Morning Glories, Volume 2: All Will Be Free (edition 2011)

Summary: Morning Glory Academy (motto: For a Better Future) is one of the most prestigious - and secretive - prep schools in the country, but all there is not as it seems. Six new students, all from very different backgrounds, but all sharing the same birthday, arrive at the school, unsure of what to expect... but torture, murder, imprisonment, and giant secret laboratories were certainly not part of the brochure. Now they're going to have to work together if they ever have a hope of figuring out what's going on, and of escaping Morning Glory for good. Volume 2 gives a little bit of the fallout of Casey's plan, but also delves into the backstory of the other students, and why they're at Morning Glory Academy in the first place.

Review: I actually enjoyed volume 2 a little more than I did volume 1, mostly because while it still contains plenty of twists and turns and secrets and hints, I felt like there were at least a few things being explained. (Even if most of the time, it cuts between scenes right at the point whenever something interesting is about to be revealed/explained.) I really enjoyed getting a look at the other kids' backstories, how they play into who they are now, and the hints they reveal about why these kids are at the school, and what that means about the deeper motives of the people in charge. One thing that bugged me, though, was the copious (and obvious) number of Lost references. The series has been described by its creator as "Runaways meets Lost", which I think is pretty apt, but even so, a very Hurley-looking dude in charge of a fried chicken fast-food restaurant, and a mysterious biblically-named man visiting all of our principles at some point during their lives before the school? For me, it read more as rip-off than as inspiration or homage, especially since the series is obviously not hurting for creative ideas in other areas. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Morning Glories is about half dystopia, half action movie, mixed with a healthy dose of boarding school story, so if that sounds appealing, and you don't mind not getting all (or any) of the answers right away, then dive in. ( )