A Must Read after the first book 'Waking Up"
346184
A wonderful Healing Hearts conclusion, the books starts with Adriana avoiding Tucker as she feels he is better off without her. A sudden emergency brings the two main characters together and gives them the opportunity to find out they each need each other to heal.

Have the tissues handy as Tucker and Adriana struggle with their feelings for eachother; and for others whom they have loved and lost. Grief, heartache, love and desire are just a few of the emotions this author creates in her characters. As a reader I was sucked in and could feel every emotion right along with the characters.

The writing was excellent, the story was long but memorable and I would definitely read more from this new author.
4361701
This follow-up to What We Saw At Night is a very good read and even better than the first. WWSAN was a fun read with a surprise sad ending. This was another fun read with a happy but sad ending. I'll say no more on that.

I bought the first book for my young friend, Mikayla, because I thought she would like the Parkour action. I try to read all of the books that I give young friends so that I can discuss things with them. I am really glad that I read them first and highly recommend them as gifts to your YA friends! Now, I need to go send this to Mikayla!
1349395
I absolutely love this book, I've read it from cover to cover several times, and I've already sent copies to many of my friends.  It is well-written, easy to read/understand, and frankly, it's one of the best books I've ever read.  Understanding sychronicity is an important step in "waking up," and "I Can See Clearly Now" will help us all wake up a little bit easier, see more clearly, and expedite our spiritual growth and learning.  I highly recommend this book for everyone!
32888
The Start-up of You has rapidly become my number one most gifted book.  Reid and Ben provide an absolute must read wake-up call for anyone who thinks the "career escalator" of the grandparents time still functions.  Through case studies, historical anecdotes, and personal experience they craft a roadmap for how you can treat your career like a start-up.

I can tell you from personal experience as a young entrepreneur and an employee at a small start-up, the parallels drawn between the choices made in a person's career and those made by a start-up are only the tip of the iceberg.  Once you have read this book, your mind will be primed to see the vast world of correlation between your career and a start-up.
1133971
After listening to the second book of the series (The Thought Pushers) I had no idea where it could lead from there, but The Enlightened hides quite a few surprises up its sleeves.

We will finally find out more about Darren's parents and what happened to them. We will learn that there is more to the Quiet then we knew, and we will get introduced to the Enlightened, another group of people with the ability to enter the Quiet.

As with previous books in the series there will be some unexpected twists. Darren will find out that the enemy is a lot closer to him then he expected, and he will also learn about the relatives he new nothing about. His relationship with Mira will progress further.

The second part of the book is filled with action, and once again I enjoyed the scenes where the Quiet is used for overcoming the obstacles in the real world. It is so well written you will not want to put the book down, especially since some new concepts of the Mind Dimensions are introduced. I can hardly wait for the fourth book which should give us more history of the Mind Dimensions and introduce us the Elders, guides who can spend lifetime in the Mind Dimension.
2684326
A fantastic follow up to City of Stairs that follows one of my favorite characters from the first book. This novel definitely avoids a mid novel slump and shows that the problems from the first book may be more common than anyone previously thought.
1023476
I really connected with My Familiar Stranger, so saying that another book is better is just hard for me to do! The Witch's Dream is fantastic, and I border on the edge of saying it was better than the first! You meet new characters, but she continues on with the story where it left off in the first book. Each character is made so in depth, you can almost see them! The preparation for the wedding was fantastic, I loved how it wasn't a traditional American wedding, but a hand fasting. And then a SECOND wedding, oh, wait, and a THIRD, well, kind of. But you have to read it to find out! What happens to the characters from the first book? Why are new characters in danger and what is B Team going to do about it? You must pick up this book and get reading!
103311
Dan Simmons' "The Fall of Hyperion" picks up right where the first book Hyperion leaves off.  Though, the storytelling is a little different.

In the first book the Consul is the first person narrator, except for when the other characters tell their stories.

In this second book, we meet a new character: Joseph Severn, an artist living in TC^2, who has the ability to view our Hyperion friends in his dreams.  During the first part of the book, we see things unfolding from Joseph's POV through a clouded lens.  At first this was annoying, but it turns out that Joseph is a very important person.  (If it's any hint, the "real" Joseph Severn was a good friend of the poet John Keats.)

But then starting with Part 2, everything becomes a little clearer with the author switching to normal third person limited.  Events unfold.  We get to see what happens to each of the pilgrims on Hyperion.

I can't say too much without giving away the plot of the first book, but I can say the following.

