Fugitive X by Gregg Rosenblum

Fugitive X by Gregg Rosenblum

Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Revolution 19, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads

Read my review of Revolution 19 HERE

Their fight for freedom is humanity's last hope for survival. The chilling Revolution 19 trilogy continues in Fugitive X.

A war between humans and robots is on the horizon, and only one side will survive.

Siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are struggling to survive in a world where deadly, sophisticated robots have turned on their creators and enslaved mankind. Fugitives from one of the bot-controlled Cities, the siblings venture into the woods, but when they are attacked by bot foot soldiers, the siblings are separated...and for the first time, they are on their own.

Fugitive X totally met my expectations, and even went beyond! I was afraid that there would be a case of second-book-itus, but nope– this one totally lived up to what I'd hoped for. This one takes place not too long after where Revolution 19 left off, and I'm thankful that I got to read this back to back with the first novel, because I would have been completely confused as to what was going on and who was who. This book brings back a lot of characters from the first, and allows for the development of our three protagonists Nick, Cass and Kevin.

What I absolutely loved about this one was the fact that there was SO much room for getting to know the characters in this instalment of the trilogy. I think after the world-building was the main focus of the Revolution 19, this one was more on how the characters were involved with the plot.
I don't know why, but I still find Nick a little frustrating. He's still really reckless and too easy with giving trust. AND he focuses way too much on girls. Sure, it's great to know things from a guy's perspective, but in the middle of the action, do you really need to focus on how close she's standing next to you and how close she is so that you can kiss her? It's like "Oh look that's about to blow up, maybe I should help people... but oh my gosh, she's standing so close to me and looking at me like that. Is she gonna kiss me?" BOOM.
Cass went through some interesting changes this time round. I don't want to give anything away, but it does start from early on in the book, so you won't be strung out too long. I thought her story was really engaging and definitely a major point throughout the book. She wasn't featured as much in the last book, and neither was Kevin, so I'm glad that Fugitive X really featured them as prominent characters. Kevin's story was also really fascinating, as there's some interesting developments with the bots, and I thought, while the twist in the story was kind of predictable, his story was probably the best because it was slightly different from what the series had brought out in the first book.

What I wasn't a fan of was the love triangle. I really thought it was unnecessary and that there was not much emotions from either girl, just Nick looking at their physical appeal and having to "choose" between them time to time. 
I liked that there was a split in perspectives though, and as I mentioned before, it really allowed us as readers to get to know the characters even more. There were also some great changes in the setting: it not only goes back to the city, but there's a lot more in the forest that's uncovered in this book. However, I'm still REALLY confused about the Senior Advisor. I smell a really big plot shocker possibly coming up in the final book of the trilogy, so I hope all will be revealed then.

There's never a dull moment in sight when it comes to this trilogy, and I'm glad because this one had me on the edge of my seat. Fugitive X was fast-paced, riveting, and left me hungry for the next book. Gregg Rosenblum has crafted an original YA series that I'm sure readers of all ages will find gripping from start to finish. 

If you like this, try...

• Reboot by Amy Tintera ● Goodreads
• Taken by Erin Bowman ● Goodreads

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Release Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Revolution 19, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads

Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.

Only a few escaped the robot revolution of 2071. Kevin, Nick, and Cass are lucky —they live with their parents in a secret human community in the woods. Then their village is detected and wiped out. Hopeful that other survivors have been captured by bots, the teens risk everything to save the only people they have left in the world—by infiltrating a city controlled by their greatest enemies.

Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else. With a dynamic cast of characters, this surefire blockbuster has everything teen readers want—action, drama, mystery, and romance. Written by debut novelist Gregg Rosenblum, this gripping story shouldn’t be missed.

I came upon starting this series when I realised that Fugitive X was a second in a series. I immediately got my hands on the first book, and only got around to reading it now. To be honest, I was a bit afraid going into the book because I thought it sounded like so many dystopians – it's really hard to find an original dystopian topic now days to write about – but to my great surprise, nope! I actually ended up loving Revolution 19. Usually about mid-way I end up blankly reading a dystopian if it's got the same monotonous voice that many do, but with this one I was full-on paying attention.
While I admit this does sound like quite a lot of dystopian novels, this one has something the others don't: robots. I don't know why they aren't a more prominent element in other dystopian novels. Sure, they're featured, but they're not really the main cause of anything. Most dystopians feature a bad egg trying to lead everyone around or a government trying to take control, but they're always human. This one stood out because of the whole robot revolution thing, and so I was interested to get into this story of human vs. robot.

While the story is told in third-person, in this case, I don't think it took away from learning a bit about the characters. It's probably because we have three protagonists: Nick, Cass and Kevin. I loved learning little tidbits about each of them, because while we don't get their own perspectives, they're all crucial to the story. I would think that Nick though is a primary character as a lot of the story has to do with him and his actions. I liked him well enough, but thought his character was a little too brash with his actions and didn't think through the consequences. The additions of new characters along the way helped with creating interesting character interactions that develop throughout the novel.
Speaking of, I liked that the romance wasn't central to the plot. In dystopian, revolting against the main government or power stems from a boy or a girl that enters the protagonist's life. While that is somewhat true, it's not very prominent and that allowed more focus on the main events.

I wish that the world-building could have been more developed thoroughly. There wasn't much background information about the Revolution, but the terms were easy to pick up and identify in the book. I just wanted the setting to be pronounced more and give a little more detail as to why people are hiding out in the woods and why there are different revolution groups, and maybe even a little more information about the other revolution groups. That, I felt, was a little bit spaced out on, so hopefully it's developed more thoroughly in the second book!
The ending and the epilogue was... intriguing. I didn't really understand what was actually going on during the epilogue, but the ending clearly made way for a second book, which I'm excited to dive into. The second book probably will also give more explanation into the confusing and slightly creepy ending.

Revolution 19 was entertaining– non-stop action and a gripping journey. I'm excited for this first in a trilogy, it definitely promises a lot more with two more books. Gregg Rosenblum's debut is hypnotic and has me hooked. Looking forward to reading Fugitive X!

If you like this, try...

• Reboot by Amy Tintera ● Gooreads
• XVI by Julia Karr ● Goodreads
• Possession by Elana Johnson ● Goodreads

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