is hinted that a couple slept together in the past but absolutely no details. Nothing more than some kissing on page. There are a couple battles but with the robot suits they wear there's not a lot of blood or anything described, usually bumps, bruises and whole robot suits with their operators falling. There's an explosion that takes out some. No guts or gore described at any point. Some soldiers drink quite a bit and also smoke, but both are looked down on.

[K.E. Radke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the path you want and the path you need will get you to the same place, you just needed a detour and a little guidance from someone who believes in you.


Ama has choices to make and when she gets in too deep as a spy she thinks it'll help her move on. The future is within her grasp until the past catches up to her and she has to decide to stay on her path or betray everyone and everything she's been fighting for.

[Nicole N. (A Myriad of Books)]

Oh man, I'm so ready for this book! The first book was like coming home, so I can only imagine how this one will make me feel and I'm SO EXCITED!

Also, can we talk about how gorgeous that cover is?!

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[Aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot started well and had a lot of potential as it revolved around war and battles, but at some point characters started acting too „lovey dovey”, predictable and sentimental. From fantasy about war it turned into soap opera at the end. But it had some good parts, can’t argue that.

[laura (bbliophile) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so blown away by how much I loved this, wow