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I read this just a couple days after it came out in February, but never got around to writing a review—if I don’t do it now, I never will, so time to bite the bullet and possibly risk the ire of more fans!

Note: Lots and lots of spoilers in my general discussion below; I've only spoiler-marked the quotes themselves.

THE GOOD:
- Bellamy’s characterisation, and Clarke & Bellamy’s relationship. I actually genuinely really like this!! Bellamy is tough and relatively sensible, and they support each other implicitly. And I’m very up-front about the fact that Bellarke is one of the main reasons I’m reading the series, and their chemistry/dynamic is better now that they’ve settled into a relationship: they’ve found their groove, and it’s the exact sort of groove I hope to see in the show someday. Some cute moments on both those lines:

ONE, AS EARTHBORN VILLAGERS VOLUNTEER TO PROTECT BELLAMY FROM THE COLONIST GUARDS:

(view spoiler)[Countless hands shot into the air, blocking Max, Burnett, and the other guards from view. Bellamy’s knees began to buckle as an overwhelming tide of gratitude rose within him. The adults back at the Colony had never offered Bellamy so much as a crumb of kindness. Never, not even when he and Octavia were practically starving. But these people were willing to risk everything for him—a total stranger.

That’s what made it worse. These were good people. They didn’t deserve to die for some kid who’d spent nineteen years making nothing but terrible decisions.

Clarke slid her arm around his waist and leaned into him, helping to support his weight.

“It’s okay,� she whispered into his ear.

“No,� Bellamy said under his breath, as much to himself as to her. Then, �No,� he called out, louder. No one heard him over the clamor in the room. Except Clarke and Wells. Clarke’s hand fell away from him, and she and Wells stared at him in confusion.

“Bellamy!� Clarke said, her eyes wide. “What are you doing?�

“I can’t just stand here and let all these innocent people put their asses on the line for me. They have kids; they have families. They don’t need this shit.� (hide spoiler)]

TWO, AS HE AND CLARKE PREP TO FIGHT THE GUARDS W/ THE EARTHBORN:

(view spoiler)[“Just be careful.� Her face was pale, and her eyes were red. In the few minutes they’d had together, preparing for the fight, she’d told him about speaking to her parents. But there was no time to celebrate that small miracle; they both had to focus their attention on the task at hand—making Vice Chancellor Rhodes regret he’d ever set foot on Earth.

“Careful is my middle name,� he said, placing a few arrows that had passed his inspection to the side.

She smiled. “I believe you’ve also said the same thing about Danger and Victory.�

“That’s me. Bellamy Careful Danger Victory Blake.�

“I’m jealous. I don’t even have one middle name.�

“Oh, I can think of a few that would suit you,� Bellamy said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Let’s see, how about Clarke Know-It-All� Bossy…� She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully on the chest. He smirked and pulled her closer, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “� Brilliant� Sexy Griffin.�

“I’m not sure all that will fit on an office door, but I like it.� (hide spoiler)]

THREE, END OF CHAPTER AFTER HE'S INVITED TO JOIN THE COUNCIL:

(view spoiler)[Bellamy couldn’t wait to go tell Octavia so they could laugh about it. Unless she didn’t think it was funny. Maybe O would actually want him on the Council. Hell, crazier things had happened over the past few weeks. Why couldn’t Bellamy try his hand at running things for a while? There was just one person he needed to check with first.

With a smile and a nod, he turned and went to find Clarke. (hide spoiler)]

THE BAD:
- They fridge Sasha. She wasn’t even a character I especially liked—we didn't really have enough time with her to get to know her, imo—but she deserved more than this. Why does she have to die while Wells lives? WHY IS SHE KILLED OFF FOR MANPAIN? It’s the laziest trope and plot device, and I’m so tired of seeing authors using it!

- Wells remains a pestilence. Kass Morgan commits the biggest crime that I’d been dreading this whole time: she has Clarke blindly forgive him for his monstrous actions, soothing him and petting his ego. The narrative isn’t giving him his comeuppance for what he did. I’m fine with characters being atrocious shits (hello, Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books of all time and I loved Gone Girl), but the narrative can’t laud them as heroes for it.

