Audible Book Review: Burning Nation: Book 2 of Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy

Chilling, scary and sad. This is an intense sequel from my own Audible credits (2016).

Burning Nation: Book 2 of Divided We Fall
Written by: Trent Reedy
Narrated by: Andrew Eiden


Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
Series: Divided We Fall, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:06-09-15
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy, YA
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
In this wrenching sequel to Divided We Fall, Danny and friends fight to defend Idaho against a federal takeover and the ravages of a Burning Nation. At the end of Divided We Fall, Danny Wright's beloved Idaho had been invaded by the federal government, their electricity shut off, their rights suspended. Danny goes into hiding with his friends in order to remain free. But after the state declares itself a Republic, Idaho rises to fight in a second American civil war, and Danny is right in the center of the action, running guerrilla missions with his fellow soldiers to break the federal occupation. Yet what at first seems like a straightforward battle against governmental repression quickly grows more complicated, as more states secede, more people die, and Danny discovers the true nature of some of his new allies.
Chilling, powerful, and all too plausible, Burning Nation confirms Trent Reedy's place as a provocative new voice in YA fiction.
©2015 Trent Reedy (P)2015 Scholastic Inc.

Review:
Danny and his friends are on the run and hiding from the federal government. The Idaho governor and officials have declared Idaho an independent Republic, plunging the state into a civil war. Danny’s small community of Freedom Lake has been occupied by federal troops making it even harder to get food and supplies. After a time of sitting in a bunker hiding, the crew decides to begin covert guerrilla attacks.

Danny unfortunately gets his friend Becca involved and then his own girlfriend, JoBell, gets injured when another rebel group steps in to challenge the feds. Danny isn’t sure who this other group is although there has been some buzz on the radio. Eventually the rebel groups bring Danny and his friends into their camp but Danny isn’t sure he agrees with all of their methods.

Meanwhile matters become more complicated politically as other states secede and the federal forces are spread over more fronts. Soon the awful dilemma is brought to the forefront when state troops have to meet neighbors who may be in the federal troops.

As in any civil war situation there is much to be sad about in this book. Danny and his friends are very young and will no longer have a normal high school or college life. Friends will end up on opposing sides and even enemies might be secret friends or vice versa. Although the story focuses on the local group there are larger issues covered as well. The good and bad of war and the divisions of ideology are awful to contemplate. Many of the characters are just teens so they are impulsive which I find difficult to deal with even though it is certainly realistic. I like the social media reports that are added to bring in news bits.

There is plenty of action to keep the story moving quickly. There is violence of course and some foul language. This book brings Danny to a new crisis and it is clear there is more to come. There is a final book in the trilogy but it is not available on audio yet. Although I found this engaging I am not sure why it is getting such high ratings. Perhaps I didn't embrace it as much because I cringe at the youth and the losses… which means the realism is high… so maybe it deserves some high ratings.

Audio Notes: Andrew Eiden does a very good job with the narration and emotions. Additionally, there is a nature presentation of news blurbs that greatly enhances the book experience for me. I will definitely wait for the Audible version of the final book.

This is an intense sequel I picked up with Audible credits this year. It does qualify for my Audio Challenge.