Surrender by Elana Johnson

Title: Surrender (Possession #2)

Author: Elana Johnson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: June 5, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father's rules: He's the Director. It's because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent--a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine's got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can't. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi's boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine's father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. she's even starting to suspect Vi's secrets might involve Freedom's newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque...

I really enjoyed reading Possession so I was definitely looking forward to reading Surrender. And Surrender really delivered. There was even more going on in this bok than there was in the previous one. And that made for a book that was very difficult to put down.

Raine's father is the Director. That means Raine is a good girl and followed the rules in Freedom. Or at least that's what it looks like on the surface. In reality, Raine isn't all that big on following the rules and her father will let it slide so long as she uses her talent. Though no one knows about Raine's talent, not even those closest to her. But Raine is willing to throw all that away when she starts to fall for Gunner, someone she should stay away from. But she can't help it. And soon Raine discovers that a lot of people in her life are connected to one another, but there are still some secrets, especially where Vi is concerned. And the secrets only intensify when Jag Barque is brought to Freedom.

While I really enjoyed Possession, it was nothing compared to how I felt while reading Surrender. In this second instalment, Elana Johnson took the story to a whole new level. There was just so much happening and I loved every moment of it. A lot of that had to do with the fact that Surrender followed two intersecting storylines. On the one hand it followed Raine and on the other it followed Gunner. And while the stories intersected on numerous occasions, they also had their own plots which resulted in a lot of action and made for a really great story. Surrender most definitely didn't suffer form the shortcomings often found in sequels.

What was interesting with Surrender was that while it was a continuation of the story that began in Possession, it followed different characters. People like Vi, Zenn and Jag were still around and integral to the story but the focus wasn't on them. Instead, the focus was on new characters Raine and Gunner and how their story fit in with that of the others. And once I got to know Raine and Gunner, I oculd easily see why they fit in with Vi, Zenn and Jag. Raine had always been oppressed by her father and didn't agree with the way he did and ran things in Freedom. In a sense she had a lot in common with Vi. As for Gunner, things had always been hidden from him and now he wanted answers. All that to say, they were a great addition to the story.

If you enjoyed Elana Johnson's Possession you are guaranteed to love Surrender. I know I did and I can't wait to see where the story will go in the next book.