Review : Revelations by J.A Souders

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Revelations (The Elysium Chronicles #2)
Author : J.A Souders
Publication Date : November 5th 2013
Publisher : Tor Teen
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Six weeks after her arrival on the Surface, Evelyn Winters is no closer to unlocking the memories lost in her subconscious than she was when she first came. Isolated in a strange new society, Evie has only Gavin Hunter to remind her of who she once was.

But even with a clean slate, it’s easy to see that Evie doesn’t fit in on the Surface. And as her differences make her feel more and more alone, she can’t help but yearn for that place she doesn’t remember: the isolated city hidden in the depths of the ocean. Elysium. Home.

But she can’t exactly tell Gavin what she’s feeling. Not when he’s the one who helped her escape Elysium in the first place, and has the scars to prove it. Though the doctors say otherwise, Gavin believes that Evie just needs time. And if her memories don’t come back, well, maybe she’s better off not remembering her past.

But the decision may be out of their hands when Evie’s ever-elusive memories begin to collide with reality. People and images from her past appear in the most unlikely places, haunting her, provoking her…and making her seem not only strange but dangerous.

Evie and Gavin can’t wait around for her memories to return. They’ll have to journey across the Outlands of the Surface to find help, and in the end, their search may just lead them back to the place it all started…

Personal Thoughts

Last year I read and fell in love with J.A Souder's debut novel, Renegade, which not only had a phenomenal cast of characters, including the super villainous Mother, but it also had a stunning and unique world-building, all of which made me restore my faith in the YA dystopian novels. So, it comes as no surprise that Revelations was one of my most anticipated sequels of this year. While Revelations did not completely live up to the brilliance of Renegade, it was still a lovely read.

What made Revelations a good read for me despite the fact that I had a some issues with it was the fact that it was highly character-driven according to me. We meet up with Evie at the Surface this time, having lost her memories. Part of me thought at the end of Renegade that Evie would probably get that HEA that she deserved in this one, but obviously I was wrong. Even though she has escaped the evilness that resided in Elysium, she struggled deeply. I thought her struggles and feelings were captured in a highly authentic way. Her emotions managed to touch me and in a way, I related to her, especially when it came to the home-sickness that she experienced. Despite having Gavin by her side, she went through a lot of pain, primarily because her memory loss tormented her and haunted her with snippets of memories from the past. My heart hurt for Evie, but I do think the author did her justice, especially with the growth she underwent. Gavin too went through his fair share of tumultuous situations in Revelations. I have to admit that I grew to love him even more in this book. He has always been a bit of a reckless guy, but at the end of the day his intentions are pure and he is absolutely endearing. There was also a new character introduced, Asher, who happened to be Gavin's ex-best friend. He was also an entertaining addition and I look forward to more of him. As for the villain, Mother, she was still twisted and pretty much insane, but that's what makes her such a great antagonist.

The details that J.A Souders gives to her world building is another reason why this series is a favorite of mine. In the previous book, we got to know Elysium in detail and since this one is set on the Surface, we get to know what the world there is like on a personal level through Evie and Gavin's POVs. I loved getting to know more of the history and how Elysium and the Surface came about to be in the situation it was depicted in the book. What went slightly wrong for me was the plot, or more specifically the pace at which the story progressed. Typically, I need my dystopian novels to be fast-paced and Revelations did not have that element to it. I also wanted to the action scenes to be a bit more amplified, especially considering this is the second book. However, that, in no way, impede my enjoyment of the book. It just didn't make Revelations as strong as a novel for me as Renegade was. The romance in Revelations was kept to a minimal and Gavin and Evie go through some obstacles, but they were entirely realistic considering their situation. Plus, they are adorable and make a cute couple. At one point, with the introduction of Asher, I felt like the romance would go in the typical love triangle way, but I was pleased that that wasn't the case.

Overall, Revelations was an interesting addition to the Elysium Chronicles and I'm looking forward to seeing J.A Souders end the series with an astounding bang.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Tor Teen for the ARC of Revelations.