Synopsis

Lemon Fresh has seen better days.After the climactic battle in Babel, she finds herself separated from Ezekiel and Cricket in the wastelands. Lemon’s abilities to manipulate electricity mark her as a deviate, and deadly corporate operatives are hunting her to use as a weapon in the war between BioMaas Incorporated and Daedelus Technologies. Instead, Lemon finds herself falling in with a group of fellow deviates—a band of teenagers with astonishing abilities, led by an enigmatic figure known as the Major, who may hold the secrets to Lemon’s past.

Meanwhile, Cricket finds himself in possession of the puritanical Brotherhood, a religious cult set for a head-on collision with the Major and his band. Searching for Lemon, Ezekiel finds a strange ally in an old enemy, and uncovers a plot that may see him reunited with his beloved Ana.

And inside Babel, a remade Eve hatches a plan to bring an end to the world.

Review

Between 2 and 5 stars ???? Nah, it’s probably more of a 4,5 or 5 but …

I am really angry and conflicted!!!! Jay chose a trope that I dislike very much the “everyone is separated and follows his own path while trying to find the others again but that won’t happen or not before a loooong time”.

There.

You have it.

The cause of my anger and the between 2 and 5 stars.

Of course it’s the author’s absolute right to choose his trope.

And no Jay’s writing is not at fault here.

It’s just me. Me and my own personal taste. Me and my will to just send my book through the window because: Why can’t they be reunited and progress further along together?!?!?!

Let’s rewind here and talk about the plot. Fair warning you’ll have spoilers about Lifl1k3!

Eve and Lemon parted on bad terms. Ezekiel or Zeke was also thrown out by Eve who decided to stay with her siblings. Cricket was forced to follow Lemon as she was in danger staying with Eve.

But after having cooled down they think they parted hastily from Eve and that she needs their support so they will try to go back but it does not go as planned. Oh and of course Zeke also wants to find Ana Monrova and protect her.

Eve and her siblings want to find Ana too but their goal is to end humanity.

Pretty soon along the way, Cricket, Lemon and Zeke will be separated and will have to follow a different journey.

Cricket always wanted to be a big bot and fight but it won’t turn out as he expected.

Zeke will make an alliance with an old enemy to get back to Lemon as he had sworn not to leave her.

And Lemon ….is still my favorite character in the book! No longer a sidekick you see the prominent part she’ll play in that story (see below).

If the action is excellent, if many new and interesting characters are introduced in this story and if we are hanging by a thread wanting to know who will win this Ana race I still was VERY FRUSTRATED.

I shed tears because let’s face it Lemon had a hard time and people you got to like will die (yes yes you’ve been warned). I ate all my nails because you’ll have a big move by the end of the story that could have tremendous consequences on humanity and I wanted to know if “they” would be able to prevent it (I still don’t know everything).

I laughed because Lemon is funny and the banter between Zeke and his unexpected ally was full of dry humor and sarcasm (you know how much I love sarcasm!)

Yet I am still mad at Jay that’s how petty I am! Even if the separation is necessary to have the characters evolve and grow up.  It just makes me frustrated and I want to move the story along.

Now let’s dig deeper in the characters here because even if I am mad about this trope, the writing is excellent, the book is action packed and Jay knows how to delve into his character’s psyche!

Lemon Fresh is my girl. True cert.

At the bottom of her heart, at the core of her soul, she just wants to be loved and be chosen. She has been rejected and abandoned so many times. Used to be the sidekick this book gives her the spotlight.

“She missed Evie, she realized.

She missed Ezekiel and Cricket and the feeling she was wrapped up in as tory much bigger than herself. It was easier back then, just being the sidekick. Dragged along for the ride, expected to contribute nothing more than the occasional quip and maybe a shoulder to cry on.”

Cricket our little bot who always dreamt to be taken seriously is now wishing he could have remained out of the war dome. Just Eve’s conscience.

“All he’d ever wanted was to be taken seriously.

To be treated with respect.

To be big.

Cricket looked up at the roaring crowd, hung his head.

“BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR,” he murmured. “

Eve. Oh Eve.

As much as I loved her in the first book I hate the choices she made here, what she’s become. I can only hope that she’ll see “the light” again. Yet you can understand why she has been so violent and hateful here.

“Because inside, Eve knew these lifelikes weren’t the ones who deserved her hatred. That it was humans who’d foisted this existence on her. Humans who played at being gods. Humans who truly deserved all the hate she had to give.”

And I think Ezekiel was the worst off here, even if Lemon Fresh had something big given to her just to be taken away. Because Ezekiel couldn’t reconcile this new Eve with the old one he’d held into his arms.

He is torn between his love for Ana Monrove, still fresh in his memory and driving him and what he had felt for Eve. But Eve is so different now!

“He called out to Eve one last time, looking at the face he knew as well as his own.

Searching her eyes for the girl he loved.

A glimmer?

A spark?”

Do I still like this series? Yes.

Is Lemon Fresh still one of my most favorite heroines? Heck yes!

Will I read the sequel? Of course!

But I am still disappointed and frustrated and angry and fuming and ….. Sorry Jay!

Have you read Dev1at3? Do you have tropes you hate in books?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie