Flying the Coop

Roy packs a punch with this heart-wrenching sequel to The Freedom Race, set in a dystopian near-future America that has reinstituted slavery. The cost of freedom remains just as steep as in the first book, but the protagonists now have far more to lose if they fail. Ji-Ji Silapu has made it to the free Dream City. It’s both exactly and nothing like she fantasized about back on Planting 437. To get there, she faked her own death, and now she relies on her friends, Tiro and Afarra, together with mentors, coaches, and trusted leaders of the abolition group Friends of Freedom, to keep herself hidden. Ji-Ji and Afarra adjust both to their new home and to Ji-Ji’s newly sprouted wings in relative secrecy. But the more time they spend in Dream City, facing setbacks and disappointments, the more they realize that freedom isn’t just a place, it’s a movement, a process, and a story. When secessionists threaten the tenuous free status of Dream City, Ji-Ji must decide who she can trust and what her role will be in the coming revolution. As harrowing as it is gripping, this will leave readers anxiously awaiting the series finale. (July)