Book review: The Believers by Katie French

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Description:
They’ve escaped the Breeders, yet their journey has just begun.

Riley and Clay are once again on the run from the Breeders. The group may have escaped the deranged experiments at the hospital, but as one of the world's last free women, Riley can never be safe. On the road back home, Riley and her crew are captured by a band of savage men. Their destination: the Citadel, run by a bizarre religious prophet named the Messiah. Somehow he knows their secrets. He wants them to join his group of Believers, but only if they’ll drink the baptismal water and swear allegiance.

The problem is there’s something wrong with the water. Something wrong with the people. And there’s human moaning coming from the bottom of a dark crevasse that no one wants to talk about. If they can’t figure out what’s going on, Riley and everyone she loves could become a Believer forever.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Review: 
Katie French's The Breeders was one of my top ten reads of 2013, so I eagerly awaited the release of its sequel, The Believers. The fact that it satisfied one of the boxes in my Outside the Box reading challenge was an added bonus.

The Believers picks up where The Breeders ends, and from the opening pages, you know what you're going to get with this book: an exciting, well-written story that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. The novel is fast-paced, and there's never a dull moment. I had a hard time putting it down to do something else because I kept wanting to see what would happen next.

Although the tone of The Believers is similar to that found in The Breeders, the plot is different and there's a new set of characters involved. Nevertheless, it was as enjoyable as the first book. I find it refreshing for an author to come up with an original story instead of rehashing the same scenes from book 1, and it is a testament to Katie French's writing skills that she can deliver a new story with new characters that is as enjoyable as its predecessor.

I recommend this series to all readers, especially fans of YA dystopians. I can't wait for book 3!