In this solid sequel to Spliced (2017), Jimi has been looking forward to downtime with her boyfriend, Rex, since becoming an accidental spokesperson for chimera (humans with modified animal DNA) rights, but she's spurred into action when kindly Doc Guzman is arrested for murder. The chimera who died in Doc's care was wearing an OmniCare hospital bracelet, and though no patient record exists, Jimi is suspicious of OmniCare's connection to Howard Wells, tech billionaire and founder of the anti-chimera Humans For Humanity (H4H). Frustrated with the slow pace of Doc's legal defense, Jimi and friends infiltrate OmniCare and discover the shocking truth about their chimera patients. McGoran adds further ethical complications to the crucial political battle for chimera rights, exploring, for example, the uneasy line between acts of resistance and of terrorism. Yet this sequel reads more like a conventional plot-driven thriller, with Jimi the resolute hero defeating a too-obvious evil, with little time for the characters or world to expand. It's definitely exciting, but here's hoping the third volume advances the larger story.

A science-infused political sci-fi thriller.The irrepressible Jimi continues to throw caution to the wind to help her chimera (humans who have enhanced their DNA with animal genes) friends in their fight for equality. A few months after the conclusion of Spliced (2017), Jimi finally reunites with love interest Rex, but when their friend Doctor Guzman is wrongfully arrested for a chimera's death, the 17-year-old and her friends seek to clear his name and uncover the secrets behind the facility that last treated the deceased chimera. The heroine continues to rescue her modified friends with her ingenuity and bravery, which begins to grate due to predictability and reliance on tired tropes. All roads lead to tech billionaire Howard Wells, but he barely makes an appearance even though his reach is omnipresent. The romance fails to come to life and often falls in dated gender territory. Awkward dialogue and belabored exposition mar the otherwise effective exploration of relevant and timely issues, such as personhood, genetic experimentation, slave labor, and more. The long-lasting impact of prejudice and the evils that are perpetrated in its name are poignantly woven in with some success, but uneven pacing and characterization detract, and the worldbuilding falters to the point of distraction. A big reveal in the last chapter hints at more to come, but fans might not return for future entries.A disappointing sequel that fails to capture the cohesiveness of the first book. (Science fiction. 14-18)