REVIEW: The Rules for Breaking

By Denise @ Life With No Plot on March 11, 2021 • ( 0 )

SPOILER ALERT!!

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The spoilers for book #1 are actually in the blurb for this book, so no real way to avoid them. While I don’t usually believe that reading spoilers will threaten the enjoyment of a book, The Rules for Disappearing does rely on a certain amount of mystery and misdirection. So if you are planning on reading that one, maybe skip this review or come back to it later. That said . . . .

About the Book

Title: The Rules for Breaking

Author: Ashley Elston

Series: The Rules for Disappearing #2

Genre: YA Contemporary/Suspense/Thriller

Pages: 320

Dates Read: January 4 – 24, 2021

Edition Read: Kindle eBook

Blurb: Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom.

But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down.

The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he’s using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it’s time to break all the rules-even if it means teaming up with the lesser of two evils.

Anna will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves and win her life back once and for all. But her true enemies are hidden in plain sight. Before long, Anna will learn that putting her trust in anyone may be the last mistake she ever makes.

Review

You know when you read a book that just makes you want to read more and more from that author? That was my experience with this book. I really enjoyed the first book in this duology, The Rules for Disappearing (see my review here), and the second book doesn’t disappoint either. Elston’s writing is fast paced while still giving you time to connect with the characters and really care about them. That is sometimes a rare thing to find, but Elston does it brilliantly.

I was concerned that since the main feature of Disappearing was the mystery surrounding the main character, then known as Meg, that perhaps the new story wouldn’t be a gripping since we now know the answers to most of her questions. We know her real name. We know why her family was in witness protection. There are new mysteries, namely who Thomas is working for and which agent was the mole (and I didn’t see that one coming AT ALL) and it all works really well. Both books are about survival, just two different kinds.

Anna is still an engaging character and I still absolutely love Ethan. That boy has the patience of a saint and wants to protect Anna and her sister, but at the same time, it was nice to see that dynamic flip. Ethan is pretty badly injured for a good part of this book and Anna has to be the one protecting him while still trying to be resourceful and get them out of this situation.

All I have to say is that I hope Anna has a nice quite, normal life after all of this. She has been through it!

GoodReads rating: 5 stars