"Resist" by Ilima Todd

By Kathy Lipscomb

            I’ve been waiting for this YA Dystopian Romance sequal since I finished the last page of “Remake.” It was well worth the wait, and you only have to wait until July 5^th! J

            Theron, my poor Theron. Ilima Todd certainly knows how to stick her characters in a tree and throw rocks at them. Theron goes through the ringer both in “Remake” and now “Resist,” but I love it. Don’t get the wrong idea—Theron is my favorite character in this series. It’s not that I want him to suffer, but instead about the conflict and pacing of the book. Conflict drives a story, and Ilima Todd does this well. The pacing kept me reading well past my self-imposed curfew of nine. Guys, I stayed up until 11:00 pm the first night and then 12:00 am the next night. That’s right, me up at midnight. Unbelievable, right? That's how much I couldn't put this book down.

            Theron and the other characters are as lovable (and sometimes realistically frustrating) as ever. They stay true to themselves in all situations, and their flaws make them feel real. Characters have always been what gets me in a story. If there is a book where I can tell the ending from the beginning (NOT this book), I’ll still read and love it if the characters are fantastic. I loved reading about Theron and Pua, and some of the more minor characters.

            The romance was adorable. There’s an initial spark and then the relationship grows at a believable rate. Theron and Pua’s interactions are cute and fun. The only spot that felt a little too forced for me was their kissing scene later in the book. *takes cover in case anyone starts throwing things at me* Okay, so there’s a LOT going on in this scene, like life and death things, and there’s been a huge sense of urgency. Right? Like any climax. But then Theron and Pua take their sweet time. I mean, yes, I want some amount of a kiss here, but it felt too long and like they were no longer in danger. Which they were.

            The other thing I didn’t love was the cliff-hanger. I’m all for a cliff hanger. There’s a huge one in “Mark of Athena” by Rick Riordan that had me all, “Wait? WHAT? What the heck was that? When does the next book come out!?” and etc. It solved the main arc of that book and then whacked me over the head with a major thing left not finished. I’ll admit that I loved it. I’m okay with cliff-hangers. “Resist” felt like I got to the middle of a climax and then figured out I’m missing the last twenty pages of the book. Don’t get me wrong—the book and the climax is still fantastic. I just would’ve liked a tiny bit more resolution. That could be because I have an unhealthy love for Theron. J

Usually when I hear the word “world-building,” I think high fantasy, and sometimes world-building can be a little, well, boring. But I’ve learned through authors who do it well, that world-building is anything but. It’s about how the facts are presented in the book. I loved learning all the aspects of the world in “Resist.” I soaked them in and wanted more. Ilima doesn’t throw the information at you like a textbook, but instead weaves the elements throughout the story in a way where I couldn’t get enough. And the world itself? Awesome. It was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

            Then, as with the first book in the series, there’s that emphasis on the importance of family. I don’t think there are enough books out there that show families for who they are supposed to be, especially in young adult books. Showing how important having family is for each member, how it’s in place to help us learn, grow, and be happy, is an element that takes a great book series and makes it outstanding. I promise, it won’t beat you over the head with preachiness. It’s a fictional book that weaves it in with grace and beauty.

            I loved this book, this whole series, and can’t wait for the final one. Way better than chocolate, my friends.