Review: Outside In (Inside Out #2) by Maria V. Snyder

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Copy Courtesy of Netgalley and Harlequin
Release Date: 2/22/2011

*Spoiler Alert - If you haven't read Inside Out, then you shouldn't read this review because it contains spoilers. You can find my review of Inside Out here.*

Summary

As most rebels find, the aftermath of overthrowing the government is rarely simple. Trella finds herself going to endless Committee meetings only to have her contributions ignored. Uppers and Scrubs segregate themselves and resentment abounds. On the other hand, things with Riley seem to be going well, which adds some brightness to her life. Then, the bombings start, and Trella must figure out what is going on and stop it before the ship self-implodes.

Commentary

I find that Maria V. Snyder has this pattern where her first books in a series are really good and the second ones suffer a significant decline. I really enjoyed Inside Out. It felt fresh and had good worldbuilding. Outside In, however, just didn't live up to that promise.

Trella spends much of the book running away from her problems, which while an understandable reaction, makes it feel like not much is happening despite bombs going off. Her relationship is written very well, however. I thoroughly approved of its progression.

There was also a lot of focus on when things occurred which was difficult to keep track of because the way Insiders keep track of time is pretty different from how we keep track of time so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much time had passed. While this may have added to the Worldbuilding, it also took away from my complete immersion in the story.

The overall plot and its twists were somewhat interesting although I didn't feel as engrossed in what was happening as I was in the first book. This may, in part, be due to the pacing, which dragged somewhat because of Trella's 'moping' and then all of a sudden speeded up when things came to a peak. I'm not entirely sure you need to read the second book. I feel that the first book could be a great standalone novel.

Star Rating: 3.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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