Review: Sparks Rise

Sparks Rise by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Novellas serve as a small reminder, or a brief look into the world we are waiting to reappear. Sparks Rise was just that. A quick recap of the brutal treatment that the Psi kids receive at the hands of the PSFs. Samantha "Sam/Sammy" is a blue, living in one of the worst rehabilitation centers for the last seven years. Her routine is the same day in and day out, until a group of Reds are brought in to assist the PSFs. They have been completely stripped of anything that makes them themselves, and replaced with a shell of a person who is easily controlled. They are no more than the deadliest of weapons. Sam recognizes one of them, Lucas her best friend from childhood. When Sam is attacked by a nasty PSF, she fights back, willing to die before allowing him to touch her. Lucas wants to help her, but he's worked so hard at keeping his cover to risk it. It takes everything he has to pretend to be one of the mindless Reds that help with security. He knows that helping Sam will blow his cover, but he's also not sure if he can just leave her to their mercy.


***Spoilers***
He is able to stand back, even though it kills him to watch them beat her and lock her in a cage. He is able to talk to her for a moment, and she agrees that he made the right decision. Even if he'd tried to help, neither of them would have made it out alive. Overnight in the cages, Sam is bitten by a snake. While assisting in the medical ward, Lucas finds out the camp that his sister is located in. Shortly after that he sees that Sam is in the infirmary, not in the cages, and without the antivenom she may not make it. One of the nurses is able to help them escape, but they barely make it out of the gates before getting caught. Several weeks later Sam is still suffering the effects of the bite, and her leg will never be completely healed. She finally sees Lucas after all that time, but this time she realizes, that they have finally broken him. The boy she knew is no longer there.



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