Review ~ Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black #2) by Sara Furlong Burr

ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: 18th Oct 2013

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
What if you gave up everything you knew and loved for a lie?

Nearly one year ago, Celaine Stevens made the choice to leave her life behind to join The Epicenter, an organization charged with bringing down The Man in Black - a terrorist and the one responsible for the murder of her entire family. Battling conflicting emotions and the pain her decision caused, Celaine tells herself that her sacrifices will all have been worth it when The Man in Black is finally apprehended. 

But, instead of hunting the elusive entity, Celaine and her partner Ian Grant find themselves preparing for a war looming on the horizon. Angered by President Brook’s ever-tightening restrictions, a rebellion has formed, leading the charge against the President and anyone who stands in their way. Caught in the middle, Celaine and Ian are forced to choose sides, having to decide whether to align themselves with the rebellion, whose motives they question, or obey the orders given to them by an organization they are steadily growing to distrust.

A war is sparked by deceit, new alliances are formed, an unexpected love begins to blossom, and true identities are revealed in Vendetta Nation, the second installment of the Enigma Black trilogy.

My Opinion

I loved Enigma Black when I first read it. It was different, full of actions and Sara definitely delivered with the sequel Vendetta Nation. It was fast-paced and gripping from beginning to end. I want the final book now!

Vendetta nation did take a while to get back into as I was trying to remember what happened in Enigma Black and who everyone was. The fact that the author started with Celaine going in and out of consciousness as well, did confuse me slightly me as it brought up characters I couldn't remember in her mind. However, as I got into the story things soon came back to me and after that I couldn't stop reading.

Sara describes the action brilliantly and I like that the books have an edge to them. They are gritty and tough and I love that Celaine is strongwhen she needs to be but also has a vulnerable and human side. It makes her easier to sympathise with and connect to. I love how she strives for good but also has to do bad to get there, it's like she's skirting a fine line between good and bad and it keeps you on the edge of the seat and turning pages.

As well as this I like that the book drip feeds you information. I will admit some of it was a bit predictable and I found myself just waiting for certain events to happen but it still was enjoyable. I think the author got the balance of information right, if she had left it longer I think it would have been too late and the reader would either become confused or disinterested as it added another level of questions to the book.

Another thing I liked was the fact that the book was written in first person from Celaine'd POV, but the author added other character's view points with situations happening in other places as well. This gave a great over view of different situations and also created the situation where the reader knows more than the character which I like.

There are only 2 things I have as slight annoyance with in this book. The first is I found some of Celaine's actions a little far fetched. I know she wanted to do good but one action she performed didn't seem real to me seeing as it jeopardised her survival chances. The second issue I had was the same as the first book: it ended too soon and I have to wait too long for the next installment! Seriously this book leaves you on a bigger and more torturous cliffhanger than the first and I can't wait for the release. :)

Overall this book delivered on all of my expectations. If you're looking for an action packed dystopian book with super humans check out this series. It even has a slight hint of romance too. What more could you want?

4.5

Enigma Black - Sara Furlong Burr

Description
When she was just seventeen, the course of Celaine Stevens' life was permanently altered with the murders of her father, mother, and brother in one of a series of mysterious and violent explosions occurring across the country. Struggling with picking up the pieces, she's haunted by the memory of that day and her promise of retribution against those responsible for her misery. But just as she seems to be getting her life back on track, an encounter with a mysterious stranger promises her the vengeance she desires, ultimately turning the former target into the assassin.

However, as she soon learns, all choices come with consequences. And the consequence of her choice threatens to destroy the very fabric of her being.

My Opinion

All I can say is wow! This book surpassed all of my expectations and kept me hooked from beginning to end and I'm glad I received the professionally edited copy so I could read it without any trouble. This book is faced paced, action packed and took me on an emotional ride.

I loved Celiane, she had a dry sarcastic sense of humor which I adored and made me laugh on occasions  She was also strong willed and determined but Sara cleverly interwove moments of vulnerability to create an engaging character that I could sympathise with. Also because of this vulnerability it justified her actions, which created a solid and strong story line. As well as this the two guys, Chase and Blake were total opposites. Chase being the sweet, caring, shoulder to cry on and Blake the partner who has had his emotions drilled out of him. These two really played with my emotions through out the book as their relationships with Celiane changed but I loved the difference in personality as it made it all the more interesting to read.

In Enigma Black the action is constructed incredibly well, it is fast paced but filled with loads of detail that leaves everything easy to imagine and visualise. I loved it when Celaine turned into her cold 'super hero' version of herself and the confrontations with The Man in Black were brilliant. The start did confuse me slightly as it is written from multiple POV but that was down to the fact we hadn't been introduced to everyone. After that I had no trouble and towards the end I had the moment of "Oh I get the beginning now" which was great as it linked nicely. 

The only bad thing I have to say about this book is the cliff hanger ending! It definitely leaves you wanting to know more and I don't know if I can wait too long to find out what happens next. Overall this book is an engaging, action packed story that will take you on an emotional ride and keep you hooked all the way to the end. I would highly recommend this to anyone and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!