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The Rule of Many

(The Rule of One #2)

Ashley Saunders (Goodreads Author),

Leslie Saunders (Goodreads Author)

3.96 · Rating details · 2,201 ratings · 205 reviews

Born to a death sentence in a near-future America, rebellious sisters herald a revolution—if they can survive.

Twins Ava and Mira Goodwin defy the Rule of One simply by existing. The single-child law, ruthlessly enforced by Texas’s Governor Roth, has made the sisters famous fugitives and inspirations for the resurgent rebellion known as the Common.

But the relentless gov

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Kindle Edition, 344 pages

Published May 7th 2019 by Skyscape

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Start your review of The Rule of Many (The Rule of One, #2)

Dec 26, 2018 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The Rule of Many by Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders is the second book of the young adult science fiction dystopian The Rule of One series. The story began in the first book of the series, The Rule of One, with this book picking up where it left off so it would be a series that needs to be read in order to be understood completely.

The first book of the series alternated the point of view between the two main characters and was set in the not so far off future of the US. Due to the shortage ...more

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Jan 17, 2019 Ann-Marie rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a follow-up to last year's successful "The Rule of One," co-authored by sisters Ashley and Leslie Saunders, about a chilling future United States where environmental and overpopulation concerns have caused a repressive government to institute, among other policies, a strictly enforced one child per family rule.
Ava and Mira Goodwin should not exist. They are identical twins whose mother died to keep their secret.
They have spawned an entire revolution, because they are not the only hidde ...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge, i-can-t-adult-today, bowties-are-cool

It becomes clear that Canada is not the safe haven the twins hoped for so, Ava and Mira decide to take the battle with Roth back into the States. They must split up to accomplish different missions for the Common before reuniting back in Texas where it all started. We get a couple of new POVs in this book too: Owen, a programmer whose rash decision forces him into the Common, and Z, a multiple who has been working in a detention camp her whole life.

This one had me feeling kind of weird as there ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Amber (The Book Bratz) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, netgalley, mini-reviews, reviewed, young-adult

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Thank you so much Skysape & NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review!*

The Rule of Many picks off right where book one ended, and from page one it doesn't stop. Though I had my issues with the first book I was super excited to see where The Rule of Many was going to take readers considering the explosive end to The Rule of One.

I think my only complaint with The Rule of Many was the introduction of a lot of characters an ...more

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Dec 16, 2019 Allie rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks, review-copies, own, young-adult-books-to-read

Initial Review: Apparently this is a trilogy now?? I could have sworn it was a duology last time I had heard anything about it, and I was seriously about to revolt because that ending!!!

Full Review:

Spoiler Disclaimer: The spoiler labeled gives a bit more detail about the extent of the trigger mentioned; please do not view if reading will cause you distress.

Okay, first of all, this one was so much better than the first! The pacing was so much better, and I loved the plot twists (even if some of ...more

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May 17, 2019 Sarah {The Clever Reader} rated it it was amazing

Whoa! So much happened! I also thought this was a duology but that is definitely not the case and I can't say I'm sad about that! This intense dystopian is just what I needed! ...more

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Mar 04, 2019 Kayla rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews-completed, netgalley-and-edelweiss

Last month, I read The Rule of One. I found it to be an enjoyable book. One of my rules for myself this year is to continue series if possible until I'm all caught up. I just happened to have an ARC of the next book in the series, The Rule of Many, on my Kindle from Netgalley. This month, I decided to read it so I can stick to my rule. I loved it even more than The Rule of One.

The Rule of Many was everything that I wanted in the sequel. It was action packed. There was never a time where I was bo Last month, I read The Rule of One. I found it to be an enjoyable book. One of my rules for myself this year is to continue series if possible until I'm all caught up. I just happened to have an ARC of the next book in the series, The Rule of Many, on my Kindle from Netgalley. This month, I decided to read it so I can stick to my rule. I loved it even more than The Rule of One.

The Rule of Many was everything that I wanted in the sequel. It was action packed. There was never a time where I was bored, or wanted to skip parts. It kept me intrigued the whole way through. I read at night, and as soon as I would fall asleep, I would dream about the book. That rarely happens with me. When I would wake up, first thing I would do is grab my Kindle and start reading because I needed to know what happens next. It was also great to see the world expanded upon. I loved learning more details about the rules that are established, and the resistance against them. The rules are something that I could easily see happening within my lifetime, especially with the current state of our country. It's a scary situation.

At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about the added character points of view in The Rule of Many. Typically, I don't like books that have multiple character povs because I find that it can get confusing really quickly. However, the authors wrote each point of view in a way that really added something to the story. By the end of the book, I was intrigued by the extra characters' story lines just as much as the twins. My favorite point of view was definitely Owen. I loved his snarky, sarcastic humor. I also loved how loyal he was to Rayla, no matter what was happening. I could definitely identify with some of his personality traits the most.

