Book Review: Dust Lands: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

By: Moira Young

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Released on: October 30th, 2012

Source: book from publisher to review

Series: Dust Lands #2

4 Stars: I Enjoyed It

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nothing is certain and no one is safe in the second book in the highly praised Dust Lands trilogy.

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion. - quoted from Goodreads

It was so nice to jump back into this bleak, desolate world. Sounds funny to say, but in this at times hopeless world are some fascinating characters I have been anxiously waiting to meet up with again. These characters are of course, are not at all the same characters I met in Blood Red Road. Having experienced some traumatic events at the end of Blood Red Road, these characters have all changed in various ways, some of the better and some, well that's just say some surprised me. 

Saba surprised me the the most in this story. She wasn't the same girl I had excepted to come back to, though I can't same that I blame her. Instead of this strong, unbreakable character, she's a character whom I felt was on the verge of losing it for part of the book. I felt something snapped inside her, and as she tries to determine what's real and what's not, she allows her more emotional state to take over. There were a few times I wanted to slap her to snap her out of it, but Saba is a resilient character and slowly comes out of it on her own. Due to her more emotional side, she does make some rather surprising choices. Let's just say Jack isn't the only one who wants to win Saba over. I loved that love does play a bigger role in this story, and man alive I want to know more about some of the secondary characters! There were a few surprising things uncovered about them that leaves me wanting more! I have a feeling they'll play bigger roles in the next book. 

There's something about this vast, expanse of a wasteland that fascinates me. That mixed with Saba's haunting voice, Moria's distinct writing style, and her vivid story telling, all collectively create something that's a little different, and keeps me coming back for more. I will say the action the drove the storyline in Blood Red Road was replaced with emotion in Rebel Heart. It's that emotion, and that love and hope that drove these characters into action with this storyline. It kept them moving forward, and not giving up. It fueled their reasoning, and decision making for good or for bad. It also slowed the storyline down a bit for me. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it was interesting to see how things unfolded for Saba and the rest of the characters and the turn of events that happen. I liked that it also made it hard to predict what was going to happen next. With Moria's storytelling I feel like I'm along for a ride, and it's nice to just sit back and read the story without trying to figure out and predict what's going to happen next.

Moira Young has created a rather unique story with her Dust Lands series. This series isn't one I'd normally enjoy reading, and yet there's something that I can't resist when I sit down and read it. I think it's being so different is what intrigues me the most. I know this writing style isn't for everyone, but it's definitely hooked me. Rebel Heart is a fascinating sequel. It's gritty, raw with emotion, and one that slowly unravels as you read along. If you've read Blood Red Road I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.