I think there are two ways to write about a not-first book in a series or trilogy: short and vague to avoid spoilers, or not. I’m gonna go with door number two because it’s impossible to write about this book without spoiling the resolution to the cliffhanger at the end of book one.
So…
If you don’t want to know what happens to Viola…
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Still here? Okay.
This book just about killed me. The first half was the most deadly boring thing I’ve ever read, I was doing anything but read this book when I had opportunities to read. I made so much progress in Candy Crush! But, sadly, not in my Cannonball and now I am way behind. I blame this book.
The Ask and the Answer is a master class in Trilogy Middle Child Syndrome. I don’t think I’ve ever read a Book Two I liked, but this one was extra bad. New characters are introduced that I guess you’re supposed to care about, but your old character:new character caring ratio is like…Daryl Dixon:whatever that guy on Fear the Walking Dead’s name is. Sure. Okay. Same general tone, I guess, but I don’t care. I just don’t. I will never care. I’m not an idiot, I know these stupid new people are being introduced so you can kill them off and keep things suspenseful without actually killing any main characters.
Of course, the groundwork is laid for a love triangle. One that I don’t care about on multiple levels, including but not limited to: I don’t know anything about this new person and the shoehorned sob story to make me care didn’t work, every stupid second book does this stahhhp, and Todd + Viola 4ever shut up.
New villains also emerge. Blah blah. An old villain becomes sympathetic. (That part I actually really, really enjoyed.)
Not much happens, as is standard for second books, but this one really took it to another level. I think Ness was going for a slow burn thing with the first half, but it was like watching paint dry. Menial labor, daily goings on, and a bunch of Todd and Viola doubting each other’s loyalty (which, again, I hated).
I had a lot of gripes with this book but the two biggest are 1) the pacing, holy hell the pacing, and 2) half of this one is from Viola’s perspective. I like Viola as a character but as a first person perspective she was not even a tiny bit compelling.
Just over halfway in it finally picked up, and in the last few chapters I was feeling bad for ever doubting it, but there’s no way around that the first half was mind-numbing. I’m gonna give it three stars because the first half deserved one, the last maybe 2/5 derserved four, and I’m gonna round up because I loved book one and suspect book three will also be great. As a series I’d still recommend it just on the merits of the first, but just be prepared for the second. Just read the Sparknotes or something.