This just was not for me.
Maybe it was because I had not read the first in the series, but I really did struggle to finish this.
It was well written but the story just did not hold me.

The Sainted is the second book of the Departed series by Kristy Cooper. In the first book thousands of people suddenly disappeared one night leaving the world to wonder just what had happened to them. Among the theories was the fact that the rapture had occurred since most of the missing were followers of the church.

Among the missing was Lana and her family who’s best friend Gwen really doesn’t want to believe that her friend is gone for good and in heaven now. But when Gwen received an email from Lana’s account she finds that the rapture had been faked and the missing people are in compounds around the world, most by choice but a select few like Lana were forced. The church had decided to fake the rapture to get more people to join up and believe in their faith.

The Sainted picked up exactly where the Departed left off leaving Gwen and Isaiah trapped in the underground compound that Lana had been taken to after they followed the clues Lana had given them by sneaking emails. With no adults really wanting to listen the pair had thought they could just find a location and get help but now their families think they’ve just run off and they are facing living in the compound indefinitely.

With this second edition of the story I found myself again just flying through this fast paced young adult adventure. The realistic nature of the story has me completely hooked seeing how I can honestly see a group going to this extreme to convert followers to their faith. There’s non-stop action as the characters continue to try to save themselves and come up with a plan for escape.

The story also switches the point of view to show Gwen’s friend and family on the outside trying to find out just what happened and how big of a coverup has been going on.Looking forward to reading the third book in this series when it is released to find out just how it will all turn out after another somewhat of a cliffhanger at the end of this book.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

While I really enjoyed the first book in this series, this one just seemed redundant and a bit boring.

This wasn't my genre or really for me but I think it has value as a well written middle grade/YA novel because it should make kids think about what they know and believe and how those two intersect. I had not read the first book so I might have been at a disadvantage. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- go ahead and give this a try.