DEV1AT3 by Jay Kristoff

Lifelike book 2. Allen and Unwin 2019. ISBN: 9781760295714.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction, Robots, Artificial intelligence, Memory, Extrasensory perception. Lemon Fresh is on the run after the battle in Babel in LIFEL1K3. She has been separated from Ezekiel and Cricket and is being hunted by corporate operatives because of her ability to manipulate electricity. She meets some other Deviates who are hiding out with a man known as the Major. Meanwhile Cricket has been taken by the puritanical Brotherhood and Ezekiel searches for Cricket, while still hoping to be reunited with his beloved Ana. And Eve is still inside Babel.
Kristoff is a master at writing an engrossing, engaging rollercoaster ride of a book. This time Lemon is the main character and readers will be holding their breath as she lurches from one adventure to another, with the enigmatic Major perhaps holding some clues to her background. The Brotherhood is described in detail and readers may find some parallels with religious cults of today. Cricket continues to add humour to the story and his friendship with another robot adds zest to often dark occurrences in the book. But the one theme that really runs through the book is the importance of friendship and loyalty. Lemon, Cricket and Ezekiel are all determined to find and help each other, and new characters introduced also show these traits.
It is best to have read the first book in the series to understand the background to Babel and why Eve is acting like she is.
Action galore, explosions, humour, religious fanatics, corporate baddies, robots, wild chases across the desert, sacrifice and a cliff-hanger of an ending make this a must read for adrenaline junkies and readers who like to think about artificial intelligence and robotics.
Pat Pledger