Ruse

After finishing *Want,* I was excited to read the follow-up. But when it arrived, the dustjacket had been folded really badly and didn't line up with the book. A small thing for some, perhaps, but it looks rubbish on the shelf. Anyway, I sent it back for a replacement, and the replacement was the same. So I wrote to the publisher, Simon Pulse, to find out if this was just one batch. They didn't reply. I wrote again. They didn't reply.I'm not just paying for a story. I'm paying for a book. I expect it to come reasonably unblemished by publishing mishaps. Alas, I will put this one on the backburner (I have plenty of other things to read) until I perhaps find one that's as it should be, in a brick-and-mortar store where I can see it first.I'll revise this review should that happen.

One of my 8th grade ELA students loved the first one and requested the next in the series. Hopefully, I'll get time to read these too!

My son (15 yr old) loves these kinds of books. I'm just happy he has the love of reading!

No spoilers in this rapid review of Ruse. I liked it and give it 3.5 stars. It’s easy to tell this isn’t Pon’s first series because of how efficient a storyteller she is. Her prose is crisp and effective, and the entire plot of Ruse is action-packed. Seriously, there’s never a dull moment.At the end of Want, the first book in this series, I wondered whether there was much story left to tell. It could’ve been a standalone with how well the protagonists accomplished their goal and how completely the story wrapped up. But I was ready to check back in with Jason Zhou and crew because I enjoyed my time with them so much the first time around.But then Jason wasn’t in the first part of the book. Pon introduced us to a new character, a friend of Lingyi’s, to set up the plot of this sequel. This girl invented a piece of tech, an air-scrubber of sorts, which Mr. Jin desperately wants. (Yes, he’s the bad guy once again.) When Jin gets his hands on this tech, Lingyi reassembles the team to try to get it back.Because of this exciting opening sequence, I was intrigued from the start. Yet I was happy when we finally caught up with Jason and Daiyu. Jason hasn’t seen his old friends since Victor’s death, but when Lingyi summons him, he immediately accepts her invitation. Once they’re reunited, it’s like they’ve never been apart. Jason’s the only one who fully trusts Daiyu, though, so they ask him to work behind her back. At first he balks at the idea, but eventually he’s willing to do so.Is Jason right about Daiyu’s loyalties, or is Lingyi? It’s a question I asked myself often as I read. I love the pair together, so I had my fingers crossed that Jason’s faith in his girlfriend was well-placed.Ruse is a fairly short novel, so there’s absolutely no filler. Every page has a purpose and directs the reader toward the action. Even though the writing is pointed, Pon takes the time to tell us what each character is wearing and eating in a way that I could always see clearly. Clothes and food are two of my favorite things to read about, so I’m glad Pon indulges her readers in this way.I definitely recommend this book and this series, especially if you’re a fan of science fiction. The sci-fi aspect revolves around solutions to a highly polluted environment and definitely gave me pause in both Want and Ruse. And something about Pon’s prose and storytelling jumps off of the page for me. I enjoyed the two books in this series so much that I definitely want to read more of her work.Search for 'Book Series Recaps' to read all of our reviews as well as our full book recaps!

Ruse picks up a few months later after the events of Want - and extends the commentary that was raised in the first book, about privilege and capitalism. Zhou is living with Daiyu among the meis, and is sort of estranged from his friends. They all have been deeply affected by their friend's death, and have become wary of fighting power. A friend of Lingyi's asks her help in protecting her invention, leading first her and the rest of them to Shanghai, where they must, once again, fight Jin industries who have stolen the invention, which is a low-cost filter that would ease the air pollution.The tension between Zhou and his friends stems from his association with Daiyu. While they appreciated her help in the previous book, they don't entirely trust that she has broken off from her father. And while she has been working to raise money for environmental causes, Daiyu is still very much entangled with Jin industries, and her father tries to use her image to save his company. The plot is high-stakes, much like the previous book, but there is also a heightened sense of danger and grief that drives their actions in this book. As a sequel and a finale in the duology, it wraps up the story arc quite well.

I like how this starts, but it needs another book (set in America maybe? Going back to Taipei would also be good) with more Jason-Daiyu quality time where their relationship is not in jeopardy. Of course, you'll need to introduce a new villain, but why not introduce someone mentioned in Want, like Jason's grandparents, or allow Jin to get out of prison on bail? After all, he is a multi-billionaire. Maybe Jason and the gang could be building a factory to mass-produce Jany's superfilter? I don't care what you title it, just write another book with more Jason-Daiyu time (also, I think they need a cat), please! I'm running out of books like this to read!Other than that, this book was great! I liked the beginning and the action so much, I almost didn't have time to dislike the fact that Jason and Daiyu were apart almost the entire time. I suggest a book where Jason and Daiyu are living in the same building, at least. It was so good, paired with Want, that it could be a movie franchise. Wait, that's actually a really good idea!

(I received this free book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)I fell immediately in love with Ruse for the exact same reasons I loved Want, and more. There was the same razor sharp look at climate change. Like with Want, Ruse goes beyond what what I associate with a dystopia, bringing a clarity to the injustice, a life to the culture, and a very keen look at resistance. It can feel like the world is against us. Like the rules, the system, and the power conspires to create a world where we cannot win. Where what ever we try, the house always wins. And Ruse picks up thee by stressing the necessity of action, of solidarity, friendship, and people's ability to surprise us.