okay, so i loved the knife of never letting go but this one was somehow even better. 
 oh, jeez, i am afraid i am just going to write a gushing fangirl review here. does anyone mind? 
 i will try to avoid saying anything too specific, because this book is such a gem, i want everyone to sort of discover its folds and depths for themselves. 
 because there is a great deal of depth up in here. 
 the action of this book takes place after a colossal thing happens which separates viola and todd. and this book is a split-narrative between the two of them, as they are pursuing their individual paths to selfhood under extreme duress and uncertainty. 
 vague, right? 
 but it is so well-handled. ness can actually write! viola and todd sound like two different characters! and fully developed characters with insights and psychologies all their own, at that! and i love them both so much. fangirl squeee! 
 the scope of the book has widened. the first book starts out as a sort of smalltown pastoral with creepy-dark religious/cultish overtones, while this one expands to re-emphasize the earlier themes of colonialism and clannishness but to build upon those themes with the politics of war and love and betrayal and sacrifice (oh, the sacrifices...) and helplessness and growth and trust and - just all of it, all leading up to the most amazing cliffhanger of tolkien-esque proportions. 
 it made my head go "aaaahhhhhh!!!" 
 the best moments in these books are the small revelations, the tiny realizations. not even the big game-changing events, although those are phenomenal. but as viola and todd are separately coached under questionable authority figures, which are shaping their character, but still managing to retain their individual sparks that make them such strong characters, and while trying so hard just to get back to each other - the tiny reveals that pepper this story as they bildungs their roman are genuinely surprising and so devastating. shivery. 
 because they spend most of this novel apart, this becomes a novel about faith. faith in the beloved other. because while technically not a YA romance, because there isn't any kissing, it has the perfect shape to become one: the first book is spent fighting together towards a common goal, learning each others' strengths and weaknesses, making sacrifices (sob) to protect the Other, comforting each other and never letting the other lose hope or give up.it is a perfect foundation. 
 this chapter has them apart, developing their own personal codes in the middle of this new situation and creating a sort of armor around themselves to protect themselves from outside influence, to keep the faith in the other safe until they can be together again. which adds the layer of independence so fundamental to a successful romance. none of this twilight self-sacrifice twaddle. 
 it's just gorgeous. i hate the things that happen to todd throughout, as he struggles to balance his humanity while giving up portions of it just to stay alive. and although viola's situation seems less dangerous on the surface, it is only more adroitly manipulated, and so her ultimate realization/betrayal is even more powerful for it. 
 aaahhhhh!!!! 
 there is too much in this book and it is all in my heart. 
 i am trying to read the third book really slowly so i never have to leave this world. 
 there are probably more useful reviews out there. this is just be babbling. don't let me slow you down on your path to this book - go now!