The Rules for Breaking (The Rules For Disappearing #2) – Ashley Elston

Title: The Rules for Breaking (The Rules for Disappearing #2) by Ashley Elston
Publishing Info: May 20, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Source: Gift
Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Young Adult
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: May 8, 2014
Related Posts: The Rules for Disappearing (The Rules for Disappearing #1), This is Our Story

    Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom. But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down. The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he's using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it's time to break all the rules—even if it means teaming up with the lesser of two evils. Anna will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves and win her life back once and for all. But her true enemies are hidden in plain sight. Before long, Anna will learn that putting her trust in anyone may be the last mistake she ever makes.

It’s no secret that I’ve been dying for more YA mystery/thrillers so I was really excited to pick up THE RULES FOR BREAKING and continue on with this exciting series from Ashley Elston! The details were a tiny bit foggy from when I had read the first book, in part because I wasn’t expecting there to be a second book as I was reading, but I was glad there were little bits of recaps sewn into the story to help refresh my memory!

This book was really exciting. I felt like the action was pretty well spaced throughout the book which was great! I feel like it’s hard to spread out a story and keep the pacing steady in mysteries or thrillers without going overboard on what exactly is happening but I felt like this book really just kept on going, and the surprises kept on coming! I felt like there were more twists and surprises in than in the first book (or maybe I just didn’t remember the details from book one) so that was really fun too! There were a few things I didn’t see coming and I really liked how they tied into events and characters from previous books as well.

I’m so glad that Ashley Elston kept Anna and Ethan together. I go through “second in a series syndrome” where I get irritated when characters who united in book one are split apart in book two or all of a sudden a new love interest is introduced so it’s so refreshing and really adds to my overall enjoyment of a series as a whole when an author can really expound on what’s already been established in the first book and just really make that story line grow. My only “complaint” is that I didn’t swoon for Ethan as much in this book because of all of the crazy events that were going on, but I felt a bit like Anna did — how you have all the little butterflies as you’re falling for someone and then the butterflies are maybe not as constant but deeper feelings grow. That’s really how I felt about the characters. My feelings for them grew and I was really happy to see more of them and to see them grow as well.

I really enjoyed the story and a lot of it felt like it really could happen, which is pretty scary to think about! I had a great time reading it and it was a really enjoyable read for me all around. It always had me guessing, never sure what to expect and that layer of mistrust is still there — I was still never sure who to trust!

“The View from Goodreads” is a new featured section in my reviews that I decided to incorporate! I tend to update my Goodreads status a LOT when I read — reactions, feelings, notes — so I thought it would be fun to share the sort of “reading process”! All status updates are spoiler-free (no specific plot points will be revealed) but will contain reactions to certain pages and/or characters!

Anna // Character Obsessions: Protecting Teeny, avoiding Thomas, staying alive.
I felt like I really got to know Anna better in this book! It was interesting to be able to get more of her past because as much as we got to know her current situation in the first book, I really got to know her personality and who she was before the program and her insane situation. I really admired her determination in this book as well.
Ethan // Character Obsessions: Protecting Anna, family.
I wished I had seen more of the romantic side of Ethan like I had in the first book, but it was much harder with everything these two kids had going on. I didn’t get to see as much of his personality in this book, but I did see a different side of him. He was much more protective and I really liked how fiercely protective he was of Anna and his family.

Kept Me Hooked On: YA thrillers. HOORAY for YA thrillers! AND duologies. I loved the action and all of the suspense from this book. I was definitely on the edge of my seat and I felt like the pacing was really great!
Left Me Wanting More: Romance. Usually I’m always good with the romance or there’s too much, but I’m not usually asking for more. I think because there were so many high pressure situations and we were already past the “meeting & falling for each other” stage, so even though Anna and Ethan still had great chemistry and they had bigger things to focus on then romantic butterflies!

Addiction Rating
Read it!

I really enjoyed both of these books and I’m a big fan of YA mysteries and thrillers. A great couple of books from Ashley Elston!

(Click the cover to see my review!)