"RESIST," by Ilima Todd, Shadow Mountain, $17.99, 352 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)

Theron doesn't think he can get over losing his longtime friend Nine. He tries to dull the pain with fights and alcohol, but nothing helps. The only time he feels good is when he is at work healing people. When he meets and saves Catcher, he finds out more about the society of Freedom than he ever wanted to know.

As he tries to understand the evil going on around him, he struggles to know how he can help others, especially a young captive girl named Pua. As he works to save her life, he begins to understand a new concept, the concept of family, which is something he never really had or understood before Catcher and Pua came into his life.

He joins the rebel force, called Resist, and works to find ways to help those who are imprisoned and enslaved. He is intrigued by the community of families and continues to try to understand this new and different way of life.

Theron continues his quest to save Pua and the other slaves. However, things don't go as smoothly as he would like, and in the end, the reader is left wondering whether he'll be able to help save everyone.

"Resist" is the second book in Utah author Ilima Todd’s dystopian series that began with "Remake." Readers can understand the storyline in "Resist" without having read "Remake." Although the writing is repetitive at points, the characters are well-developed and relatable. The theme of family is strong throughout and can give readers a lot to think about.

"Resist" includes mentions of drugs, alcohol and overdosing. There are several scenes of described violence and brutality, including cage fighting, slavery and war. The book doesn't contain any swearing, foul language, sexual innuendo or described sex scenes, but there is a brief mention of how babies are made.