- Wells misses a huge, clearly-telegraphed plot point in a way that just makes the character seem inconsistent and stupid? After suspecting that something was wrong with Kendall, watching Kendall possibly poison their water supply, outright warning the guards about Kendall sneaking around, then watching Kendall smirk and stride off into the woods� then he’s somehow surprised when the Earthborn invade? “Jeez, it’s almost as if they had a spy within our camp! How in the world did they do this???� Kendall: *struts on-screen* Wells: GASP. IT WAS KENDALL ALL ALONG

I thought Kass Morgan had actually been setting up Kendall’s inevitable betrayal pretty well, but then she ruins it by having Wells be surprised/aghast by the very thing that he was warning others about. It just doesn’t make narrative sense.

- The way Kass Morgan introduces plotlines then drops them. Octavia spies Clarke flirting with a guard, shoots her an ugly look, Clarke frets over what’ll happen if word gets back to Bellamy about it, and then� it just never materialises? I’m absolutely fine with not introducing unnecessary romantic drama, but if so, I don’t understand the point of Octavia catching them in the first place.

- The climactic battle is over in about a page. Our moustache-twirling villain does a sudden 180 heel-face turn in morality, everything gets conveniently wrapped up, others going back to gamely accepting his leadership, and he even offers Wells & Bellamy (BUT NOT CLARKE?) a position on his council. Guys: just kill him already.

- Lack of depth in said moustache-twirling villain. There was potential here, because I wanted to see some addressing of the fact that he saved Glass & her mother... but after one token mention, it’s never brought up again, and Glass never gets to speak to him about it. File under: more plotlines that are introduced but nothing’s done with.

- Glass remains useless. She passes along one important warning about Bellamy’s impending execution, but then� ?? Her and Luke’s decision to go ~off-grid~ to stymie Rhodes� plans makes zero sense. They’re all “his executioner will be gone! he won’t know what to do! it won’t stop it completely, but it’ll buy you some time!!�. Um. Rhodes has 20+ guards at his beck and call. It would delay him for like 5 minutes until he can decide who else should pull the trigger?? I highly doubt that having specifically Luke conduct the execution matters so strongly to the villain that it’ll throw him in a tizzy for days.

- They settle down in a love shack and do absolutely nothing and then, unsurprisingly, get attacked by the violent residents of Earth. At one point, Glass even wakes up in the middle of the night, thinks she hears something� then rolls over and goes back to sleep. Useless! Luke is dull. I am 110% of the opinion that he should have lost his leg in this book, to make SOMETHING matter beyond Sasha's death, esp. considering how fucked up his leg was, his old status as a guard, to experience some consequences to their actions, and for there to be something more to him than generic cute brave white boy...... but nope, this idiot gets off scot free.

- The Bad Grounders, leering and jeering and looking mean and cruel~, to the extent that Glass can literally see the evil radiating off them. Ugh. Real life isn’t so cut-and-dried, Kass Morgan. You shouldn’t be able to tell villains from good guys at a single glance.

- Clarke’s parents just conveniently strolling into Mt. Weather at the end?? She didn’t have to do anything whatsoever to earn that reunion besides sit next to a radio for a while. SIGH.

- In general, the writing’s still just very expository, telling rather than showing.



THE UGLY:
I mentioned it before but seriously, this book's greatest sin is that it deals not with Wells' redemption or any particular sacrifice he makes, but the ending is all about him ~*~forgiving himself~*~ and learning to keep on truckin' on as their leader. Let me just quote:

(view spoiler)[He had nothing left to lose. He already despised himself. What did it matter if he made everyone else despise him as well? “There’s something I haven’t told you, Clarke.�

Her whole body tensed, but she remained silent and waited for him to continue.

“I broke the airlock on Phoenix.�

“What?� He wouldn’t look at her, but he could hear the confusion and disbelief in her voice.

“It was already faulty, but I made it worse. So that the air would leak faster. So that you would get sent to Earth before your eighteenth birthday. They were going to kill you, Clarke. And I couldn’t let that happen. Not after what I’d already done to you. I was the reason you were Confined in the first place.�

Clarke still said nothing, so Wells went on, a strange, numbing combination of relief and horror spreading through his limbs as he voiced the words he’d feared ever saying out loud.

