***This review originally appeared with RT BOOK REVIEWS. ***

As a follow-up to Cerveny’s debut _Rule of Luck_, _Chaos_ is a worthy successor. Readers will be caught up and entertained by New Adult elements of high drama, angsty insecurity, angry sex, clubbing, and fun details about futuristic fashion, but it’s all grounded by the speculative fiction tradition of posing serious ethical questions about where today’s social and political trajectories might lead. The advanced technology is a well-executed backdrop for the suspense-driven plot, and the “luck gene” continues to be a fresh, fascinating twist. Felicia makes some choices that seem inexplicable and frustrating at times, but in the end the plot resolves to make it all make sense.

SUMMARY: Felicia and Alexei’s story continues on a terraformed Mars. They are together after beating steep odds in their first book, negotiating an uneasy truce with Alexei’s high-risk position with the Consortium. Under pressure from family and an old flame, Felicia’s luck continues to lead her in unexpected directions. With the stakes as high as the human race itself, will Felicia’s luck gene allow her to find happiness with Alexei? The answer in the cards is terrifying, but there are always more than one way to interpret the Tarot.