In an alternate reality set far in the future, technological advances in medicine (among other industries) have expanded the life expectancy of human beings. Consequentially, overpopulation becomes an issue. In Secondborn, society’s solution for population control is to enforce an offspring limit in which parents may have only two children. Any additional children are hunted and exterminated in an official capacity. How could this system possibly fail?

Amy A. Bartol impressively creates a world in which characters appropriately react to their places in society. Secondborn, being the first book in the series, sets the tone of the world and just how far characters are willing to go to either maintain their power or change the system altogether. Bartol doesn’t go into great detail about how or why this society came to be, but patient readers eventually get their explanation by the end of the series.

This being said, firstborn children are the elite members of society. They inherit the family’s wealth and status, and may produce more offspring. On the other hand, secondborns are treated as second-class citizens. They are taken by the government at the age of 18, assigned an occupation, and not allowed to procreate. Our protagonist is Roselle St. Sismode, secondborn to the leader of her sector (kind of like the First Family of a country). Her mother Othala hates her, her father is mostly absent, and she has a strained relationship with her firstborn brother.

Oh, fun fact: When/if firstborns die, secondborns are automatically “promoted” to firstborn status and entitled to all of the privileges that come with it. Naturally, “mysterious” firstborn deaths are not uncommon, causing an interesting and tumultuous dynamic between family members. Without giving too much away about the series of events, multiple leading Secondborn characters become Firstborn, with no involvement on their parts. This shift in status not only complicates their relationships with others but also changes the trajectory of multiple story lines.

Roselle is highly skilled in battle, having been trained since she was a toddler by a pseudo-father figure/mentor and combat expert Dune. This skill set comes in handy when she enters a military branch of service. Due to the family she was born into, her life has been broadcasted to the world since she was a young child, which naturally alienates her from other secondborns when it’s time to enter the workforce. Nevertheless, she finds friends, a super handsome love interest named Hawthorne, and lands a job with a charming playboy and weapons manufacturer named Clifton (who also might have a huge crush on her).  

As with any unorthodox and oppressive political system, a rebellion is underway and Roselle finds herself caught in the middle when she spares the life of an enemy soldier, later identified as Reykin (a firstborn). Leaders within the system want to use her to overthrow her mother. Those in the rebellion want to use her to end the system altogether. As for Roselle – she’s really not sure which outcome she would prefer. Additionally, the leader of the exterminate-thirdborns club, Agent Crow, has a strange malicious obsession with her, causing her to be on edge every time he’s near. In fact, readers will share her anxiety once they learn what he is capable of.  

Traitorborn is the second book in the series and flows better than the first. Readers are already familiar with the political systems, players, and Roselle’s role as a pawn who is capable of playing both sides and deciding her own fate. She develops a stronger bond with Reykin and he becomes a potential third love-interest. Their interactions are entertaining and their chemistry will have some readers hoping it develops into something more. A love-quadrangle is rare in story lines, but Roselle seems to navigate these relationships appropriately while keeping the bigger picture in mind; she is important to the success of all sides, even if she isn’t sure who to trust.

Significant and heartbreaking events take place that change the story’s trajectory and force the players to change their strategy; however, these events hit Roselle the hardest – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Bartol makes you care about the characters and their relationships with one another, as complicated as those feelings might be. The details regarding the futuristic architecture, military weaponry, and advanced technology continue to cater to the reader’s imagination as well.

Traitorborn ends in a huge cliffhanger (causing anguish to those who had to wait for the third book’s release). After a major plot twist, Roselle finds herself in what seems to be a completely hopeless situation, leaving readers anxiously wondering how the hell she’s going to get out of it. Alas, she finds help in yet another character, Reykin’s brother Ransom, who appears just in the knick of time (i.e. book three).

Rebelborn is the final installment in the trilogy and seems to do a complete 180 compared to the story line of the first two books. Readers who loved Secondborn and Traitorborn will have to be patient and open-minded while finishing the series. Apparently society is struggling with maintaining the current population – you know, as one might expect when only firstborns are allowed to procreate. But instead of allowing people to repopulate naturally (i.e. letting everyone procreate), Agent Crow and Othala have another plan – spoiler alert: it’s terrifying. This twist seems to come completely out of the blue, but it might make sense when considering character motives. Unfortunately for Roselle, she is again at the center of the chaos and used by the players in power. Luckily for her, Ransom secretly enhances her and she uses her new skills to change the game entirely.

The remaining (living) characters, on the other hand, undergo significant personality shifts, or at least reveal more of their true selves. Members of Team Hawthorne will worry about his fate, those on Team Clifton may change their tune, and readers on Team Reykin will fall in love all over again. Interestingly enough, most readers will be satisfied with the outcome, no matter who they were rooting for. Additionally, a certain loveable rebel from the first book returns in Traitorborn, while a new character joins the fray and helps explain some of the plot twists and additional background (while also providing some comedic relief).

The sci-fi component of the series goes a step (or several) further, but it becomes a huge part of the final plot points of the story (suspension of disbelief, anyone?). Some readers might argue that Bartol could have created an entirely new series with just the events and story arc of the final book. Although, Bartol might have gone down this path to avoid predictability. Nevertheless, Rebelborn is full of action (much like the first two books) and continued character development. Roselle embraces her new role and abilities that come with it, and the players can no longer use her to push their agendas.

At the end of the Secondborn trilogy, some readers might get that warm, fuzzy feeling of content, while others might remain confused or need more time for reflection. Either way, Bartol proves herself capable of developing complex worlds, fleshed out characters, and hooking the readers from start to finish.