Review: The Anti-Social Network

The Anti-Social Network (The Start-Up #2) by Sadie Hayes
Release Date ~ October 22, 2011
Backlit Fiction

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Dory twins grew up with nothing. Now on the verge of having everything, their fledgling company—built on Amelia’s intellect and Adam’s ambition—threatens to be torn apart by new, powerful enemies and old, malicious ones.
The Anti-Social Network is the second episode in The Start-Up series, a fast-paced and exciting serial story.

The day after finishing The Start-Up, I dove into The Anti-Social Network dying to know what was going to happen. Sadie and Backlit Fiction have clearly found a formula that works for them- and as much as I enjoyed this one, I'm starting to wonder how long this formula is going to continue to work.

1. Secrets Revealed:
   We get to know a lot more about Adam and Amelia's past, and the kinds of secrets which were only mysteriously mentioned in The Start Up, and this definitely provides some necessary backstory to keep the excitement going and makes it a bit easier to relate to the characters. It's nice getting some answers, even if they do only lead to more questions.
2. Lots and lots of curveballs:
   I honestly have a hard time trying to pin down what's going to happen; I'm the kind of reader who can't help but try to predict what will happen in the book. Every time I do that with this series, I end up being wrong. There is just so much going on, and these characters aren't predictable or boring in ANY way. But that makes for a very exciting plot!

You definitely get great build up, and a good storyline filled with questions, suspicion, and mounting tension. But I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed with books that continually end with a big revelation and semi-cliffhanger. Yes, it grabs my attention. But those tricks only last for so long before I lose interest. So while I enjoyed this one, I have to wonder how long I'm going to keep enjoying them if it does end up in this set pattern, becaues what I love is the unpredictability and twists, and I don't want it to lose that.

That being said I'm even MORE excited for the third installment, The Beauiful Code, and I am just giddy with anticipation waiting to figure out where this goes!

I'm hoping that some more of the sub-plots introduced in the first one will be better fleshed out soon, because there are quite a few characters and conflicts between them that were established but weren't dealt with much in this book. Fingers crossed for more of them later (I'm looking at you, Patty)!

Review copy received from author and publisher in exchange for my honest review; no other compensation was received.