A Girl Undone

A Sequel Lacking a Certain Something, Yet Still Works

I would like to thank St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.

Goodreads Teaser:
"On the run with deadly government secrets, Avie must decide if she can live up to her name and truly become fearless for the cause or if it’s better to just give in.

The sequel and explosive conclusion to A Girl Called Fearless.

Having survived a violent confrontation with the US government, Avie is not out of danger. Both she and the young man she loves, Yates, have been declared terrorists, and Yates is hospitalized in critical condition, leaving Avie with the perilous task of carrying information that can bring down the Paternalist party, if she can get it into the right hands.

Forced on the run with handsome, enigmatic woodsman Luke, Avie struggles when every turn becomes a choice between keeping the two of them alive or completing their mission. With her face on every news channel and a quarter million dollar reward from the man who still owns her marriage Contract, Avie’s worst fears are about to come true.

Equal parts thrilling and romantic, A Girl Undone is sure to keep your heart racing right until the very end."

Interesting and entertaining, yet not as intense as the first book. Aveline still undergoes many harrowing ordeals and gets into situations that seem to be unsurvivable, but somehow she manages to make it through. Even in the face of not just national, but international intrigue, Avie still somehow finds the time to also experience the dramas most young girls her age find themselves embroiled in.

This sequel focuses on Avie, Yates, and Luke - though many more secondary characters reappear for another round of suspenseful events. While the bulk of this book focuses on Avie and the growth she must attain to survive, Yates and Luke are not shoved off to the sidelines - at least not all of the time. In this book Luke is featured far more frequently than Yates, but when Yates does show up he's in vibrant, powerful scenes.

I'd hoped to see more of what was happening within Aveline clearly articulated, but for me her transformation fell a bit short of the mark. Watching her was still enjoyable, but I'd hoped for deeper insights into the way her mind works. But maybe that's simply not possible, given the fact that she's a sixteen-year-old girl, and at that age their development can't always be explained in a tidy package. Even she wants to be less of an emotional mess but can't seem to control herself the way she'd hoped. Thankfully there are still people on her side, even if she is unaware of their loyalties. But the. How could she be sure of someone else when she's rarely sure of herself?

The pacing was pretty consistent up until the end, and then everything seems to happen at once. Almost like watching a car crash from the inside, where times slows to a crawl for those in the middle of it, but the reality is that time continues on at its normal speed. I was happily surprised by the almost end of the story, but then felt somewhat cheated at the very last. What could have been a strong statement was, in my opinion, something of a cop out. I'll be curious to see what others have to say about the end of this sequel, and the story overall.