Rating 3.5.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher from NetGalley.

GRRRRRR. This falls to middle book of a trilogy syndrome and it makes me mad.
The story picks right up where the first book ends. So don't think about skipping that first book. But it is a slog through 3/4 of the book. WhY????? It's all--hey lets do this, lets talk about it, and then lets do it again.
There is so much that could have been explored. More detail about the prophecy, for example. I do like that they gave more background on several of the other characters in the book.

But the more the book went on, the more it made me think about the holes in the setting. Why is this school so horrible? How come the enclaves don't work to improve it and make it safer for their kids? Why aren't there more schools for the kids, why is there only one school for the entire world, making it so selective?

The last 1/4 is were everything of substance happened and it made me excited for the next book. It wasn't wholly unexpected, but shocking in a way I didn't expect.