Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) by Moira Young
Expected Publication Date: October 30th, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Page Count: 432 pages
Nothing is certain and no one is safe in the second book in the highly praised Dust Lands trilogy, which MTV’s Hollywood Crush blog called “better than The Hunger Games.”Destiny and Star Reading in the Dust Lands by Moira Young
It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.
What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.
Everythin’s set. It’s all fixed. It was all set in the stars the moment the world began. If you know how to read the stars, you can read the story of people’s lives. The story of yer own life. What’s gone, what’s now an what’s still to come. Back when Pa was a boy, he met up with a traveller, a man who knew many things. He learned Pa how to read the stars. Pa never says what he sees in the night sky but you can see it lays heavy on him. Becuz you cain’t change what’s written. Here, as Blood Red Road begins, Saba is talking about fate: the idea that the events of our lives are outside our control, decided in advance by supernatural powers. In the post-scientific, post-rational Dust Lands, it’s hardly surprising that the prevailing world view is based on some form of astrology. Looking to the sky - the cosmos - for answers, explanations and guidance seems to be the default position of our species, having held sway for most of our evolution. Astrology still commands space in contemporary Western society, with horoscopes in newspapers, magazines, at the end of a phone, and online. Most people – including those who scorn astrology - know their star sign. Fate and destiny form a thematic spine of Blood Red Road and Rebel Heart. You’ll note that I separate fate and destiny. I don’t believe – unlike my Compact Oxford English Dictionary – that they are the same. Fate is pre-ordained and has a strong whiff of death, of finality, about it: a fatal blow, a fatal accident, “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life” and so on. Destiny implies promise. We talk of fulfilling our destiny. It speaks to me of a journey, a destination, travelling towards the time and place when we step into the light and become who we truly are. Saba is most certainly on a journey - a hero’s journey - towards her destiny. Throughout that journey, Saba walks the sharp ridge between fate and destiny, in constant tension. Pa may be dead, but his fatalistic world view still exerts a powerful hold. In sharp contrast, her twin brother, Lugh, dismisses star reading with a visceral loathing. Star readin’s a crock. Madmen an simpleton’s, that’s who believes in it. It’s all in his head. There ain’t nuthin written in the stars. There ain’t no great plan. But the stars told Pa of the coming of the Tonton, the taking of Lugh and even his own death. His last words to Saba are opaque and prophetic: My time’s nearly up. I dunno what happens after this. I could only see glimpses. But they’re gonna need you, Saba. Lugh an Emmi. An there’ll be others too. Many others. Don’t give in to fear. Be strong, like I know you are. An never give up. No matter what happens. Pa’s words echo along the long, dangerous road that she travels to rescue Lugh. They haunt Saba as she struggles for her physical, emotional and mental survival. As she asks herself the big questions: Who am I? What do I believe? How can I make my life meaningful? Who is right? Pa? Lugh? Both? Neither? The star reading shaman of Rebel Heart, Auriel Tai, is clear: There are some people who have the power to change things. Through their actions, they can turn the tide of human affairs. We all got our part to play in this. Long before you was born, a train of events was set in motion. You mean fate, I says. I don’t believe in it. Not fate, she says. Destiny. Later on, Saba has good reason to ponder Auriel’s words: When I stand back an look at the strangeness of everythin – how one thing’s led to another an brought me here, almost like night followin day – it’s as if this whole thing was meant to be. An that brings to mind what Auriel said. How we all got our parts to play. How all my roads, every decision leads me to the same place in the end. Destiny. I hardly dare think the word in case Lugh hears me think it. Where will Saba’s roads take her? Where will her decisions lead her? What is her destiny? Is it written in the stars? Her hero’s journey continues.
Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1)
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when four cloaked horsemen capture Lugh, Saba's world is shattered, and she embarks on a quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the outside world, Saba discovers she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba’s unrelenting search for Lugh stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetic writing style, and an epic love story—making Moira Young is one of the most exciting new voices in teen fiction.
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Giveaway:
Could you survive the Dust Lands? One Winner Will Receive: A Dust Lands prize pack including a custom t-shirt, custom water bottle and copies of Blood Red Road and Rebel Heart! - US ONLY - Winner must be 13 or older to enter - Enter through Rafflecopter!
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