I loved The Rule of Many. I can definitely see both books in this series ending up on my top books of the year list at the end of the year. Although, I do have to admit the ending of The Rule of Many killed me. I can't wait for the third book in this series. As far as I know, at the time of writing this review, it doesn't have a release date. That makes me sad because I need to know what happens next after everything that went down at the end of this book, especially with Theo. ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Kerri rated it it was ok

Suffers from a bad case of second book-itis, I just couldn't care enough about the outcome through all the chaos. ...more

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May 03, 2019 Becca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

NOTE: I received a complimentary eARC of this book from Skyscape through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After reading The Rule of One and not really liking it, I didn’t have very high hopes for The Rule of Many but I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the second book FAR more than the first.

**WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD**

I found The Rule of One to be very slow, to the point of being boring most of the time, way too preachy, and a little conf ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Jypsy rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Rule of Many is the sequel to the Rule of One. I did not read the first book. I should have because more background information would have been useful. Essentially, in a future United States each family is allowed only one child. The lead characters are identical twins, two children, on a mission to change things. They are not alone in their thinking. In this story, more points of view are added in addition to the twins, so you're getting the story from several angels which I liked. The char ...more

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Apr 27, 2019 Scarlett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for an ARC of this book! Release date - May 7, 2019

I liked this book. I don’t think I liked it as much as the first one, and probably the third one will be better as well. It did feel a lot like bridging the gap. Although some interesting stuff did happen, I think this may have done better as a duology instead of a trilogy.

I still continue to like the world that was introduced in The Rule of One. Of course, the premise of this trilogy is to end that rule, speci ...more

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May 29, 2019 Holly Davis rated it it was amazing

4.5/5. This was definitely a story that stood on it's own and not just a sequel to bring the series to the next book. It was a bit hard to jump into the new character's POVs at first, but once I got used to them, I loved them! Totally getting Hunger Games vibes, yet this story holds it's own with its unique twists. ...more

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Jun 05, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 19, 2019 Susan Bazzett-Griffith rated it liked it

Shelves: great-fiction-and-not-great-fiction, ya-kid-stuff-i-love

2nd installation in this dystopian series, The Rule of Many picks up right where the first book left off, with twins Mira and Ava working with the Common revolutionaries to try to wrest some control back from the increasingly authoritarian state of a future US, being taken over by Texas. The story is very action-based, which makes it a quick read, but the characters are a bit thin/underdeveloped. Still an interesting enough dystopian world and plot. Entertaining but not necessarily great. 3 star ...more

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May 14, 2019 Katie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Suffered from the typical “second book of a trilogy” flaws of basically treading water and trying to find enough plot to get to a third book.

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Apr 15, 2019 Sky rated it liked it · review of another edition

I want to start by saying: a 3 star rating, is a GOOD rating in my books. Now onto my review:

I was so excited to get this book for review. I really enjoyed the first book in the series. A set of twins having to grow up to essentially be the exact same person? Cool plot. Of course we know that this persona of “all is well” won’t last. How could it? “The future waits for no one” (quote taken from the story). As with the first book, throughout the story I knew the lulls in action wouldn’t last, and I want to start by saying: a 3 star rating, is a GOOD rating in my books. Now onto my review:

I was so excited to get this book for review. I really enjoyed the first book in the series. A set of twins having to grow up to essentially be the exact same person? Cool plot. Of course we know that this persona of “all is well” won’t last. How could it? “The future waits for no one” (quote taken from the story). As with the first book, throughout the story I knew the lulls in action wouldn’t last, and anything that seemed good would eventually turn sour. There were twists and turns, and lots of action. Which is what we all want in a dystopian setting right? I did pick up on a lot of the foreshadowing, yet there were still some twists I didn’t guess. Overall that didn’t keep me from enjoying the plot arc. I’m also thrilled that the authors are not afraid to kill, maim, and harm their characters. Which makes a story more realistic in my eyes. This feature both surprised, and made me happy. Many YA books shy away from treating their characters negatively. But All is fair in love and war.

One thing that did personally keep me from rating it a 4 stars, was feeling distant from the characters. I don’t think this will be a negative feature for all. As the distance I felt made sense with the story. Let me explain: I had trouble differentiating between the twins “voices”. They melted together in my head, and I didn’t feel like I understood their personality differences. They felt the same. WHICH, is kind of the point I am very sure. Ava and Mira spent their entire lives having to mimic being the same person. They had to be the mirror image of each other, in actions and in thoughts. They never had the chance to be their own person. I do hope throughout the rest of the series they start to develop into their own person though.
As for the other characters, I also felt a bit disconnected. As the story focused on Canada and a whole new world of politics, we added a lot of new characters and perspectives. This book has 4 perspectives, were the first installment only had 2. Reading as Mira, Ava, Owen, and Zee I wanted to get to know the new characters personalities more. I wanted to understand their drive, WHY they chose this path. I didn’t feel like the reader was given this. I think part of this is, again, because of the world the characters grew up in. You aren’t allowed to think, only obey. I mean, Owen is literally nicknamed the cog robot, so it makes sense. Yet I still just wanted a little bit more from their personality development. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Moving on. There is no romance, although we do see the *potential* for the twins to develop one later on in the series, I am excited to see what the authors choose to do with it. Will we continue to get a no romance dystopian story? (Which is practically unheard of! ) Or will we start to see some steamy action?? Either way it’s original for a YA book to go this long without having the main focus turn to romance (or at least for it to be secondary), I am enjoying this feature. I think many others will look to this series if they are in need of a palette cleansed of romance.

