A review by elna17a9a
Medusa in the Graveyard by Emily Devenport

2.0

*Received via NetGalley for review*

I enjoyed Medusa Uploaded, so was excited to read the sequel. However, Medusa in the Graveyard doesn't quite live up to its predecessor.

The connection between Oichi and Medusa was one of the highlights of the first book, and that's the first things that is missing here. They have drifted apart and begin keeping secrets from each other - something Oichi sees and acknowledges as troubling, but refuses to remedy. The majority of the book is spent with them separated by choice, and Oichi is not nearly as interesting alone.

Another thing I found interesting in the first book is that Oichi is a sociopath, or at least has sociopathic tendencies. It was interesting to see how such an anti0hero operated and still managed to have principles and close friends. But this sequel seeks to change that about Oichi and make her runexplained ealize that she needs to change (it seems like that is the reason Medusa has been distancing herself, though it's not very clear). Why not keep Oichi's flaws and characterization the same? Hasn't it worked? Isn't an antihero more interesting than a cookie-cutter hero?

The foreshadowing is constant and heavy-handed, and thus crosses over into cheesy and sometimes annoying.

Medusa's silence on why she opposes Oichi's mission is obtuse to the point of distraction - we know more about Lady Sheba's motivations than hers, even though Medusa is a main character. What was she trying to do on the Graveyard? What did she actually do? Why does she feel the need for Oichi to change?

Too many unanswered questions and unexplained choices.