What makes this series so good are the well-developed characters and the world-building. This continues in the second book as we get deeper into the story.

Vigilance is the second book in the Regina Shen series and I found it just as thrilling as the first book.

What makes this series so good are the well-developed characters and the world-building. This continues in the second book as we get deeper into the story. Regina, who lives in the swampy islands outside The Wall with the outcasts of their only-female society has been training for the last two years to manage the huge feat of crossing this impossible barrier wall and then infiltrating the University as a student.

She manages it but her intelligence and free-thinking gets her into trouble. It also makes her see just how much The World Federation bullies their society into submission and conformity, and Regina goes against the grain. She discovers other free-thinkers and manages to find her sister, evade capture, and decide that she must use her skills and life to change things.

Once again, Regina uses her wits and this time, unbeknown to her, she is up against two rivals who are using her as a pawn in their own game for power and greed. New characters are introduced and Regina goes through many trials. She experiences tragedy, makes new friends and discovers her worth in view of what she can do to bring about possible change.

Because the world in this novel is an all-female society there were instances where two of the characters showed a love attachment to another female. It was subtle however. The author has not portrayed the society as a lesbian one so I have been comfortable up to now reading this series and hope that this aspect does not become a major theme in the series.

I look forward to digging into Defiance Book 3 in the series to see how Regina keeps growing as a character and as a leader for change in her broken society. If you like well-written dystopian novels don’t miss this series. It will not disappoint!

(by Laura Fabiani at http://www.libraryofcleanreads.com/2016/06/regina-shen-vigilance-book-2-by-lance.html