This second book is almost as good as the first book.  Where I would give the first book 10 stars, the second gets 9.  There are some parts in the second where the writing seems a little sloppy, while the first is a masterpiece from page 1 till the end.

The second book ties up nearly all loose ends from the first book.  While book #1 ends in a cliffhanger, book #2 gives a satisfying end such that you don't feel like you need to read the last two books (though I probably will eventually).

Book #2 has a lot of "No way!" moments, and is a very exciting read once you get past Part 1.

Book #2 doesn't waste any time reminding you what you should remember on your own from Book #1.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Well--Simmons might do it a little, but it flows so naturally.

After reading Book #1, it's so easy to say, "I don't see how everything fits together."  But book #2 will hit you over the head with the explanation and when you're done reading you'll say, "Wow!  It makes sense.  Why didn't I see that earlier?"

There are still a few small things left unrevealed--gotta keep things open for books 3 and 4.

Dan Simmons really, really seems to like John Keats.  I don't share this great love, and I usually skimmed past all the verse in italics.  Though I gather that the whole Hyperion story seems to be heavily inspired by some specific Keats poems--as if Simmons read them and said, "Wow.  I could make a great story out of that."

And the Consul still never gets a name.  Aaaaagh!  I know ... major spoiler.

But notwithstanding, Simmons is an excellent storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed reading these two books, and I highly recommend them both.
4467609
For everyone who read Honeymoon With My Brother, this is a must-read.  It is more moving, more thoughtful, and even funnier than the first book.  I loved it.
738622
Great follow-up to her first book, Cosmic Journeys.  If you read Cosmic Journeys it let's you understand how these seemingly fantastic travels and encounters actually took place on the non-physical planes of consciousness reality. If you haven't read her first book to see how this is actually possible as a result of "changes to the wiring" of her brain from using Bob Monroe's Hemi-sync technology in the past, you would be inclined to write it off as unbelievable. I recommend you read Bob Monroe's three books also: Journeys Out of the Body; Far Journeys and Ultimate Journey.
1680627
After reading "Awakened" by Kennisha Hill, my plams were itching to get a hold of the sequel...and I was NOT disappointed. "Uncovered" brings us back in to the progressing changes in Tamara's life (Her career is taking off, her relationship with Kameron is coming into fruition) and there was a little of every emotion invoked: happiness, sadness, fear, and an undoubted love for the main character. I don't want to spoil any of the twists and turns the author takes you on, but hold on to your seat 'cause you're in for an amazing ride and an experience that will bless you in so many ways. If you think the first novel was something, wait until you engulf yourself in this one.

Oh, and heads up...there's another one to follow!!!! SOOOO ready to see what happens next...
659392
To start, I wish Id read this second book in the series prior to reading Adjournment (Book #1).  In Adjournment, the story of Sidney and Simon would have made more sense had I read Book #2 first.

That being said, I loved the story of Mea and Josh.  I could not put it down.  This is a true story of second chances, and one that makes many of us wish wed had a second chance to change the outcome at some point in our life.

Josh is a character that the author has done a phenomenal job of creating.  Hes honest, trustworthy and you just want to see him happy in the end.  Throw in that hes the grounding force with the McAllister triplets--- yes, from Adjournment, and it makes for a great reading experience.

Mea escapes her horrible life and ends up living with none other than Molly and Morgan Chandler, twin sisters to Sidney from Adjournment.  Molly is the one in need of a new life and she finds that at the hands of new friends and finds love (if she will allow her walls to be broken down) in Josh.
This installment does not disappoint.  Over and over again I found myself laughing and not concerned with steamy romance Ive seen in so many other novels.

Emersyn Vallis has done a great job and shown tremendous growth in following up that first book with this edition.  I have books #3 and #4 and am excited to delve right into those.

***Reviewed on Behalf of Amo & Sarahs Book Corner.***
8722
DANG. I did it again. When I read The Burning Sky months after its release and loved it, I told myself that wouldn't be the case for its sequel, The Perilous Sea. I was over the moon to get a review copy months in advance--and I totally meant to read it! Yet, here we are, months after release--again--and I just read The Perilous Sea. And like its predecessor, it was awesome.

Even more so than The Burning Sky, The Perilous Sea is addicting. Told in alternating before- and after-style points of view, we see Titus and Iolanthe head back to Eton for another term after spending the summer accidentally apart and the two, sometime in the future, stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert, with no memories of who they are or how they got there, and pursued by Atlantis. While I found the desert island line slightly more compelling because its so filled with mystery (and because you get to watch Titus and Iolanthe fall in love all over again and in a completely different way), I was never rushing to get to one over the other. The line at Eton is so terribly important, because so many bits and pieces are beginning to come together. It makes for such a fast read.

