School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-In this gripping, stand-alone sequel to The Declaration (Bloomsbury, 2007), teenagers Anna and Peter have escaped Grange Hall, a prisonlike dormitory for Surpluses-children living in the United Kingdom in 2140 where childbirth is illegal and longevity drugs allow people to live forever. Anna's parents were overjoyed to have her back but were forced to commit suicide ("a life for a life") in order to give Anna and her baby brother a chance to become Legals. Her boyfriend, Peter, accepts a job working at Pincent Pharma, the Longevity drug company owned by his wicked grandfather, in order to help the Underground (a resistance group) destroy it. His unexpected ally is his Legal teenage half brother Jude, a talented computer hacker. The author addresses the moral and ethical implications of immortality in this dystopian novel, making it a great choice for group discussions. The writing style is not particularly lyrical but the fast pace and exciting plot make it a page-turner that will appeal to graduates of Margaret Peterson Haddix's "Shadow Children" series (S & S).-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In Anna and Peter's world, medically created immortality has made most childbirth illegal, according to this unsubtle but worthwhile and tension-packed sequel. After their escape from the hellish Surplus Halls of illegal children in The Declaration (2007), they'd hoped for a comfortable life raising children and fighting the government--but it's not that simple. The resistance wants Peter to spy on the company that makes longevity drugs, but the company's owner, Peter's overwhelmingly evil grandfather, hopes to convert Peter to his own side. The story makes abortive attempts to treat complex ethical questions with depth, asking if science used for evil ends could be good in different contexts, or whether a Resistance leader who has chosen immortality for himself can be trusted. But ultimately, the text finds these questions fairly easy to answer. Peter's story takes a clear moral position--it is the responsibility of the old to die to make way for the young--and portrays any dissenters as either despicable or willfully na™ve. Here's hoping the nicely set-up sequel has a more delicate touch. (Science fiction. 11-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With the advent of a drug called Longevity, people have achieved the impossible: eternal life. But when people live forever, there is no room for new life, so those who take Longevity relinquish reproduction a life for a life. Those who don't are arrested, their children taken to Surplus halls, where they atone for their parents by becoming Useful. In The Declaration (2007), Surplus Peter and Surplus Anna escaped from one of these halls, but their problems were only beginning. Now Legal, they work for the Underground, and at their request, Peter joins Pincent Pharma under his hated grandfather, the developer of Longevity. Pressured to take the drug and confronted with challenging arguments, Peter's finds that his mission is becoming a minefield of temptation and self-doubt and then he learns the horrifying truth about new and improved Longevity. While the pure evil of Peter's grandfather undercuts Malley's otherwise nuanced presentation, she explores the far-reaching effects of Longevity with harrowing accuracy. Peter and Anna, both fighting for their right to be alive, are sympathetic focal points from which to tell this compelling story.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2008 Booklist