Fireflies in flight by Mette Jakobsen

For lovers of dystopian fiction, this is another gem! The follow-up story to The Snow Laundry which left readers on a knife-edge at the conclusion of the book, this sequel follows Ally who has managed to escape the Towers, the ‘workhouse’ environment where her friends continue their servile drudgery for those in power. She is desperate to liberate them, but the regime in power is doing everything to get in the way and make life difficult; there is even a possible coup on the horizon. Her former survival skills as a homeless ‘Tunnel kid’ stand her in good stead as she makes her way back to a city that has almost changed beyond recognition. Linking up with another group of young, orphaned teens who are also defying authority, Ally tries to share some information that might give hope to her friends still stuck in their hopeless existence, but is she too late? Will they become fodder for the destructive administration that cares nothing for their existence? Will they ever know freedom?

This is part 2 of  Mette Jakobsen's dystopian series and yet again she leads the reader on a fast-paced action story that is intense and deadly in equal measure. For readers who have loved Divergent and The Hunger Games this is another book to excite them. Realistically this book should not be read as a stand-alone novel as it is the conclusion to the story of Ally, originally living in poverty and as a virtual tunnel-rat, who finds herself as a possible lab-rat and experimental pawn in a regime that cares nothing for its citizens. (Indications of a Nazi-like totalitarian rule). The appeal of this book for YA readers is that it also includes the potential for romance for the central characters, even though they are also fighting for survival. This series is best read by 14+ readers as there is violence and distress at every turn. It will certainly keep readers absorbed to the last page.

Themes: Dystopian society, Rebellion, Freedom, Friendship, Totalitarian government, Genocide, Hope.

Carolyn Hull