Overall I enjoyed this installment of the series. It took me a bit longer to read because I felt disconnected from the characters, but it was enjoyable none the less. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and to see what else the Saunders twins have up their sleeves.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc, as always, all thoughts are my own. ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Lauriane (L.M. Durand) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Rule of Many is the second installment in The Rule of One series written by Ashley and Leslie Saunders. When I reviewed the first book for my blog, I wrote that I truly enjoyed reading it. So naturally, I requested the second book that picks up a few weeks after book 1. This novel doesn’t disappoint. It presents a great dystopian story.

The advantage of a second book is that all the backstory has been established. Thus, The Rule of Many starts off strong and maintains a fast pace throughout. ...more

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Apr 23, 2019 Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, book-series

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I thought this was a great sequel to The Rule Of One. There was a lot of action and for the most part, the story kept me glued to the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen. Most of it was pretty unpredictable. Ava and Mira work with members of the Common to unite the country and their missions are dangerous and suspenseful. They even split up at one point to work on their own mission.

So here was my issue with ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Amber Smith rated it really liked it

This is the second in a series, set in the near future, where climate change and overpopulation have lead to a dystopian-esque America. Water is beyond precious, the people are living in a spy state, and there’s that whole one child policy which poses a problem for Ava and Mira, twin sisters hiding their secret of a second sister since birth. Until now that is. Through almost impossible circumstances, the girls are suddenly thrust forth as the face of the rebellion, the Common, which is where th ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Lisa Schneider rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the follow up to "The Rule of One." It progresses the story line, but I wasn't as intrigued as I was with the first one. This one was a bit confusing for me, as there is a mess of new characters and I spent too much time going back in the story to try and remember who was who. There wasn't enough back story on the new characters and I guess I just wanted more. I still liked the story and I would read it again for sure!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a ...more

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Jan 14, 2019 Lauriane (L.M. Durand) rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-dystopian

The advantage of a second book is that all the backstory has been established. Thus, The Rule of Many starts off strong and maintains a fast pace throughout. Two more points of view are introduced, which is effective. I particularly enjoyed reading Owen’s point of view. He is funny and provides another much-needed perspective on the situation. I wish the authors had provided more information on that part. It would have been interesting to have the view of someone not entirely on board with the r ...more

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May 22, 2019 Mary Drayer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Second book-readers MUST read book one-The Rule Of One, for this one to make sense. The twins have escaped to Canada, on the run, good YA book with a good plot. I would of liked to have seen more depth in characters in book two.

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Jun 01, 2019 Jennie Shaw added it

Disappointing sequel. I really liked the first but this one felt much different. The action felt meh and I was suddenly detached from both girls. As such, I didn't care what happened to them and ended up skimming. The lazy errors with Canadian government proved incredibly irritating as well.
...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Jammin Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, zz-2020-books, adventure, audiobooks, family, suspense, new-adult, adult, contemporary, thriller

I really enjoyed part two of The Rule of One trilogy. In this episode, we see the twin sisters fighting their way to Texas, meeting up with others that are in the revolution, and joining in a battle to take back the state of Texas from The Rule of One. I really enjoyed this narrative and thought the interpersonal relations of people finding out they had sisters, brothers or twins that had been whisked away at birth to be really compelling.

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May 27, 2019 Karie rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Not as good as the first book but there were some good parts. Cliff hanger for a third book for sure, and I’ll listen to it to know how the story ends.

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Nov 20, 2019 hollie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I need more!!

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Jan 06, 2020 Kim Davis rated it liked it

The 1st one was way better. The 2nd was a bit too fantasy for me.

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Feb 28, 2020 Ashlie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Nice transition from book one to book three

This story just gets more and more intense and it's all very believable. Can't wait to read book three . ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Elisabeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars

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May 12, 2019 Vonntanice Dent rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved every minute.

This series is the best thing I’ve stumbled across in a long while. Thank you! I can’t wait for the next book.

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About Ashley Saunders

Ashley Saunders

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Hailing from the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders are award-winning filmmakers and twin sisters who honed their love of storytelling at The University of Texas at Austin. While researching The Rule of One, they fell in love with America’s national parks, traveling the path of Ava and Mira. The sisters can currently be found with their Boston terriers in sunny Los Angel ...more