Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: April 21, 2020
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian / Superheroes
Dark secrets and conflicting loyalties abound as four superpowered teens are torn apart by war in this epic YA sequel to A Soldier and a Liar.
Lai, Jay, Al, and Erik are on the run after the military accuses them of being traitors. Tensions between everyone are high, but they have to stick together if they want to survive. And somehow stop the war that’s now in full swing.
But when Erik returns to the rebels to find answers about his past, Lai, Al, and Jay have no choice but to go to the Order—a peace coalition bent on stopping the rebels and dissolving the enmity between gifted and ungifted. However, the longer the war drags on, the more Lai’s long-kept secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s ever worked for. Sparks fly as the team constantly questions whether they can trust one another and everyone tries to navigate a war that will change everything.
Filled with the same high-stakes superpowered action and complex relationships as Caitlin's first book, An Outcast and an Ally brings this story to a dramatic and satisfying close.
An Outcast and an Ally is the second and final installment in Caitlin Lochner's A Soldier and a Liar duology. The story picks up about 2 days after the ending to A Soldier and a Liar. As a summary, in
this world, Nytes have special abilities and can function outside the
domed sectors of this dystopian world. The Etoiles are what's left of
humanity. They make up the majority of the population, but fear the
Nytes due to their abilities.
After being used for peace negotiations with the rebels that ended up a trap, Lorelai (Lai) Cathwell, Erick Mendel, Jay Kitahara, and Alary (Al) Johann have been betrayed, charged with treason, and are now wanted criminals after they escaped prison thanks to Lai's ingenuity. They also suffered a tragic loss of a member of Lai's Order after they battled the Nyte rebels. But, now, they have bigger fishes to fry. As a Nyte Special Forces team, Jay's team was to flush out the Nyte rebels and put an end to their attempt to destroy what's left of humanity.
There are questions that have pushed Lai's team to seek answers. What secrets are the Council hiding and what lengths will they go to to keep them quiet? Can Lai's Order bring together an alliance between Nytes, the Military, as well as Etoiles in order to save the Sectors from being destroyed? Can Lai rely on her own foster father, or has he betrayed her in her moment of need? Lai and her people, including Fiona, Syon, Peter, & Trist, have put together an impressive organization but need serious help.
Lai opens up to her team about the Amaryllis Order to her teammates which causes a whole lot of hurt feelings. Erik encounters a rebel named Cal who claims he taught him how to fight, and that Erik may be close the the Rebel leader Sara Ellis. Erik finds himself being drawn back into the Rebel faction so that he can figure out what happened to his memories and what Sara and her Rebellion are really up to and what comes next. Lai believes that a Nyte is responsible for Erik's memories being blocked or removed.
With Erik back with the rebels, readers get a first hand look at who is part of the rebellion. Meanwhile, the Order is restless. Many of them want to do something other than planning and stocking up supplies. They want to fight the rebels, especially now that a key member of the team has been taken from them. The Order has an extensive intelligence network and methods of operating secretly. But, nobody has any clue what the Council has been hiding for the past 20 years, until Sara drops the bomb which will have interesting consequences for all.
What becomes crystal clear over the course of this story as well as the first installment, is how important Lai really is to not only the Order but to the entire series. Over the course of 2 1/2 years she spent in prison, she put together a team capable of doing remarkable things. But, can she put the division and infighting aside in time to stop Sara and her Rebellion from destroying everything she's worked for? Lai has a tendency of putting her life on the line for the good of the Order and her teammates. Sometimes, that's not such a good thing since she suffers the most of any character in this book and I kid you not.
There is real awakening for characters like Al who is a wonderful fighter but has a chip on her shoulder a mile long due to her desire for vengeance against her brother who she believes killed her parents. She's also been hiding who she really is and what she's capable of. Erik faces similar challenges. It becomes apparent that the old Erik was a real bastard who the rebels, for the most part, are eager to have back because of his hatred for the Etoiles. There is an old saying about spots not changing their colors; except when it comes to Erik.
It is fair to say that I enjoyed this book better than the first book. It's because the author explores each of her main characters and let's us in on what they are thinking and how they are acting to a world that has now grown much, much bigger. There is plenty of action, and battle scenes between the Rebels and the Order, as well as the Rebel, the Order, and General Austin's military who don't agree with how things have been handled by the Council. There are plenty of surprises and a nice revelation as to who the real leader of the Order really is. I think there is only one regret. I wish the author had explored parts of the other Sectors that make up this world. Instead, we are stuck mostly in Sector 8.
