This young adult dystopian by TH Hernandez is not one to be missed! I fell in love with this story in The Union and it has been solidified into my favorites category with The Ruins. This story is one you will not want to miss. Check out more about this book, Tina’s Thoughts, and a giveaway to celebrate this book and blog tour!
The Ruins
The Union #2
T.H. Hernandez
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Heartbroken, grief-stricken, and wracked with guilt, seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor returned to the Union, leaving behind the boy she loved.
Now, she and her friends must find a way to do the impossible – warn the citizens of the Union about an impending rebel attack without alerting the government and risking retaliation against her friends in the Ruins.
When every move Evan makes is thwarted, it soon becomes clear she’s being watched. Faced with a daily fight to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, she returns to the Ruins. But life in the Ruins has its own dangers, and soon she’s fighting a different battle – to stay alive long enough to discover the truth.
THE RUINS is the second book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.
You can purchase your copy today on Amazon!
The Ruins is a wonderful continuation of the Young Adult story that TH Hernandez started in The Union. We see danger, intrigue, young love, and hard choices that need to be made. There is a deeper level of self-identity, friendship, and self-awareness that is brought to life in this story! I am so happy with this book, despite my initial reactions, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
The Ruins picks up right where The Union ends. Evan has returned home and left everyone she cared about in the Ruins behind. She is attempting to balance her experiences and the way that they changed her with the life she has been thrust back into. She is heartbroken from leaving behind Cyrus and frustrated with not having direction on how to help stop the Uprising. Evan developed into a great female character in the first book and she continues to grow into an independent and strong young woman in this second installment. She is attempting to find her way and make a difference but it seems like the cause is too big for her to grasp. I love her growing tenacity and fight.
When she returns, she is convinced that she will never again see Cyrus and she attempts to move on with Bryce. Now this one theme made me frustrated. I love Cyrus and Evan together. They bring out the best in each other and encourage greatness from each other. They are passionate and beautiful together. When they parted ways at the end of the first book, I was heartbroken. Evan is floundering and finds a level of security and affection from Bryce but it pales in comparison. I was frustrated with their relationship, seeing that it would never be enough. It was hard to watch Evan and Bryce together when I wanted her with Cyrus but being in her head throughout this story allows you to somewhat understand her intentions. She is young and trying to find a safe place to sort through her life. She finds a semblance of that with Bryce- a safe place. The highs and lows between Evan and Bryce create some of the drama in the story and ultimately lead to Evan foraging her own path to find a solution to the Uprising.
I loved how this story was split into three parts: The Union, The Ruins, and The Uprising. Each part is interconnected but distinctly different. They lead into one another and help guide the reader on a journey. I loved how the relationships and dynamics continue to grow with these characters. We see young love, heartache, unrequited love, and deep friendships. The different types of love portrayed in this book adds more depth and character to what is happening. Hernandez shows the reader the love of siblings, love of parents and the kids, love of friends, and romantic love. I loved watching these different and dynamice relationships grow and bloom.
The real hero of this story is Evan. She is the main character but the way that TH Hernandez writes her story is raw. She is a young woman learning her way and making mistakes as she goes. She is calculated at times and at other times hot headed, not thinking of what will happen. Her learning curve is what sets this story to succeed. She is involved in something bigger than herself but she is continually growing and evolving to be who she needs to be in order to face what is coming. Her relationships are vital to her identity and those friendships and romances don’t define her but contribute to her strength and development.
This book sets up so many different things for the future and continues to grow the main objectives of this story. These young people are involved in something huge- a potential war that could destroy everything they love about the worlds on both sides of the walls. I cannot wait to see what happens next and where Evan and the gang land. There is bound to be an epic ending to their story and I cannot wait to see how they transform into the heroes and people to accomplish that goal!
To celebrate the blog tour of The Ruins, T.H. Hernandez is hosting a fun giveaway! For your chance to win a $25 Amazon giftcard, one of 2 sets of The Union and The Ruins (eBook), or a signed paperback set of The Union and The Ruins, enter this Rafflecopter giveaway! Just follow the instructions listed for your chance to win. Don’t miss out on this awesome giveaway! Good luck!
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California, with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog. In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they’re still figuring out life. When I’m not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I’m obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.
Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram