Too similar to book one
923749
I was so disappointed to see almost the same storyline that was used in the first book. Just a few differences between the two.  Alex was also a horrible character.  I never would have stuck around as long as she did nor performed wifely duties each evening.
67029
I like this book, but it is very similar to the first with a whole lot more name dropping of people that Captain Abrashoff has worked with in the past. The original book was my favorite leadership story I have read, but this one felt more like a consulting commercial.
4340368
Was disappointed with Book 2 after reading Book 1 which I loved. Book 2 is like starting over as there is no continuation from  Book 1 which left a lot of open questions for me. I wanted to follow Book 1 story line to see what happened in the end.
1832048
Terry normally hits the ball out the park, Like with black staff series.

I felt this book didn't have the same rhythm and flow as book one and two of this series.  Much repetition and introspection on how Railing felt while the whole resolution of the foreboding and the tree was more rushed over.
296285
I enjoy this author's books, but I was disappointed that the story was so similar to one of her other books.  The male character is charming, but the story was too similar to her other book, including the heroine being pursued by her husband.
712286
I was so excited to read this book, as the first book was such an enjoyable read. I have to admit, I am disappointed, as this was not as good as Book 1. If you read first book, which I highly recommend, you will want to read this one, as it takes up right where you were with Braden and Gab's relationship.  The sneak preview of book 3 seems to be more entertaining than book 2, so there is hope for another great one by this author.
3935400
Too similar to Villa Rosa.  When I started the book I thought I had read it before.
4126557
Not as erotic as book one. More chase. More violence. Less erotic buildup prior to the forced sex. Less time for him to enjoy her, because he is on the run. Also, the female victim is becoming more desensitized to her horrific situation, and that dilutes the erotic punch.
3087605
So, the whole time I was reading this book, I kept checking to see if it really was the first book because I felt liked I was missing a lot of the back story.  Despite this, when I finished the book , I liked it enough to order book 2 only to discover that it was the same exact book as book 1. To make metters worse, when i took the false book 1 off of my kindle and tried to reload it, it was still book 2.  I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, or if someone at Amazon made an error, but now I am disappointed because I am not actually able to read book 1 and from all the clues dropped about it in book 2 it looked promising.
414601
I liked the first book so I bought this one, hoping for more ideas.  It gets one star because it's a duplicva
858451
While it is a book that consistently holds your interest, it is too similar to the first book in the series, Pillars of the Earth, to be as good. It was too repetitive, and at times it felt as if it was the same book, same theme, same plot, with only the names and dates changed. It takes place in the same part of the world, the characters, descendants of those in the first, are always in the same circumstances of danger or mystery as they were in the first book. Their problems are still insoluble.
Wantonness in the area was rife, outlaws lived without fear, murder often went unnoticed or unpunished, unscrupulous behavior abounded, unwanted pregnancies were a common occurrence, secrets were a natural state of affairs, builders were still trying to build their dream, greed and jealousy controlled the townspeople and the clergy, the Church was corrupt, the Prior cruel, the nuns were subservient as were all women, the Noblemen were cruel and the townspeople, largely uneducated, often made foolish spur of the moment decisions for which they paid dearly for the rest of their lives. Injustice existed everywhere, as a natural and accepted course of events. There were the villains and the saints and they remained the same throughout this book with justice finally being achieved hundreds of pages later.
Perhaps reading four Ken Follett novels in a row was my mistake. The characters fell prey to the same error of ways as their ancestors and events were so totally predictable, it felt like a soap opera; time passes, but nothing really happens; one could stop watching, pick up years later, and still know the plot and the outcome. Then, of course, there is the fairy tale ending with everyone winding up accomplishing their dream of decades before.
The audio version had 36 parts making it a quite a task to complete. However, since the story continues with Caris and Merthin still in love, as in the first book, the reader is interested to find out what will happen to them. She doesn't want to marry; it will take away her independence. He wants to settle down and have a family. What will they ultimately do? That is the question that continues to lure the reader onward.
Throughout the years they survive through the plague and its tragedies. They suffer through many unworthy accusations; he is accused of impregnating Griselda, the stepdaughter of Caris' sister Alice; she is  accused of being a witch. The reader will want to continue to read to find out what happens to scheming characters like Philemen, what Ralph and Godwin, and then to find out if Gwenda and Wulfric, and all the other unjustly treated characters, ever prevail. Will Merthin ever achieve his goals? What will ultimately happen to Caris? These are interesting questions but it takes an awfully long time, maybe a little too long, to reach the practically, fairy-tale like ending.
A friend mentioned that he really liked the series because of the theme about women's rights that ran through the books. Another reviewer pointed out that there was no such thing as women's rights, at that time, so he did not believe it had a legitimate place in the book. The readers will have to decide on that subject for themselves.
However, the history the author presents is well researched and very interesting. If the reader likes Follett's style of writing, the book will not disappoint them, though the more than 1000 pages will be a chore to complete.
4484839
Hard to rate this book when it felt like a rehash of Kate Daniel Series by Illona Andrews. There were a LOT of similarities in the book - from names to abilities in the characters.  The main character, Aria, is a pyrokinetic and works as a mercenary. There is no romance in this book and it is hard to tell which way it will lead. Aria also has a Shifter best friend/partner (just like KD) called James who is a badass. Overall, it was an interesting read not quite at par with the KD series. Will I read book 2 when it comes out? No, not really. To me this is a sad imitation of the Kate Daniel series. I have no desire to continue with this series.
264827
Lost a lot of steam and originality from the first book.

Really turned into a typical "boy gets power, boy saves the world" story. Nothing unique like the first book. No surprises. Ancel's just a typical clueless dope. Really missed Ryne's dark and gritty side. Charra and Ancel are utterly worthless and boring compared to Ryne and Sakari.

Really hope the third book surprises me.
451141
After finishing the first one, I quickly picked up the second one because of my curiosity. Unfortunately, this book just like the first one does not receive five stars, one reason being the spelling errors. The most important reason however is the fact that all the characters (despite the fact they are all 16-18 yo) keep falling in love and then dying off. After the umpteenth time it starts getting annoying and loses that shock factor, in fact it kind of becomes expected. Don't get me wrong the book was still decent but I wish the author didn't kill everyone off. Due to this reason alone, I'm not sure if I will continue reading this series, it kind of reminds me of the seventh book of Harry Potter.
4797461
This book is so similar to the first book!  Either read one or the other, but don't waste your time reading both.
1220012
This book was a sequel and continued exactly where the first book left off. Therefore, in order to fully "get it" it would be advisable to read Book 1. However, after reading Book 1 there is really no reason to read Book 2 because it was a lot of the same, thus making the complete story reallllllllly long! Do yourself a favor and read Book 1 OR Book 2 and don't waste your time reading both.
2353852
first book was wonderful - sameness of characters in sequel disappointing - the "effect" was very much like the first.. much of the story was anticipated and the characters, altho new and interesting in the first volume, became repetitive in the second.