Review: Alight

I'd planned to review another novel today, but Scott Sigler's Alight was just too thrilling, too shocking, too amazing, that I had to share my thoughts on it when I finished it earlier today. The second novel in the Generations Trilogy is a creative, exciting, heart-wrenching thrill ride from start to finish. It's unforgiving sometimes (seriously, Chapter 41 will probably crush you in a single sentence), but I loved it. Sigler is a master author capable of drawing a reader into an unforgettable world with vivid visuals, imagination, and characters who are truly pitted against what seem like insurmountable obstacles. While this series does fall into the Young Adult genre, believe me when I say that anyone of any age can enjoy it. If it's not on your Reading List, put it there now!

Nice to see one of the boys on the cover!

Alight is the second installment in the YA sci-fi adventure trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Scott Sigler, hot on the heels of Alive.

Alight reveals to readers the further adventures of Em, Spingate, O’Malley, Bishop, and the other young heroes introduced inAlive. In Alive, Em fought to assert herself as leader and her friends tried to comprehend their own mysterious identity; now she must wrestle not with the challenge of winning power but the grave responsibility of having assumed it, and she and her friends must contend with a grim fact: the revelation of their identity is not an answer but another question—and one with terrifying implications.

***

There is so much I want to talk about in this novel– I want to discuss all the twists, the shocks, that damn heart-crushing sentence... but doing so would mean I have to offer spoilers, and I'm not going to do that. Why? Because the surprises were the best part of the novel. They were predominant in Alive, and I wasn't sure how they could have been surpassed in the sequel. The lesson I took away from Alight? Assume nothing. Just when you think you have the answers, Sigler throws you for a loop that will make you gape and wonder, "What the hell does this mean for the characters now?"

The setting is described to inspire the imagination and paint a surprisingly vivid picture. I felt like I was viewing it in technicolor, which made the battles and enemies all the more terrifying when they showed up. It's not a spoiler per se, but trust me when I say that Em and her friends are going to have some serious challenges on their hands when it comes to adversaries, and that they'll be like nothing you've ever seen.

Every character is well-rounded and complex, carrying their own personal issues into the mix to add tension to the story, though Em is the star yet again. She's a fantastically written character, a strong-willed young woman who will do what she has to do, no matter how hard, or what the consequences. She is still a child in a young woman's body, trapped with strange memories and conflicting thoughts, and sometimes she does things that seem right at the time, but cost her more than she knows. That's partly why I like her so much– each mistake she makes turns her more human, and makes her easier for the readers to relate to.

The action and tension is ludicrously thick throughout, Sigler's experience as a horror author shining through yet again. This one's a nail-biter to be sure. With that in mind, let me impart some advice to any reader considering picking this novel up– get ready for some serious heartache. There was a big scene at the end that crushed me, and while I can't say I'm happy about it (what fangirl would be?!), I believe it will carry the story and again, it was beautifully written. It takes a lot  for me to read a scene like that, and then have to stop because my heart can't take the intensity of the scene. It was amazing.

I've read dozens of books in the span from Alive and Alight, but it didn't take me long to remember why I was so enamoured with the series from chapter one. Alight is a strong sequel winding up to what will be one hell of a finish. I honestly cannot imagine what will happen to the characters now, especially because of that epilogue, but I'm eager to find out. October can't come soon enough!

Amy