Throughout the book, Titus is struggling with his mother's prophecies. He has so entrenched himself in the idea that her visions are infallible that he's been almost blindly following them. So, when he realizes her prophecies are telling him something he doesn't want to hear and that his original interpretation of them could be wrong, he has to confront how he's viewed them all along and whether or not that future she saw is absolute. Titus' dedication to the future his mother saw is a sticking point in his relationship with Iolanthe, but, god bless that girl, she comes through so well for him. This challenge serves as an opportunity for the two of them to grow together, challenged by circumstances and possibly fate.

The Perilous Sea is, truly, an exceptional sequel. In its interesting storyline, development of its principal characters, and its delving into those secondary characters that may have once seemed like throwaways, it will continually entertain and, in the end, shock you. Beware the cliffhanger ending--it'll only make you more desperate for book 3!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
479798
The first thought I had when I finished reading Golden Son is that there is no way I can wait an entire year to find out what happens next.  My second thought was a mass of self-pity that I have no choice but to wait.  Finally, my third thought was that it was an amazing follow-up to Red Rising and was actually even better than the first in the series.

Pierce Brown has built an amazing world and mythology for the Red Rising series.  Everything is fully fleshed out and even when not explicitly written, you can tell he has a backstory in mind for all of the races.  Its a pleasure whenever you find out more, and at no point does it contradict anything that was previously written.

One of my favorite aspects of the characters in Golden Son is that none of them are perfect.  Darrow, the protagonist, is extremely flawed.  No character is good or bad, even those who are the clear villains of the story.  All of the characters from Red Rising experienced a great deal of growth in Golden Son, with many not taking a route you would expect.  There were some particularly bold moves by the author when it comes to Eo, but I will leave those for the reader to discover on their own.

At no point does the plot lag, and that is saying quite a bit for a novel the length of Golden Son.  It is filled with war, adventure, gore, fantasy, science-fiction, romance, and anything else you can fit into a book.  If you are a fan of Red Rising, make sure you clear a couple of days on your calendar, because you will not want to put this one down.  If you have never read the first in the series, I highly encourage you to do so and to be certain you have Golden Son ready to begin as soon as you finish the last page of Red Rising.

In short, I highly recommend Golden Son, but do need to caution that it is not for the squeamish.  It is also not a young adult novel, though I saw Red Rising categorized in many places as such, so that is something for parents of middle readers to keep in mind.

5 stars all the way.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3894955
Not having read the first book,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Seems-The-Glitch-in-Sleep-Seems/dp/1599902982/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep (Seems)</a>, it took me a chapter or two to get into the swing of the world of the Seems, and the numerous characters which were new to me but who may have been old friends to fans of the first book.  Once I got up to speed - the footnotes and the funny appendices were a great help -- I enjoyed the fast paced rollicking ride and The World which was packed to, well, the seams with punnish fun and wacky Tools of the Trade.

If you are not familiar with the Seems, it is a world within ours and also the behind-the-scenes powerful organization responsible for making The World work according to The Plan, covering everything from creating sunsets to making the weather to producing dreams and inspiration. This time, a rebel organization has thrown a Time Bomb into the works and it is up to a 13 year old Fixer (a trouble shooter for Seemsish problems) named Becker Drain to save The World before the disasterous effects of the bomb leak into The World and age everything and everyone to dust.

Its been a while since I read a children's book - this one is targeted to ages 8 to 12 - but this is just the type of book that my girls would have enjoyed at that age.  It is a step beyond the Zack Files and other starter readers that we used to enjoy, adding a level of complexity with multiple story threads following several characters both, male and female, so that it will appeal to both boys and girls in this age group.  I am sure they will be able relate to the characters and wonder if they would have been be able to make the same costly sacrifices if they were the ones on tap to save The World.

This would be a fun book to actually read out loud with your kids (I did this long after mine became independent readers) it has a good rhythm and flow for reading out loud.  So thumbs up from me for the Seems the Split Second and since the authors definitely set up for a sequel, be sure to  watch for more adventures in the Seems in the near future.
254355
A book that woke me up to not be silent to the injustices going on around us.
626255
Upon finishing this book for the first time, I turned right to the front  and started reading it again. Buy three copies - that way you may get to  retain one long enough to read it over a few times. Wake up.