Reaper's Legacy by Tim Lebbon

Author: Tim Lebbon
Title: Reaper's Legacy
Series: Toxic City # 2
Publication: April 9, 2013
Publisher: PYR
Source: Publisher
~Website

Heroes and monsters clash with government forces in an apocalyptic London.

Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a large force of soldiers (known as Choppers), while those in the rest of Britain believe that their ex-capital is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland.

Jack and his friends know that the truth is very different. The handful of survivors in London are developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving. Meanwhile, the Choppers treat the ruined city as their own experimental playground.

Jack's own developing powers are startling and frightening, though he is determined to save his father, the brutal man with a horrific power who calls himself Reaper. Jack must also find their friend Lucy-Anne, who went north to find her brother.

What Lucy-Anne discovers is terrifying-people evolving into monstrous things and the knowledge that a nuclear bomb has been set to destroy what's left of London. And the clock is ticking.

Jack and Lucy-Anne are both changing now that they are in London in surprising ways. Jack's powers are blossoming and he has yet to reach his full potential, which is frightening and exciting. Lucy-Anne discovers a more horrifying realization about London on her journey North to find her brother that even her companion Rook is terrified to travel further. She has dreams of death, love and of a future so real closing her eyes becomes a task. Jack and Lucy-Anne are special and somehow hold the answer to stopping the madness that the Choppers have begun. 

Jack and Lucy-Anne find themselves pulled deeper into the mystery of London. Jack's mother and sister were taken by the Choppers in the first book and he is determined to get them back but needs Reaper's help. He knows Reaper is not the father that he once knew but he hopes that there is a small part of him that remembers his family. When it seems he's found a glimpse of his father, the walls are quickly put back in place. However, they have a common need that allows them to come to a shaky agreement to save those captured by the Choppers. On the other side, Lucy-Anne finds herself drawn to Rook, even though his ability to kill without remorse bothers her. She can't stop wanting to know more about him and learns he is more than what she believed. She keeps having these nightmares that she gradually discovers have a deeper and dangerous meaning but she has to find the last of her family first. 

Now, the story is told from the perspectives of Lucy-Anne, Jack, Nomad and maybe one other character. When I read the first book, Lucy-Anne was a hard character to connect with and it seemed like she was more of a mystery. It's good in this book that the author gives more insight into her mind and who she is, making it easier to feel her urgency and love for her brother, though I still thinks she's a little crazy. Her companion, Rook is an odd fellow but he has moments of emotional vulnerability which balances out his ability to appear unaffected by death. Jack has an innocence about him that's endearing and liked his perspective a little more, maybe because most of the action was happening around him. Lebbon has crafted a vivid world with quick paced writing loaded with tons of action and conflict. Overall, I liked the story and think anyone that enjoys books about people with superpowers will dig this one.