ARC Review: The Collapse (The Uprising #2) by R.A. Desilets

Published: May 26, 2014 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: Dystopia
Format: ebook
Source: Sent by author for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Murphy carries on after Jay abandons Hipstopia-and him. With a mixture of hatred and admiration for his new foe, Murphy becomes more aggressive than ever, unearthing a darker side of himself. He’s willing to sacrifice anything to keep Sky and Hipstopia safe, even if it means killing Jay.

Free from Murphy’s reins, Jason wants to begin his new life with Kiera, but she’ll never be able to settle as long as Leo is trapped in prison. The only way Jason can keep her safe is by going back into Hipstopia with her, but if he sees Murphy again, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to pull the trigger.

Now on opposite sides of the war, Jason and Murphy tell their stories as they come head to head in the final battle.

"Besides, Jay wouldn't dare come back. He doesn't have the guts."

Desilets has a voice that draws me in. She takes an idea that may seem simple in theory and creates a world out of it that you would never expect. Her creativity amazes me.

The Good

Desilets created a world in Hipstopia that was all about Murphy leading a hipster uprising to flush out corporate America. It sounds comical, a little silly, and a bit odd, but not only does she make it work, she made me feel as if I was in an alternate reading world where this actually made sense. In this follow up novel, I'm back with Jason (Jay) shortly after he abandoned his post as Murphy's right-hand for the "good" side in this war.

The Collapse reads as alternating view points between Jason and Murphy. I loved this in-depth look into Murphy's mind. I also really appreciated getting to see how the two are similar and how they vastly differ. They both really care about the other from bonds forged over the years. Jay makes Murphy remember that there is good in the world and Murphy took care of Jason after his parents abandoned him. These two guys also have it BAD for their respective ladies. They would each lay down their lives for the women they love. Now, where they differ is that Murphy has very little remorse about hurting anyone, at any time, and is definitely not above torture. He also has no desire to right the wrongs that he has done whereas Jay feels deep remorse for anything he's done that's hurt someone and wants to set it right.

The side characters in the story are written so well that I love them all. Vanessa and Peter are with Jason and Kiera throughout most of the story and the banter with these two around is a lot of fun. Kiera is this strong-willed spitball that fights for the ones she cares about. She makes a great match for Jason. Then there's Sky. Dun, Dun, Dun.

Sky is probably my favorite character in the book. She's bad and she loves it. With her black bob, and hipster glasses, she still reminds me of one of Bellatrix Lestrange's cousins with how she gleefully enjoys hurting people. If she's going down, she wants to take the whole world with her.

The Bad

If I really sit and think about how the world got this way and that no one is doing anything about it, I would drive myself crazy. The trick is to just let yourself be sucked in, accept that this is the way things are, and enjoy the ride.

The Romance

While the romance happened quickly in Hipstopia due to it being a novella, I love these matches. I really enjoyed getting to see Jason and Kiera as a couple. They argue, they make up, and they go fight the bad guys together. They fit very well, bringing out the best traits in the other so the romance is very cute.

Murphy and Sky also make a good pair. Evil is as evil does, and Murphy can't pull himself away from the girl that he brought the darkness out in. They are the opposite for each other, always bringing out the worst traits in the other one but it's such good symmetry.

Conclusion

It's great. The characters are dynamic and varied, they are fleshed out well, the action is top-notch, and the ending is perfect. Desilets pulled out another winner for me. Recommended.

ARC Excerpts

Murphy:

I almost convinced myself that I was powerful enough to pull it off. I had already destroyed the one good thing in my life out of my own selfish need. What was everything else?

I hated his name. In the beginning, I had decided that names ending with "y" were better than any others. But in all honesty, there wasn't a name I hated more than Zachary.

Sky's face dripped with pride. Every time the execution came up, her face lit up with a viciousness I had never seen.

Jason:

Then again, Vanessa had never knocked me out. I shifted my gaze to Kiera, who gave me a sweet smile in return. I chuckled despite myself. I would be the kind of guy to fall for someone like her.

Her voice was gentle, kind, but I still flinched at the words. It always came back to who I used to be, not who I was now.

We were leaving tonight. We had a few hours to gather everything we needed, just a small amount of time before we were off on a rescue mission that could change - or end - our lives. I ran my fingers through her hair, breathing in the smell of almonds.