Deadfall
Author: Anna Carey
Publication Date: July 16th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~
In the compelling sequel to Blackbird, Anna Carey delivers a gritty and adrenaline-filled story of a girl desperate to escape her mysterious and terrifying assailants. Told in second person, this heart-pounding thriller puts the reader in front of the target.
A week ago, you woke up in Los Angeles with no memory of who you are. The only thing you knew: people are trying to kill you. You put your trust in Ben, but he betrayed you and broke your heart. Now you've escaped to New York City with a boy named Rafe, who says he remembers you from before. But the two of you are not safe. The same people who are after you are tailing Rafe as well. As the chase heats up, your memory starts to return, but your past cannot save you from the terrifying circumstances of your present, or the fact that one wrong move could end this game forever.
With enemies on every side, and not a reprieve in sight, Deadfall will grab readers and refuse to let go. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner series and the Legend series.
- Warning! There might be some slight spoilers for Blackbird ahead!
I really
enjoyed Blackbird last year, while I know some had a problem with the second
person narration, I loved it and it worked so well with the plot and story, and
I don't think it would have worked any other way.
Blackbird and Deadfall have a lot of things working for it in YA, it's original, I haven't read another book like it, it runs and feels like a movie, which I always love when books can do that, they're fast paced to the point where they don't let you get comfortable with the story so you feel how intense it is and it creates the dangerous atmosphere and keeps you on your toes. It isn't predictable and while one major thing felt predictable in Blackbird, it set things up perfectly for Deadfall, which I have to say, is more intense, crazy and twisted than I thought it would be.
Blackbird and Deadfall have a lot of things working for it in YA, it's original, I haven't read another book like it, it runs and feels like a movie, which I always love when books can do that, they're fast paced to the point where they don't let you get comfortable with the story so you feel how intense it is and it creates the dangerous atmosphere and keeps you on your toes. It isn't predictable and while one major thing felt predictable in Blackbird, it set things up perfectly for Deadfall, which I have to say, is more intense, crazy and twisted than I thought it would be.
Deadfall leaves off-literally-where blackbird finished, with "Blackbird" (we finally have a real name for her, but let's still call her Blackbird) after finding out about Ben and finding the guy she's been having flashbacks about, at the station. Blackbird finally gets to know about herself, between having more flashbacks with her memory returning in pieces and Rafe, her character growth sets in, she's a whole lot more angry than afraid now, the events in Blackbird urging her on to end AAE.
At the end of Blackbird we got a whole lot more questions than answers, Deadfall gives us those answers. It's delves into AAE and how it started out, how it formed and evolved, how deep rooted and connected it was in the real world, and just how sick and twisted and sociopathic the founder was. We get to see how big the foundation is and how they covered their tracks. We also get to see some of the other survivors, and as memories come back, we get to know Blackbird and Rafe, how they survived the island.
One of my main issues were the connection, but it doesn't have anything to do with the second person narration, it's more the fact of, how can you get to know the characters when they don't really know themselves? All they are trying to do is survive, they're always on alert, checking perimeters, hiding, fighting, trying to stay out of sight, they don't know anything outside of that and they don't let their guard down, so it's hard to really get to know them.
The other issue was the romance, it's the one thing I wasn't fond of in Blackbird, it was instalove, but then considering what you find out by the end, I could forgive it, and while it doesn't have instalove in Deadfall, I still had issues with it, because...love triangle. It's not bad, and to be honest, romance wasn't really the focus to begin with, but you have Rafe, who she fell in love with on the island, and then Ben, who helped her when she couldn't help herself, and well, I'm not fond of Ben, for Blackbird reasons, so it's not too bad.
I have a love-hate relationship with the ending of Deadfall, it's fitting, it's realistic, and it was nice to see Blackbird take charge of her life, on her own, but then there's that, and I'm not forgiving you for that, Anna Carey.
Deadfall answers the questions we were left with Blackbird, it's twisted, and intense and fast paced and although I didn't really connect with the characters, I still cared for them.
Rating: 4.5/5
