The Prey (2015) left only 15 escapees: the Sisters, led by Hope, and the Less Thans, led by Cat and Book. Now that they are freed from their prisons, the plan is to return and liberate the others they had to leave behind. Before the journey back can begin, though, one of the 15 leads the Brown Shirts to their encampment. Betrayal, imprisonment, and the threat of death will hound the survivors as they attempt to do the right thing. This second book in a planned trilogy features short chapters and nonstop action. Recommend this book to readers of James Dashner's Maze Runner books and Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy.

This riveting sequel to The Prey (HarperTeen, 2015) is set in a post-apocalyptic world where survival is a constant struggle, especially for Less Thans, damaged by radiation from bombs that fell years ago. The protagonists are teen boys (Less Thans) and girls (Sisters) fleeing Brown Shirts, Crazies, Skull People, Wolves, and Hunters in the Western Federation Territory. After a horrendous struggle, they make it to the Heartland in the first book, but a small groupseven Less Thans and eight Sistersturn back, determined to rescue the young people still imprisoned in the camps they fled. This title follows them on this seemingly impossible quest, which includes facing a bully and a traitor in their party, as well as human monsters and the brutal regimes they represent.The first-person narrator of alternating chapters is Book, the sixteen-year-old leader of the Less Thans. Hope, the third-person focus of the other chapters, is in charge of the girls. She is also on a secret mission to kill the leaders who murdered her sister and have brought such pain and suffering to so many others. It is not necessary to read the first book to follow this one. There is enough backstory to fill readers in on what happened, but those who finish this one are going to want to go back and spend more time with these characters while waiting for the third book. With its non-stop action, short chapters, and dystopian subject matter, this thriller should definitely appeal to teen readers, reluctant or otherwise. This series is perfect for fans of The Maze Runner and Divergent series.Bonnie Kunzel.