Stephanie S. (skywriter319) - , reviewed on 10/5/2011 + 784 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

The trouble with the first book in a trilogy rocking your world is that, as much as you anticipate the first opportunity you get to read its sequel, you simultaneously fear that it wont live up to how much you enjoyed the first. Sadly, in PRIZEDs case, this was true. Whereas I couldnt put Birthmarked down, I struggled at times to push myself through PRIZEDs copious use of info-dumps and inconsistencies in characterization and plot that really pushed the limit on my tolerance of YA lit clichés.

I read Birthmarked in one night, forgoing sleep in my complete absorption within the Enclave and my desperation to discover the fates of these beloved characters. Unfortunately, I did not feel as invested in PRIZED. Perhaps rereading Birthmarked would have helped, but I also felt like PRIZED veered off in an entirely different direction: little but the names of the main characters carried over from the first book into the second, with the result that PRIZED had to create for us an entirely new dystopian worldand not necessarily with complete success.

The rules of Sylum are explained to readers mostly through tell-all conversations with little plot and nothing concrete to tie all the Sylum-related facts that are unloaded onto readers in one fell swoop after another. I felt like the motivations for various characters actions were never fully illustrated. Why did the Matrarc demand such rigid obeisance to their societys rules? Why was Gaia so insistent on defending her actions without fully considering their impact on herself and those around her? Why did she so strictly divide public opinion regarding her when she doesnt really do anything at all?

For that matter, why is Gaia so appealing to everyone? If you thought love triangles were getting a bit ridiculous in YA lit, wait until you catch a whiff of this books love square. Sure, readers love when the protagonist is loved by someone who sees the beauty in them despite her awkwardness/incompetence/insecurity, but Gaias situation felt like extreme overkill, like an intervened twist in the story purely for reader gratification. The utter unnaturalness of the situation really prevented me from becoming emotionally and intellectually invested in the story.

PRIZED unfortunately seemed to cut corners in explanation of character motivation or plot progression. With little to no relevance to the first book, except through the recurrence of a handful of characters and a promise at the end of a reconnection in the last installment, this could have been an entirely different YA dystopian seriesnot exactly what you want from the second book in a trilogy. I think Ill still read the last book, if only to see how Sylum and the Enclave tie back together, but overall it was a rather large disappointment.

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