Rage Within (Dark Inside) [Paperback]

'Dark Inside' by Jeyn Roberts was one of my surprise hits of last year. I absolutely adored it! Dark and twisty, it blew my mind with it's sheet brilliance and I've been eagerly waiting for the sequel ever since.

'Rage Within' picks up from the first book by following main characters Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine. They are now tougher and more resilient than ever before and have experienced unimaginable horrors. When we were first introduced to them they were scattered across the country but now they have found their way together with a small group of other survivors. They aren't living though - they are only surviving. Life isn't the same and has no resemblance to the existences they led before. In reality, death is around every corner, the threat of the Baggers is uppermost in their minds and every day is designed simply around trying to stay alive.

I liked the way that each character had their own personal agenda but as a group they shared a common goal which brought them together. The chapter perspective alternates between the four teens and I enjoyed getting to see more of their individual stories and as well as sharing their feelings about what they have seen and been forced to do. I was pleased that we also got to find out more about the mysterious Daniel. He has fascinated me from the start and I was intrigued to discover what his own motives were for some of his actions.

Whereas the setting of the first book was spread out over the whole country, the events of 'Rage Within' take place within quite a small circumference. This made the atmosphere highly fraught with danger and added a sense of suffocation, as well as contrasting this with a fragile sense of safety and companionship.

There were some exciting revelations near the end of the story which turned things on their head completely and lots of twists and turns which kept me on edge throughout. Now I need to know more as soon as humanely possible because I have so many questions!

This was a stunning sequel with everything you could want in a good book. Terrifying, gripping and unbelievably exciting, I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.

I was so lucky to win a signed ARC of Rage Within from Jeyn Roberts herself, that in itself is awesome but what makes it even better is that this books is so good! It's even better than Dark Inside, and that's saying something as book one was great. You can tell the Roberts has grown as a writer while writing the two books, and I can't wait to see how good her next book will be. Rage Within is a truly chilling novel, just like the first one it keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The horror of the baggers makes the reader clutch on to the book, hoping that everyone will make it away alive. The fear of this dark reality makes the reader really think about the horror's that could be hiding in the shadows of the future.

We join the group of survivors three months after the earthquakes. The group are still struggling to survive as the Bagger's search the streets looking to round up the remaining survivors. The Bagger's have organised camps for survivors that promise protection but you can never trust a bagger. Instead they are using the survivors as a clean up crew, so they can start a new world order. The gang are facing problems of their own, as if hiding was easy to begin with. Aries is struggling to keep a clear head as she leads the group. So many people look to her for orders but does she really know what's she's doing? The pressure is beginning to make her crack. Clementine and Michael are still searching for Heath, but instead they stumble across something rather unexpected. Mason, disappears suddenly making a new range of fear sweep through the group. Are the baggers closer than they realise?

I loved the characters so much in the first book and in Rage Within they grow even more. They are very well fleshed out, and even now we're still seeing new bit's of their personalities shine through. I want to say I have a favourite but I love all the main characters equally, Roberts has done a really good job of making the reader care for her characters. Aries is still the leader and she's as kick ass as ever. She tries her best to make the decisions that will benefit the group as a whole. After a horrifying trip back to her home, it leaves her emotionally scarred and questioning herself. Clementine, remains strong throughout the books even standing up to Aries when she feels Aries is letting the group down. She's motivated by the need to find her brother and she will not stop until she's finds him. Michael takes on the role of leader again, his past dawns on him and stays at the front of his mind. Last time he lead a group there were horrifying consequences, will this time end the same way? Mason's story in Rage Within is probably the one that hooked me the most. We got to understand more about him and why the Baggers are so interested in him. My heart went out to him whenever he was in pain, the poor guy deserves a break but alas that will never happen. We also still get the point of view of Nothing, the tortured soul that wavers between the horrible memories of what he's done and falling into the darkness. I now have a pretty good idea of who it is but for it to be confirmed I guess I'll have to wait until the next book.

The setting was still as good as ever. There was probably more gore in this book, that was vividly described. If you're squeamish you may want to step back, but don't let it ruin this awesome book. It's the vivid description of the horror of what the world could become that makes this book even greater. It truly makes the reader think about the consequences of their actions and even more terrifying if they have the potential to be a bagger if the world comes to it. It's pretty scary, but that's what makes this book so very awesome! The way that the bagger's are described with their black veined eye's and love of gore makes them scary but add in a few human characteristics, they become even scarier. It just gives me the creeps thinking about them.

The plot was fast paced making the reader cling on for the ride. The action was as good as before, maybe even better, it was great to see characters who fight for what they believe in and also the girls being just as kick ass as they boys. Although this book isn't even out yet, I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book, I hope there is one? I can say that this is one of the best books I've read this year, it is just so freaking good! I cannot tell you enough that this is a truly thrilling book, and a brilliant sequel. It's a heart-pounding, hair-raising roller coaster of fear and scary truths, that make the reader grip onto the book from start until finish. It's so good, if you loved the first one, you'll definitely love this!

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse ... the mysterious rage that afflicted the majority of US citizens, turning them into murderous 'baggers', has changed but become more intelligent, organised and deadly. The sequel picks up the story of the teens and young adults that had banded together by the end of 'Rage Within' and takes them off in an unexpected direction. Well, it was a direction I had't foreseen, anyway!
Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine continue to take turns as the focus of the narration and the dangerous sounding 'Nobody' continues narrating his too. There is also 'The Man' and 'Daniel' and 'Jack' who add to the list of characters the reader is following.
The change that has occurred by the start of this story is that the frenzied murderous rage that the Baggers exhibited in 'Rage Within' has dissipated and they are starting to get organised, capturing unaffected humans and incarcerting them in camps, making them work for the Baggers and using them as bait to trap more uninfected humans. As 'Nobody' puts it at the start of the novel; 'They have ideas, you wouldn't like them.'
The few remaining uninfected humans find life harder and harder as they struggle to stay alive, healthy and away from the Bagger camps and patrols. There are also the foolish who are searching for family members or friends and drag their new friends into terrifyingly dangerous situations. To make matters even worse, the survivors are trying to protect children whose parents have been killed while trying to survive and provide for them.
By the end of the book things are looking pretty bad for the dwindling band of survivors; one of them is trapped in a Bagger's human-compound, one is almost certainly the deadly and mysterious 'Nobody' and the rest are all scattered and on the run.
It's a bleak and apparently hopeless world where there are all too few uninfected humans and where the Baggers are now in control of their rage and starting to re-build a society along their own lines. I am looking forward to part 3 to see where the author goes with this and how/if she extricates her main characters and gives them at least a hopeful ending.
Recommended for all sci-fi fans and readers of Distopian fiction - it's tense and bleak and unremitting but it's very well written and believable.