Logan Langly is on the run. He not only flunked out of his Pledge, he escaped DOME custody. Now one of the Markless, he is trying to rescue his sister who he found out is alive, stay alive himself, and come to terms with some very stark truths about the world he used to believe in.
The best thing about this book? Getting some answers to all the questions I was left hanging with after Swipe. The worst thing about this book? All the new questions waiting for Book 3.
The genre “Dystopian,” while not new, has exploded over the last few years. The sweeping popularity of The Hunger Games has lead to authors and publishers scrambling to fill the new demand. As always, these new books are really mixed bag, but some deservedly shine out of the shelf as good stories and good representations of the genre. The Swipe Series is one of them. In many ways deeper and more complex than some of the more famous titles, Swipe and now Sneak present a perfect world that is built around a society where all individuals are “Marked.” The Mark is required for jobs, food, transportation, and medical care. Once a child turns thirteen, it is pretty much assumed they will Pledge and receive their Mark. One group of Markless called the Dust are trying to make a stand, and four friends must decide whether or not they will stand with them.
As the second book of the series, much of narrative split between the two factions of the Markless and DOME. Within the two groups Mr. Angler constantly shifts narrators, presenting the reader with a plethora of paradigms from which a clear picture begins to emerge. One of the things I love about this series is how noble the American Union sounds on the surface, and Sneak spends a fair amount of time showing why it seems so good on paper and why it is so terribly scary. Even if the plot wasn’t so gripping, I would read these books for the Dust alone. Honestly, a companion novella of their escapades would be amazing. There is a beautiful humor to their chaos as they fall just shy of Lord of the Flies.
Almost surprising for Dystopian book, Sneak is free of strong language and scenes of societal depravity. There is a great deal of peril, and the plot hangs on an understanding of politics and social structure so I would only recommend it for Junior High and up. Like many such novels, unless the reader enjoys the Dystopian style, Sneak would probably come across as just plain weird. It is the second book of the series, and I think it would be almost impossible to follow the plot and characters without reading the previous book, Swipe.
My thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing me a review copy of Sneak via NetGalley, in return for my honest opinion of this book.