I liked it, but I didn't love it like the first one. I think it's because I'm a little tired of the love triangles in YA books, and this one ups it to a love...square? The fact that one girl has three suitors actually works really well with the story (there's a shortage of females), but that back-and-forth of it fell a little flat for me. Having said that, this books brings up EXCELLENT topics of conversation re: reproductive rights and the role of health care providers in society. There are no easy answers given, which I also liked. So, LOVED it? No. Worth the time? Yes. ( )

This book tackles some really difficult issues and does so very well... and I love that. I may have some minor issues with the book when I reread it (and I will, of course), but overall, this was a great one. ( )

i loved the society and how different it is. i wish there was a little more technical information on the dynamics but thats just what i like. i love how it has all the codes and science and that it made sense. sometimes the characters felt flat and out of character from the first one. Gaia is still awesome and strong in her own right and i like the way leon develops. other than that it was a pretty good read

After leaving behind everything she knows and everyone she cares for Gaia braves the wasteland with her baby sister in search of the Dead Forest. Thought only a fairytale by most Gaia knew it was real, it had to be, she was staking her life, and that of her sisters, that it existed. Her hope was to find a place she and her sister might live in peace. But when the fairytale becomes a nightmare, Gaia finds it harder and harder to hold on to what she believes in, and harder and harder to hold onto who she is.

From the moment she stepped foot into Sylum her sister was taken from her. She was then offered a choice, leave now alone before it was too late, or stay knowing that if she tried to leave in the future she would die. It was no choice for Gaia, while her sister remained so too would she. But while this backwards society could seem at times to be most cruel and strange, there were also times where she was compelled to admit that her only choice of survival was to submit to the will of others at the price of her true self.

Prized is a raw and intelligent look at a society on the brink of extinction, with no way out and no way to go on. It is a story that is both harsh and complex in its characters as well as their relationships, where even amongst psychological torture and social injustice love can still blossom. When rules are broken and an outsider takes a stand to defend another, change will be instilled, whether it is wanted or not. A brilliant continuation of a story that highly imaginative and very unforgettable, with the anticipated conclusion still to come. ( )

A little preachy in parts, but I truly enjoyed the feeling of "Just because you do what's right doesn't mean people don't end up hurt." Refreshingly realistic. ( )