#Thursday Review - The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien (YA, SyFy)

Series: The Vault of Dreamers 2
Format: Paperback, 432 pages 
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.

The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair was expelled from Forge, the prestigious arts school that doubles as a reality TV show. But few know how Dean Berg was mining students' dreams in laboratories deep below the school. And no one, least of all the Dean himself, knows that when Rosie's dreams were seeded into the mind of another patient, Rosie's consciousness woke up in that body--a girl far from Forge, a girl with a completely different life from Rosie, a girl who is pregnant.

Told from alternating points of view between Rosie as she makes sense of her new identity and the shattered subconscious that still exists in her old body, this sequel to The Vault of Dreamers will keep readers on the edge of their seats and leave them hungry for more

"Most women appear to be ruled by their mirrors. We can't be content until we find a true reflection of ourselves."  

The Rule of Mirrors, by Caragh M. O'Brien, is the second installment in The Vault of Dreamers series. It has been three months since 16-year old Rose (Rosie) Sinclair was expelled from the Forge School and Dean Berg became her legal guardian. Trapped in a vault of dreams, Rosie doesn't realize it but her consciousness has split into two. One that stayed with the original Rosie, and the other that was reseeded into the brain of 18-year old Thea, who has been in a coma and is also pregnant.

You have to feel for Rosie who was left in the vault of dreams, and continually mined by the narcissistic Berg who truly believes that he is doing is morally right, and therefore he controls all the cards, and all the answers to why Rosie is that important to him. You also have to feel for Rosie since she has no clue who to trust, and has no contact with her family who continues to search for her for fear of putting them in Berg's sights. She finds herself stalked by an attendant, then somehow manages to escape a hidden clinic, and nearly dies in the process. She still does have contacts with Burnham, and yes, even Linus. In the end, this Rosie is totally and absolutely harder, and more resolved on her road to revenge.

As Rosie is escaping, and working out a way to seek out revenge against Berg, Thea wakes up surrounded by parents she doesn't recognize, in a clinic in Iceland, of all places, and in her last trimester of pregnancy. Thea/Rose, as I am calling her, discovers a few secrets of her own, and can really think of one thing; finding Rosie, and helping her fight back against Berg. Thankfully, while Thea/Rose's parents aren't exactly happy about their daughter's situation, there is still the ex, Tom, who is willing to help her even if it does seem rather cray cray.

I think this story is a major step forward in Rosie's growth as a character and to what will happen in the next installment. A whole lot of stuff happens in this book and of course, I shan't spoil anything. But, the book is very entertaining. You essentially have two Rosie's finding their way in the world. They both struggle, and they both seem to end up at the same place either by coincidence, or fate. The ending was probably the most action packed, and O'Brien has left herself with quite a wide open road to travel in Rosie's next adventure. 

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