I feel like this book suffers from Second Book-itis. The first book was nail-biting and intriguing, as you try to unravel the mystery (and potential supernatural elements) right along with the protagonist, Ethan. But this second book was redundant and pointless by comparison. The melodrama around Theresa and Kate was squicky, and completely pointless given they're dealing with the apocalypse. Alyssa's whodunnit plot was equally pointless, who cares about the mysterious murder of one girl when there is a ritualistic murder of citizens every few weeks?
Ethan's plot beats in general weren't very different from the beats of the first book. His choice to incite a fete, then reveal the truth to the town, felt foolish and unearned. I get that this is a man with anger issues, and his rebellion is a culmination of that. But there was no plan for the next step after the reveal, which shows in the book's "dramatic" cliffhanger. What did he think was going to happen? How was a coup going to end any other way than Walking Dead-ing it across Idaho?
There were some plot points that went nowhere. Abby's have superhuman intelligence... Okay, but the only interactions they have with humans are of hunting humans down. Would have been interesting to see Ethan try to communicate with one. Or to find out that Pilcher or Pam could. The students were being brainwashed... Okay, but what were they being taught exactly? Were they being told about the abbys, and the destruction of humanity? Or just that Pilcher was supreme? And to what end? Their loyalty? To incite violence? To eventually replace the first generation, and erase humanity's understanding of history?
What was the point of it all? That is my takeaway from the end of this book: The melodrama, the rehashing events from the first book, the empty threats about town... What was the point of it all?