The good/bad thing about reading the next book immediately after is that you don't need the explicit callbacks to previous events, so on the one hand they're a little annoying, I'm sure I'd be grateful for them if I hadn't had such ready access to this installment. And since the plot didn't really go the direction I was expecting, they were helpful in orienting myself within this 'verse.

This is primarily based in Hyde Preparatory School and Mackenzie's home life rather than the Archive itself, more about loose ends and moving on, which makes it very different from the first book. Not bad, just a distinct vibe; it feels closer to mainstream YA, which will work for some readers and not for others. (In my case, it definitely works — with a few exceptions, like the girl-on-girl hate and what could be read as a love triangle.)

Mackenzie is still very much the hero of our story, but we get so much in terms of the other characters: Wesley in particular, but the rest of their little found family too. I'm super invested in their well-being and development, so I'm really glad that there'll be another book.

content warnings: 

domestic violence, mutilation (non-graphic dream), mentioned sexual harassment/assault, (inadvertent) self-harm, roofie

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CONVERSION: 13.3 / 15 = 4.5 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 9 / 10
Emotional Impact: 10 / 10
Development / Flow: 8 / 10
Setting: 9 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 5 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5