“A tracer round sliced a bright red streak through the black night in front of me.”

From Trent Reedy’s Divided We Fall: Burning Nation.

When seventeen-year-old Danny’s gun misfired at a rally in Boise, it changed not only his life, but also the history of the United States.  Idaho is currently in a stand-off with the rest of America, because while the President is calling for Danny and the other members of his Idaho National Guard unit responsible for the deaths at the rally, the governor of Idaho refuses to turn the men and women over to be punished for following his orders.  Danny, his girlfriend, and friends have been hiding out to stay safe and out of the public eye, both as a local hero and national scapegoat.  However, as things escalate between Idaho and the rest of the country, the governor pushes things even farther by declaring Idaho to be an independent republic, which launches America into a second civil war.  Danny’s love of his home state and country are again at odds as he must decide how to proceed, but he decides to join Idaho’s fight against the Army.  As Danny agrees to fight to defend his home, he is assigned to work with a group called the Brotherhood for various missions against the Federal soldiers.  The war between Idaho and the rest of the country quickly leads to other states join the fight, but the more Danny learns the truth of those fighting around him, he realizes that things are more dangerous than he thought.

The second book in Reedy’s trilogy takes all the thrilling adventure and turmoil of the first book and develops a deeper, just-as-intense story to carry on the story.  The main character’s struggle is relatable in his desire to do the right thing while surrounded by a confusing amount of differing opinions and voices.  Intense and fairly fast-paced, Burning Nation helps the reader connect further to the story while also ushering the reader towards the next book in the trilogy.