“I’m the reason they had to abandon the ship so fast, and the reason so many people got stuck up there, suffocating. I did that to them.�

Clarke still hadn’t spoken, so finally, Wells forced himself to look at her, bracing for the look of horror and loathing. But instead, she just looked sad and scared, her wide eyes making her appear younger, almost vulnerable.

“You did that� for me?�

Wells nodded slowly. “I had to. I overheard my father and Rhodes talking, so I knew the plan. They were either going to kill you or send you to Earth, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let it be option A.�

To his surprise, when she spoke, there was no rancor in her voice. Just sadness. “I would’ve never wanted you to do that. I would’ve rather died than endanger so many lives.�

“I know.� He placed his head in his hands, his cheeks burning with shame. “It was insane and selfish. I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you died, but I can’t live with myself now, anyway.� He let out a short, bitter laugh. “Of course, now I realize that the right thing to do would’ve been just to kill myself. If I’d thrown myself out of that airlock, it would’ve saved everyone a lot of pain and suffering.�

“Wells, don’t talk like that.� Clarke had scooted back in order to face him, and was looking at him with dismay. “Yes, you made a mistake� a big one. But that doesn’t negate all the incredible things you’ve done. Think of all the people you saved. If you hadn’t messed with the airlock, every single one of us would’ve been executed instead of being sent to Earth. Not just me. Molly, Octavia, Eric. Even more, you’re the reason we all survived once we got here.�

“Hardly. You’re the one who saved everyone’s lives. I just chopped some firewood.�

“You turned a wild, dangerous planet into our home. You made us see our potential, what we could achieve if we worked together. You inspired us, Wells. You bring out the best in everyone.�

That’s what he’d loved about Sasha, the way she’d made him want to be a better person, a better leader. He’d failed her—there was nothing Clarke could do to convince him otherwise—but that didn’t mean he should stop trying. He owed her more than that.

“I� I just don’t know what to do now,� he said quietly.

“You could start by forgiving yourself. Just a little bit.� (hide spoiler)]

This made me livid, because the most harmful shit and what I was afraid of Kass Morgan pulling: that Clarke's reaction is a starry-eyed "You did that for me??" instead of justified horror. & fast forward to Clarke processing it after:

(view spoiler)[Never in her wildest dreams, or most unsettling nightmares, would she have imagined Wells was capable of such a thing. He endangered the lives of every single person on the Colony, just to give her a fighting chance of seeing her eighteenth birthday. A wave of nausea crashed over her, nearly bringing Clarke to her knees. All those people—practically everyone she’d ever known—dead, because of her. Because of what Wells had done to save her. But then, God knew she was in no position to judge him. When Clarke had discovered that her parents were conducting radiation trials on unregistered children from the care center, she’d done nothing to stop them. More than anyone, Clarke knew what it was like to put the people you loved ahead of everything else. She’d spent so much of her life seeing the world as black-and-white, separating right from wrong as confidently as she sorted plant cells from animal cells during a biology exam. But the past year had been a brutal crash course in moral relativity. (hide spoiler)]

UMMMMMMM. moral relativity my ass!!!!! She had a brief perioud of nausea, but I am ENRAGED at the fact that she forgave him so easily. Her parents' trials were a few children dying for the sake of helping the human race survive radiation on earth (still bad reasoning, and Vice Chancellor Rhodes is a monster, but you can see how it was geared For The Greater Good). This, however, was endangering THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE to save ONE GIRL that he was mooning over romantically. At least all of the 'hard sacrifice' moral relativity calls that have been made in the show have been for legitimate, strategic reasons, which are the type you can justify with "moral relativity"—not something done to save ONE GIRL.

Also you can see how the writing still is all expository, tell tell tell tell telling about Clarke’s feelings and internal turmoil.

In short: not as awful as the precious book in the series, but this is still not very good YA. I review them because I can, and wanted to—plus I’m interested in seeing how two mediums starting with the same premise/framework can go in such completely different directions. And these books are fast reads that I can knock out in a single day, so I don’t mind the time investment—or the money, I paid my cold hard cash for this, so I’ve a right to say what I think about them.

(Is it maybe a little silly that I had to include a disclaimer about why I’m reading these books? Maybe yes, but there’s been trouble on my reviews in the past, so�)


My reviews:
- The 100 (#1)
- Day 21 (#2)
- Rebellion (#4)