Two young girls hold the fate of the world in their hands in the highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Children of Eden. Two girls, one destiny. Yarrow is an elite: rich, regal, destined for greatness. She’s the daughter of one of the most powerful women in Eden. At the exclusive Oaks boarding school, she makes life miserable for anyone foolish enough to cross her. Her life is one wild party after another…until she meets a fascinating, lilac-haired girl named Lark. Meanwhile, there is Rowan, who has been either hiding or running all her life. As an illegal second child in a strictly regulated world, her very existence is a threat to society, punishable by death…or worse. After her father betrayed his family, and after the government killed her mother, Rowan discovered a whole city of people like herself. Safe in an underground sanctuary that also protected the last living tree on Earth, Rowan found friendship, and maybe more, in a fearless hero named Lachlan. But when she was captured by the government, her fate was uncertain. When these two girls discover the thread that binds them together, the collision of memories means that their lives may change drastically—and that Eden may never be the same. In this sequel to Children of Eden, Yarrow attends an elite boarding school meant only for top citizens. She and her best friend, Pearl, rule the school with a vicious, vapid hand. Drugs and all-night parties abound. However, a chain of events force Yarrow to remember she is actually Rowan, a second-born child who has people waiting for her to escape. Rowan does her best to assist those hiding from the evil governing forces of Eden, but it all ends in seeming disaster, setting up the third book. This predictable, clichéd sequel will not thrill any but the most loyal fans of the first installment. The protagonist too often oscillates between weepiness, helplessness, and indecision and the competence and self-assuredness of a trained operative in a spy novel. The language is an off-putting blend of teen speak and invented swear words. There is even a cackling villainess who reveals the full menacing plot of those in charge right before she tries to kill off the main character. Overall, this is a melodramatic story about a society waiting out ecological disaster with a HAL-like machine in charge. VERDICT Purchase only where there are already fans of the series.—Kristen Rademacher, Marist High School, IL "A cunningly charted sequel that improves on its predecessor." ― Kirkus Reviews Joey Graceffa is a leading digital creator, actor, and producer, best known for his scripted and vlog work with YouTube. He is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World and the bestselling novels Children of Eden and its sequel Elites of Eden . In 2013, he produced and starred in his own Kickstarter–funded supernatural series, Storytellers , for which he won a Streamy Award. In 2016, he debuted Escape the Night , a “surreality” competition series for YouTube Red that returned for a third season in the summer of 2018. Joey’s other interests include a proprietary accessories/home décor line called Crystal Wolf and supporting various nonprofit organizations for literacy, children’s health and wellness, and animal welfare. To learn more about the author, visit JoeyGraceffa.com. Elites of Eden WE MOVE THROUGH the world like a pack of wolves, striding on long legs, bright-eyed, ravenous. We are beautiful, and a casual observer might think us soft because of that beauty. But we have teeth no one can imagine. We move like soldiers, from the pre-fail days when humans fought wars. The lesser creatures step aside. Most openly stare. Only the boldest look away from us. To not admire us is a grave insult. They will be remembered. Punished. Our uniform skirts swish around our legs. The daughters of lawyers and politicians, we know how to bend the rules to our own whims. The Oaks Code states only that all students wear the green leaf-and-tendril motif of our school. The oak stands strong, supporting the tender vine. Most of the students conform exactly, looking like the identical, mindless clones they are, fitting in seamlessly with everyone around them. Not us. My skirt is long, made not of printed fabric but individual cutouts in the shape of oak leaves in all the red, gold, and orange colors of fall. The leaves overlap and flow in a cascade to my mid-calf, though there are several strategic slits that reveal my leg to the thigh with the slightest twitch. I’ve seen vids of an oak forest in autumn, the trees looking almost like a wildfire as those dying flame colors toss in the late-season wind. When I move, my skirt rustles like the forests none of us have seen, or will ever see. My top is the pale yellow-green of a new-sprouted spring leaf, skintight, with embroidered tendrils snaking up my ribs. PEARL LOOKS LIKE a but