I loved, loved LOVED the first book so much and had a hard time holding myself back from stalking Lauren, hunting her down and forcing her to let me read the next installment! Just sayin! It was that good! 
 "I thought the Invalids were beasts; I thought they would rip me apart. But these people saved me, and gave me the softest place to sleep, and nursed me back to health, and haven't asked for anything in return. 
 The animals are on the other side of the fence: monsters wearing uniforms. They speak softly, and tell lies, and smile as they're slitting your throat." 
 The book starts off with Lena struggling through the wilds after she had escaped. Alex is dead and she just wonders as far as she can. She soon passes out and is awoken by a couple of invalids trying to help her. The invalids take her in and show her the ropes. She dreams about Alex and cannot get him out of her head. She is saddened that he is gone, they were suppose to be together. He was going to show her the wilds and now she is alone. 
 Flash forward a few months to Lena going to school in what I believe is NYC. She is on a mission to study the DFA, Delirium Free Association. Her job is to watch the DFA leader's son, Julian and follow him. By unforeseen circumstances, Lena gets to be very close to her subject. The pieces start coming together and soon, the pair is fighting for their lives. 
 I really enjoyed Lena, she was very whiny in the beginning, but soon got over herself and became a strong independent woman. The invalid clan was a tough group. Ms. Oliver did a wonderful job when creating their characters. She gave them just enough gruffness to show how hard a person can become while living and trying to survive in the wilds. 
 This brings us to Julian. I am really torn because I loved Alex in the first book, but Julian is just as sweet. Not as tough, but a really nice guy. 
 "I want to know." His words are a whisper, barely audible. "I want to know with you." 
 The ending is a HUGE cliffhanger! Actually, the very last sentence is huge!!! This book was just the right mix of death, love, fear and fighting for what you believe in. I can't wait to see what happens next!