Reviews

Thanks to net galley for the advanced readers copy. This is still an unbiased review. Running out time was my favorite childhood book. So I was quite excited for a sequel years later (though also part of me worried if it would be as good). I LOVED it! It was so hard to put down! I thought a sequel would just leave off where running out of time did, but no, Margaret Peterson haddix managed to create a new story that was still related to the running out of time. So creative! Her readers shouldn’t be disappointed!

leahbrarian's review against another edition

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2.5

Considering how much I loved Running Out of Time growing up (and, frankly, as an adult too) it was probably impossible for a sequel to live up, but even besides the somewhat less engaging plot, I was pretty disappointed by a lot of the craft elements here. I didn’t really connect with Zola as a character and found her perspective a little frustrating to read through; it left me wishing that Puck had been the narrator or at least a POV character instead. The action didn’t really pick up until over halfway through the book and even once it was there, it felt pretty circular and minimal in the actual adventure which made it feel pretty pointless. I was happy that some amount of the “old man yells at cloud” anti-technology tone of the opening chapters wore off a bit and the inclusion of the underclass Futureville society felt interesting, pointed and timely, but it still ended up feeling a bit preachier than is necessarily engaging for me, especially in terms of Zola’s dialogue every time she was shocked about the flaws of people and the world (“Why isn’t that parent being endlessly patient with their child?”); the use of the specific villain also felt pretty cheesy, especially by the point of the confrontation. Perhaps this might work better for readers who come in without the background or expectations that I did, especially those interested in futuristic/dystopian literature, but I wanted to enjoy this far more than I actually did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

greyxwaren's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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