While Divided wraps up some things, it still leaves a lot of loose ends and if this is the last book, I found the ending a little unsatisfying. I couldn’t find anything about a third book. I can’t tell if this series is a duology or trilogy. I just couldn’t get on board with West’s rationale and thought process through most the book and that hindered my enjoyment. The pace was pretty slow and a lot of parts that should have been exciting seemed a little anticlimactic.

Some of this I found interesting, but mostly I was just trying to get through it. There are some twists and turns while she’s fulfilling her contracts and we get a lot more background information about the city origins. West buys this logic, along with what he’s willing to offer her in exchange and sets out to relive her days as a striker. He makes the case that they are the worthy alts and that it’s just an extra precaution for them to not actually face the challenge. The Board Operator wants to make a deal for her to work as a striker to kill the alts of Board children. If she killed the more worthy alt then she’s put her city at risk by providing inferior soldiers to guard the barriers. West feels guilty not so much for killing people, but not knowing whether she killed the right alt or not. This is where things start to fall apart for me.

When she’s summoned to the Board, she’s offered a way to not only make up for her past, but to protect her future. However, West is still dealing with the emotional fallout of her past sins. West Grayer (I love that name) is an accomplished striker (assassin) and has defeated her alt and should be able to live her life in peace with her best friend/boyfriend, Chord. It’s been awhile since I read Dualed, but I don’t remember it ending on a cliffhanger.

I mostly enjoyed the first book in this series and have been looking forward to reading this one, but I found it a little underwhelming. How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for.

She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. I received a copy of this title from NetGalley.

Divided elsie chapman