Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi

Here is a summary with spoilers for Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi

It has been ten years since Juliette and Aaron changed the world, started the rebellion, and established the New Republic of the West. However, the New Republic has not reached everywhere yet. Ark Island is still a refuge for the Reestablishment. Rosabelle Wolff has lived on Ark Island her whole life, and it has been unkind to her. Her father was caught spying and sent to prison, which led her mother to commit suicide, leaving Rosabelle to care for her younger sister, Clara. The Reestablishment does not care for Clara and believes she will die soon, so Rosabelle often gives her own food rations to her sister. Because of who her family is, Rosa has no choice but to do what she is told, which often includes acting as an assassin—and also marrying Sebastian.

One day, Rosa is called in by Lieutenant Soledad and given a new assignment. If she succeeds, she and her sister will be granted more freedom and safety.

Meanwhile, James Anderson wants to prove himself better than his brother, the infamous Aaron Warner. Growing up with Aaron as a father figure, James wants to achieve greatness like him, so he decides to do something Aaron has never managed: sneak into Ark Island. However, he is caught almost immediately. In prison, he waits patiently until a girl comes in to interrogate him—Rosa. She does not complete the task, and James manages to escape. Rosa is then given another opportunity to track James down and act as a spy for the Reestablishment. Klaus gives her eight weeks to gather information and locate the other spy already embedded there.

When Rosa and James cross paths again, James reluctantly takes her with him as they break out of the island, and he brings her back to his home. During the journey, James realizes how poorly Rosa has been treated, and she even passes out from weakness. When he returns, he finds an angry yet impressed Aaron, who demands more help. Because James brought Rosa with him, Aaron orders him to extract information from her, convinced the Reestablishment must be using her. James tries to befriend her with food, but Rosa has not eaten real food in over ten years, and it makes her sick. James has to rethink his approach.

Because she is viewed as both a traitor and a victim, Rosa is placed in an institution for mental healing, which she immediately hates. Things worsen when she is accused of killing another patient. James is forced to cover for her and becomes her sponsor during her stay. For days, James visits her constantly, trying to befriend her and gain information, but Rosa reveals nothing. When James updates Aaron and a pregnant Juliette, Aaron tells him that he cannot handle her. Their conversation is interrupted by soldiers barging in with the news that Rosa has killed again.

In reality, Rosa has been trying to gather information and identify the other spy. One patient approaches her, only for Klaus to use his powers to possess the person and deliver a new mission. She must take a vial of liquid, bury herself alive, and drink it. The mixture will turn her body into a bomb, causing mass devastation to the New Republic. If she refuses, Clara will be tortured. Klaus then leaves the body, and chaos erupts. A fight breaks out, and Rosa, in self-defense, kills a nurse. Horrified by what she has done, she forces her own body to die.

James arrives at the massacre and finds Rosa’s lifeless body. She has no heartbeat, but the group feels something is wrong. They move her to the morgue, where she eventually revives. Aaron immediately orders the soldiers to lock down the area, warning that she will try to escape, which is exactly what she does. She fights her way out, but when cornered by Kenji, she admits she does not want to kill him. James arrives and is forced to restrain her. He escorts her through the tunnels to the prison, where she is to be held. Along the way, James angrily tells her that she should have given him some information. Rosa begins to open up about her traumatic past, revealing what she endured growing up. Afterward, she asks to be released. Secretly, she intends to return to Ark Island and complete the mission with the vial, but this time to sacrifice herself in order to kill Lieutenant Soledad. James refuses, and when they reach the prison, Aaron is waiting.

Aaron releases James from his duty to guard Rosa, insisting that he cannot handle her. He reveals that he knows who her father is, and that she must be continually monitored while imprisoned.