Crashed by Robin Wasserman

"I can't escape," the train of thought went. "And they can't kill me. They can't hurt me in any way that counts." 
So why think about what's going to happen next?
Why not just stop being afraid?
And then the lights went out.

The sequel to Skinned, Crashed is the continuing story of Lia's life as a mech. When she died, her body was placed into a mechanical body that was meant to simulate the experience of being human. After the incident at the waterfall and a falling out with her sister who doesn't believe she is the real Lia, our protagonist leaves home to live with the other mechs she knows.

It's been six months since the events of the last book and things are steadily growing worse. The world is turning against mechs in a way they haven't before. An uprising is imminent and things are become more and more dangerous for those the humans call "skinners."

In order to protect herself and others like her, Lia must team up with Jude and Riley to figure out how they can win this. But the stakes are higher than they've ever been, the past is coming back to threaten them all,  and the enemy is willing to go to moral depths that Lia's not sure she can follow. How can she be expected to make the right choice when no one seems to be the good guy?

Once again, Wasserman has done a wonderful job in crafting a believable world and tackling moral questions that most novelists wouldn't touch with a stick (or at least, I haven't seen them touch it yet). Her characters are believable and well-rounded (even if some are so irritating that you find yourself ranting at them while you read), while her plot is seamlessly executed and shocking all the same. Every thing about this book was well-done.

I think I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original and I can't wait to see what she does with the final installment of the Cold Awakening Trilogy. It ought to be good.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Then we come up with another plan!" I insisted. "I'm not-" I didn't even want to say it out loud. The words would have sounded ludicrous coming out of my mouth. I'm not killing anyone. As if I was the type of person for whom that was even an option. Unrecognizable was one thing. This was alien. This was unthinkable. "Tell him, Riley. Tell him we can't do this."