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Erasers simpled everything up: They had no qualms about killing, so you had to lose your squeamishness about it too.
School’s Out – Forever —
James Patterson
Maximum Ride Book 2
★⯪
Max and her flock – Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel – are flying to Washington, DC in search of their families when trouble strikes. Forced to reveal themselves, the kids are taken by the FBI and sent to live with an agent in Virginia. Living as normal kids for the first time, the flock learns to juggle school, friends, and crushes alongside the ever-growing pressure to save the world.
Review
School’s Out – Forever, the second book in the Maximum Ride series, was a more enjoyable read than the first. While there are still several filler scenes, the story is overall more streamlined and well paced. There are several scenes that don’t add to the plot, but they’re more likely to have meaningful character moments that make it easier to connect with them and stay invested when the plot slows down.
The plot itself is more cohesive. There are still two pretty distinct main storylines, but it doesn’t feel like we’re making a sharp turn from the where the story started. Plot conveniences still make a few appearances, but they’re not as frequent or blatant as in The Angel Experiment, where they took all tension out of the climax. That said, if plot points popping up and quickly dropping off the map ruins a book for you, I would steer clear of this one (and probably the whole series given the first two installments). A lot of mysteries are introduced to add tension, and they do – which just made it all the more disappointing when I realized there wouldn’t be any payoff.
While I did enjoy reading this book more than the first, it also missed the mark is some pretty big ways. It introduces triggering content (content warnings below) that isn’t handled well. There’s no meaningful reflection on those moments; I struggle to think of a time there were even any lasting consequences. There are really irresponsible depictions that could lead to real-world harm. There’s nothing particularly graphic, but I wouldn’t recommend this to young readers (age range is 10+) without a trusted adult reading along to discuss the more serious scenes with them.
There are a few other issues that carried over from the first book. There are still inconsistencies throughout, in both characters and plotlines. The chapters are incredibly short, making it feel stilted. The ableism in Iggy’s depiction remains. Exaggerated sensory efficiency (part of the disability superpower trope) continues to come up. Basically, most issues from the first book have been addressed to some extent, but the kinks haven’t been completely ironed out. I do still feel like there’s hope for the series to continue improving, but I feel less confident in Patterson’s ability to handle the difficult topics that are sure to make appearances in future books.
School’s Out – Forever is a pretty big improvement from book one. It’s better written, funny, and more engaging, but like the first, I can’t recommend it. Despite its many flaws, I plan to continue the series for now. I’m thinking of doing a spoiler review of the books to talk more in-depth about the issues I have with them. Let me know if you’d be interested. If you’ve read the series, let me know what you think of this one!
Content warnings: ableism, child abuse, death, forced medical experimentation on children, kidnapping, self-harm, sexual assault (briefly threatened)
Felicity Morrow has returned to Dalloway School to finish her high school career. She lives in Godwin House, an exclusive dorm said to be haunted by five of Dalloway’s earliest students. Felicity is trying to leave the school’s occult past – and her abiding interest in it – behind, but transfer student Ellis Haley won’t let her forget it. Ellis recruits Felicity to help her research the Dalloway Five – the inspiration for her second novel. Felicity has some misgivings about the work, which only deepen when history starts to repeat itself.