Cover Image: The Underground

The Underground

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Excellent read I cannot wait to recommend this to my friends and readers!

Was this review helpful?

This dystopian series follows characters who have been surrendered by their parents to slave away their childhood due to a new child tax the Commander has written after the economy collapsed. The huge gap of time that was skipped between the ending of the first book and this book made remembering the events of of the first book a bit harder. I couldn't remember who Ramsey was for the longest time but most of the information eventually came back to me the more I thought about it. A character list and small recap would have been a nice addition.

Vee was an alright main character. I liked how the main characters all had backstories. I dont like overprotective males though. Its one of my biggest pet peeves and we get 2 of them in this book; Vees boyfriend Cason and her brother Oliver. Thats probably why I liked Xiang even though he was Vees captor. He wasnt as bossy as the other 2 male characters, but I did feel like he forgave Vee too easily which made things very convenient. I wasnt totally invested in the romance, but I didnt hate it either. Cason did end up supporting her decision in the end. I appreciated how the diversity felt very natural.

The Underground was an amazing place. It kind of gave me some steampunk vibes. I loved hearing about how they sustained themselves, but I didnt like the way they went about getting the main characters help. I didn't really trust Percy and her plan. The plot was still entertaining even though I felt like it was a little predictable in some places. I dont read as much dystopians anymore but I really liked the concept of the tax on children as a terrifyingly possible future. It was a quick read with action throughout that managed to keep my attention. I think I liked this book more than the first.

Was this review helpful?

This book was the equivalent of a ride on a runaway train for me. As Vee continues on her journey to eradicate The Tax and free the children from slavery, she encounters societies that couldn't be more different from those in the south she has known. How far is Vee willing to go to achieve her goals? What is she willing to sacrifice to do what's right?

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and actually purchased The Surrendered so I wouldn't start mid-series. I can truly say that these titles have sucked me in, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the author's world building and writing once again in this book, as I did in the first book in this series The Surrendered. Vee is still a very strong and likeable main character and felt that she was more grown up in this book. Just like the first book in the series, the story moves along at a steady pace and has action throughout which holds the reader's attention. I still find Asa to be fairly annoying as a character, but otherwise enjoyed all of the characters in this book. 3.5 stars. As I said with the first book, I am a big fan of dystopian and I read a lot of books in the genre. The concept of the books in this series, with the taxing of children and when parents are unable to pay, they are forced to do hard labor to pay off the debt is interesting. However, after reading so many dystopian series, I start to see how a lot of books end up with the same kind of plot and character behaviors. I did enjoy this as a follow up to The Surrendered and look forward to reading more from the author in the future. Thank you to the publisher, Blaze Publishing, for sending me an ARC of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I felt this book did not live up to The Surrendered. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but this one fell short in my standards. I felt that the book was slightly dull and hard to get through.

Was this review helpful?

I still like the first book more, but this one was still really good. I like the dynamic between Vera and Cason. Vers did get on my nerves slightly in this book, but overall a good sequel!

Was this review helpful?