Slightly Exciting Sequel
356056
I was really impressed with the first book in this series, The Dark Divine.  I really had no clue that it was about werewolves until the end of that book.  I picked it up mostly because it was about a preacher's family and children and I am a preacher's kid.  I picked up the sequel and I wasn't as impressed with this book.  Daniel was a very small part of this book and he was my favorite character in the first book.  His relationship with Grace was not as passionate as the first book and I really thought that should have been explored more in this book.  The new character Talbot was so hard to get a read on.  Is he good, is he bad, what does he want with Grace?  Thankfully that was resolved towards the end of the book.  Grace's brother Jude isn't really brought back until the end of the book and I really hated how he did a 180 personality wise but I can understand how the werewolf is taking over his life.  The ending was a little shocking and I hope there will be a third book in this series to resolve the cliffhanger at the end of the book.  This book definitely isn't like other werewolf YA books and I would recommend it to anyone.
3787047
The first book (Just One Damn Thing After Another) combined time travel with conflict (mainly, a second group of nasty time travelers), historical events and a bit of fanciful time travelling back to the time of the dinosaurs.  This second book is quite similar -- though the fanciful time traveling is [1] back to the time of Jack the Ripper and [2] back to the time of dodo birds.  For both books, my favorite part is the cheeky and adventurous heroine (Max).

I gave the first book 4 stars, but am giving this second book a lower 3 stars for a couple reasons.
- I somewhat knew what to expect in this second book.
- The fanciful time traveling seemed off as [1] the Jack the Ripper character was more horror than historical and [2] dodo birds were depicted far too cartoonishly.
- There just wasn't as much humor in this book.

Perhaps Im being overly critical as I enjoyed both books.  And the tone of both books is such that I suspect the author enjoys writing them as much as I enjoy reading them.
4584760
3.5 stars. I read Golden Dancer a while back and it was a fairly fun romp so reading this second book, I hoped for the same. It actually had a more serious tone than the first, for several reasons. In book one the villains were almost caricatures but this story has a murderer and a real detective trying to solve it. When a dancer from the ballet theater is killed, Andrew meets Valentin, a soon-to-be premier dancer. They end up together as the mystery deepens but there's a conflict that develops when Valentin's rival is killed and Val becomes a suspect. Mac and Trelain, from book one are also characters in this story, with Mac playing a substantial part.

There was much that was good but also things that could have been done better. The dance theater setting felt fairly authentic, as far as the rivalries and behind the scenes politics. Dance terminology wasn't overdone or made too technical. I did question the amount of alcohol Val seemed to consume for a dedicated dancer but that wasn't crucial. There wasn't a lot of police or investigative procedure but what was shown did seem accurate. I can't say that all of the characterization rang true. There were quirks that Andrew had that were never really developed, such as the OCD he was supposed to have. It was presented rather off-handedly with infrequent references to the cause. Not enough information to support the first full sex scene, when the previously reticent, shy, blushing cop was supposed to become super toppy. It just didn't mesh well. I didn't really feel any true emotional connection between Andrew and Valentin, so their conflicts had little impact for me.

The mystery wasn't bad, with several red-herrings added but it was fairly evident who two of the perpetrators would be. It wasn't so easy to determine their exact roles though, so that was good. There were some plot holes left open that needed to be resolved and one could have been left out altogether. So, good but not great and rounded up to four because Male Ballet Dancer!
2544416
It was better than the first one, but not good enough to make me want to continue the series.
4339295
This book wasn't as good as the first one, but it was still interesting. AR Wise attempted a different style with this one than the first, which he explains in his "Author's Note" at the end of the novel, so I won't go into it here. I wouldn't say it backfired, but it was a bit more messy than what he had done with the first novel. I had a tough time following the plot at some points, but that was actually intended, which is why I gave it four stars instead of three.

