Skip to main content

Second in Command Review

Second in Command
Title: Second in Command
Author: Sandi Van
Genre: Young Adult, Poetry, Contemporary
Trigger Warnings: deployment of a parent, drugs, underage drinking, bomb threat
My Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: February 1, 2019


Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Leo dreams of becoming an Eagle Scout and, someday, a police officer. He makes sure to always do the right thing and be responsible. With his mom deployed and his dad constantly working, Leo is often left in charge of his two younger siblings. Then Leo's brother, Jack, gets caught up in a dangerous plot that rocks the community. Can Leo keep his promise to stand by his brother no matter what, or will he stand on the side of justice?

Review


A special thank you to Netgalley and West 44 Books for a free advance digital copy in exchange for a honest review.


I love verse novels and the raw emotions explored in this one make it a definite 5 star read. Leo is the eldest child and left mostly in charge of his younger siblings when his mom deploys and his father works. The emotions are very strong and really well explored, as Leo tries to balance his own needs and desires with his obligations to his family. He has to face a lot and while his actions are shown that he puts forth a strong front, he is struggling underneath. While I have not been in the same circumstances as Leo, the emotional whirlwind that he goes through is described very well, making this book packing a punch for such a short book.

In verse novels, often many components of books are left out in favor of the poetry, but this verse novel had a few really good subplots. Not enough to overpower everything else, but enough so that it was actually a verse novel and not just themed poetry. The pace suited with the medium and while Leo's thoughts and emotions were definitely explored, it did not overpower everything else and the plot was able to keep on moving forward. There were a few descriptions of the Leo of the past that were really cool and added more to his character without detracting from moving the story forward.

I wish that there was just more to the interactions between Jack and Leo, and to the end of the story. While the ends were wrapped up, the ending just felt like it was lacking something, not having the satisfaction level that I was expecting at the end of this read. It also seems unrealistic in some of the supporting structures of what allowed the plot to move forward.

Still, this was an excellent read and well worth the time. I really enjoyed it. It's a short read, so easy to just pick up and get through. I definitely recommend this book because these emotions explored are powerful and lead to a deep and fast read.

View all my reviews on Goodreads.


I liked this book a lot, but I also really love the verse novel genre. What is your favorite verse novel? Let me know in the comments.

This book is being published on Friday, February 1! Be sure to check it out!

Thanks for reading,
Alyssa

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August Six Degrees

I recently discovered the Six Degrees of Separation meme for book blogs, and it looks like a lot of fun, so I decided to start this month, and see how it goes! This month's prompt is a wild card. Since I didn't do this last month, I'm starting with the book that I'm currently in the middle of- The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. First Link: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan These books are both by the same author, but also they are both the books that got me into that specific type of mythology in the first place, both Greek and Egyptian. I've learned so much after becoming interested based on these books in the first place. Second Link: Pandora Gets Jealous by Carolyn Hennesy Both of these books are takes on Greek mythology. Percy Jackson is modern day, but Pandora is set back then. Still, the main characters are both awesome and their interactions with the Greek gods and other Greek mythical beings are just amazing. Third Link: The Frog Princess ...
12 comments
Read more

Unique Settings

Last week, I ran out of time to do my Top Ten Tuesday post, but I still loved the prompt of settings that I'd like to see more of. Since this week was a freebie, I decided to go ahead and do this prompt. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. The books I have read from these books have been absolutely amazing in the majority of circumstances, but there needs to be so much more, especially in traditional publishing for a wide range of audiences, though some of these are best suited to YA or NA. So, let's get started! 4H- I spent twelve years as a member of local 4H, and I have only read one book that ever had showing livestock at a county fair as a plotline. It was amazing, but I haven't seen this aspect of my life in any other book. I have a few ideas based on my experiences...
16 comments
Read more

Anticipated Releases

Welcome back to another week of Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl with prompts every week! This one was surprisingly hard for me, maybe because I'm not really in the middle of any great series right now and all of the authors I read a lot aren't releasing this fall. I did include multiple books that I already got from Netgalley but they have not yet come out and I am behind but I still want to read them because I'm excited about their potential and hope that they are as amazing as I wish. So let's get started! Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst- Mare and Denna are an amazing sapp hic couple. I loved Of Ice and Shadows, and I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel, but I have to. I am really excited for this book. Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan- I got my sister the first book for Christmas and still haven't read it, but this is another amazing sapphic series that I need to read. My sister loved...
26 comments
Read more