The Rivals is the follow-up novel to Jane Pek’s debut novel, The Verifiers, and the second book in her Claudia Lin series, named after the novel’s protagonist. Given there is an interconnected story and overarching plot between The Verifiers and The Rivals (and this story will be carrying over into the next book, whenever it’s published), you must read The Verifiers before reading The Rivals (that certainly won’t be a chore, considering The Verifiers is an excellent novel). 

 

This review will be as spoiler-free as possible, considering this is a sequel and I don’t want to spoil either The Verifiers or The Rivals. 

 

The Rivals has the same quick wit and wry humor as The Verifiers, which was what made me fall in love with Pek’s writing in the first place, but The Verifiers had this deft exchange of heavy and light throughout the book that kept the story from becoming too bogged down or overwrought, which is what I feel The Rivals lacked. The moral and social implications of the plot elements in this book are rather depressing and I spent the whole second and third act of this book wishing for a little more levity or some kind of break from the swelling cynicism. 

 

Claudia Lin is still a terrific protagonist, with her romantic soul, impulsive manner, and flighty nature. Her head is everywhere and nowhere at the same time, which makes it all the more endearing when she puts together the pieces of the puzzle. Her fraught situationship with Becks proves to be both entertaining and frustrating, full of the same will they/won’t they some of the best prime time television shows of all time were marked with. 

 

There is a lot of technological jargon in this book. I mean, a lot. It almost all went over my head. I did okay when I read The Verifiers, but my eyes started to glaze over a little while reading this one. I still don’t regret picking it up. 

 

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. 

 

File Under: AAPI Fiction/Amateur Sleuths/Book Series/Dark Comedy/LGBTQ Fiction/Mystery/OwnVoices/Sci Fi