FORBIDDEN ALLIANCE by Katrina Mountfort

4.5 out of 5 stars

Futuristic YA drama, 2nd part of trilogy

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

I started reading this as soon as it came out, because I loved the first part, Future Perfect, so much.

Cathy's family live in one of the village communities on outside State 11, formerly the UK, in the year 2189 when the 'chosen' people live a sterile and human emotion/attachment free life inside Chinese controlled Citidomes.  Cathy and her husband, Michael, escaped from one of these in the first volume of the Blueprint trilogy; now, we are sixteen/seventeen years down the line, and Cathy is a mother of three, including sixteen year old Joy.

Forbidden Alliance is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Cathy and Joy.  Their personalities are satsifyingly different; Joy is much more self-confident, outspoken and adventurous than Cathy ever was at her age.  Occasionally I got confused and would think, "Eh?  Oh, yes, this is Cathy's chapter" but I think that's only because the chapters are quite short and the same large cast of characters features all through the book.  The main theme running through the book for Joy is her sometimes heartbreaking love for Harry, a boy she has known since childhood who lives on the canals ~ theirs is (one of) the forbidden alliance(s) of the title, as her father is obsessed with the repopulation of the communities; this obsession causes pain and worry to Cathy, who is frustrated with her life.

The way in which the old ways of life emerge in the communities outside the Citidomes is absorbing, as is the difference between the 'normal' people and the Citidome residents after Michael's organisation executes an escape plan to free some of them.  

The story is as well thought out, entertaining and thought provoking as the first in the series, and I very much look forward to reading the next one; that's me with my fingers drumming on the table!  Recommended for all lovers of books about future worlds, whether you're a 'young adult' (YA!) or not!  You do need to read the first book, though; this is not a stand alone.

FUTURE PERFECT by Katrina Mountfort reviewed HERE