REVIEW: Resonance by Erica O’Rourke

Resonance (Dissonance #2)
by Erica O’Rourke
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015
[Goodreads] [Book Depository]

Previous Installment: Dissonance

NOTE: Summary contains spoilers for the first book in this series.

As a Walker between worlds, Del is responsible for the love of her life—and the fate of millions—in this thrilling sequel to Dissonance.

Del risked everything to save Simon, and now he’s gone, off in another world with no way for Del to find him.

She’s back at the Consort—training to be a Walker like everyone in her family. But the Free Walkers have other plans for her. This rebel group is trying to convince Del that the Consort is evil, and that her parents are unwittingly helping the Consort kill millions of people. The Free Walkers make Del the ultimate promise: if Del joins their fight, she will be reunited with Simon.

In agreeing, Del might be endangering her family. But if she doesn’t, innocent people will die, and Simon will be lost to her forever. The fate of the multiverse depends on her choice…

Dissonance was a surprise for me last year. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, but found myself sucked into the idea of a multiverse and a special type of people able to walk amongst them. I was wholeheartedly rooting for Del as she worked to figure things out, and fell head over heels for the romance she shared with Simon. I loved her friendship with Elliot, her tense but loving relationship with her sister Addie, and the amazing inclusion of music – and the way it was used by the Walkers – throughout the story. So obviously I was hoping that Resonance would hit me in all these same spots, and cause me to feel exactly the same way. And thankfully, I am happy to report that it did: Resonance was every bit as good as the first book, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

One thing that this book did extremely well was take the plot from the first one and expand it. Because this is a sequel, I don’t want to spoil, but the main issue in the first book is an anomaly which is causing issues for the Key World – ie. the world in which Del and co. live. This anomaly is explained at the end of the first book, and a solution is presented, which resulted in a horribly emotional ending. The issues in Resonance, on the other hand, are of a more moral basis, as Del realizes that what she’s been taught has basically been nothing but lies. There are lots of amazing quotes about revolution, and the need for sacrifice, and the idea of the ultimate good making up for the consequences. Through it all, you feel Del’s struggles as she tries to figure out what she should do, and it really helps pull the reader more firmly into the world.

I do want to warn that parts of this book were confusing, or at least they were for me. While I was able to stay with the main plot, there is a LOT of explanation regarding the world itself and the things the Walkers do to “protect” the Key World, so you definitely need to read the first book before you try to dive into this one. Even having done so, I still got lost for a bit around the 50% mark. This book is brimming with what would be this world’s technical know-how, and while I found it interesting it did at times get overwhelming. But that’s really my only complaint.

All in all, Resonance is a book about a girl’s struggles to see through what she’s been taught and her decision to make her own choices. There were several surprising moments sprinkled throughout, as well as more of the ridiculously sweet romance between Del and Simon, plus a lot of talk about what you have to give up to stay firm to your beliefs. I do want to warn for some torture scenes – they were rather brutal – and some mild sexual content as well, but overall, this book – and series – is a winner!