Book Thoughts: Crashed

Title: Crashed
Author: Robin Wasserman
Series: Cold Awakening #2

After I finished Skinned, the first book in the series, I was looking forward to the second book but wasn't really sure what to expect. Now, having read Crashed, I can say that I am seriously excited about the upcoming release of book three (Wired, due out in September). The characters are wonderful, the plot just keeps getting more intense, and the themes just sort of worm their way into your head and refuse to let go.

Lia's interactions with Jude, Riley, Ani, Auden, and her family are all very well-written. Her thoughts, actions, and reactions are all so starkly human, even as she debates just how human she really is. She's a wonderfully developed character, and she's constantly changing in response to the world around her. That said, at the beginning, I really didn't like her; I thought she was a snobby brat and she whined too much. But as the story went on, I liked her more and more, and she really is the perfect character for this story. She'll never be my favorite, though; I think that award has gone to Riley now.

The story is very well-done too; I love that Crashed shows us cities and corp-towns, changes in scenery from the luxurious world that Lia is used to, and the piece-by-piece revelation of Riley and Jude's backstory is excellent. While the actual storyline is fairly archetypal and there were a lot of bits and pieces I was able to predict, it's the details and the characters that make this story absolutely worth reading.

On the whole, though, I think what really kept me engaged in Crashed was the way it made me question so much. What does it really mean to be a human? Is there any such thing as "human," or is there only what we are programmed to believe?

Crashed is definitely a book that I would recommend, although it's not a stand-alone sequel; read Skinned first. A little strange, maybe, but worth your time.