Because it's a second novel in a trilogy, there is a more character development and less action, so it moves more slowly than the first book. However, that development is good for the trilogy, because it gives a tiny bit of insight into an otherwise flat landscape. As I said in my review of the third one, the characters and setting are woefully one-dimensional overall, but this one does better in making them more realistic.
2211176
Good continuation of the first book, the dual points of view are no longer as complementary but it still presents a good story despite the new plotlines added, that may be somewhat ridiculous and trite.
2451125
Didn't enjoy it as much as the first novel in the series (which was smartly offered for free), but the characters are vivid enough that I will continue to buy.
1420532
We loved the first book and were really excited to see a second. This one just felt a little too much like the first to be a great book.
3351869
Ending was a bit sudden and anti-climactic, but overall a good sequel.
4677376
I liked the first book in this series, because the background idea felt fresh. but this one doesnt have the pace of the first with the core personality of the heroine shifting from intrepid ingenious and brave to interested in dancing and dresses. I would still read the rest of the series because even in a pretty frock and mooning of the prince of antlantis the main character is likeable. Probably just a bit more Y/A than I expected.
1725578
This prequel was a fun read, but doesn't quite live up to the pace of the first books. Some of the characters are a little forced and cliche.
3833233
Enjoyed the first book, this sequel I didn't quite enjoy as much as the first, I liked the ending but I didn't care for the heroine being so smart in book one and rather silly in book two.  Otherwise still a fun quick read.
2762853
This is the second book in what is supposed to be a 3 book arc. And it suffers somewhat from that. I really enjoyed the first book where the protagonist fights through her personal demons after suffering unjustly by her own military (actually a dishonest part of it.)
In the second volume she enters the greater struggle as her nation is drawn into a real fight with an enemy, that probably has help from some faction on the home planet. The battle scenes are not as detailed as I remember from the first book, and while the ability to be a Devil Dog is gender insensitive, some of the gender assignments seemed more forced this time. (I don't think it is my male cis-normal bias getting in the way.)
And while it is obvious that there is a fifth column back home that was the proximate cause for her unjust imprisonment at the start of the story arc, and is working against the government and the loyal marines in the second book, we have to wait for the next story to get more of a picture of who and why they are doing their nasty.
3137516
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as exciting as the first book.  It had a decent ending, and I would still recommend reading both books.
3243315
I liked it as much as the first but I wasn't discovering new things like talking to Oberon. I agree with one of the other reviewers that it needs more strong female characters who aren't sexy, goddesses, or witches, or a combination thereof. It's not unusual in this type of book but still slightly disappointing.
2910982
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.

This is the second part of Andy Mulberry's "Of Witches and Wolves" series, and it's a decent follow-up to the first volume, if a bit more flawed - something that isn't all that uncommon with the second part of a series. The first part introduces us to the characters and familiarizes us with the world the story takes place in, while also setting up the pieces of the plot and putting them in motion. With all of that to accomplish, first books tend to be pretty strong stories with just enough dangling threads to lure you back in for more. By contrast, second books serve more as bridges - picking up those threads and moving the plot pieces to their next place on the board before laying out some new threads to be picked up in the next book, fleshing out and evolving the main characters a bit, and maybe shining a bit more light on some secondary characters. Because they have less to accomplish, second books can end up feeling a bit weak by comparison. Unfortunately, "Ice Girl" suffers a bit from that.

In my review of "Fire Girl" I'd noted the romance seemed a bit lacking because one-half of the couple was under a spell that compelled those feelings, and I'd expected the romance to be more vibrant in this volume. Sadly, it wasn't. We didn't really see our main couple together that much, and both were feeling quite insecure about their relationship because they were making assumptions rather than talking to each other. We got to revisit some of the side characters from the first book, but in some ways, their appearances felt a bit like cameos. A few new characters were introduced and seem promising, though a couple didn't have a whole lot to do besides establishing that they are a part of the story.

As for the story itself, it started pretty slow, but once it got going, it was one heck of a ride. Things went from bad to worse very quickly, and it was in figuring out how to resolve the situation that we really got to see how strong of a bond our main characters have, which was really nice.

So, even though it may be a weaker book overall - largely due to "second-part-itis," there was certainly enough to hold my interest and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
3763057
A not quite as good follow up to two remarkable books. I might have given it a four if the predecessors had not been so good.