A POWERFUL follow-up to the first book
579750
Im in grad school now and I don't get much time for leisure reading, but this book has reminded me of why I love Young Adult fantasyand then some. I didn't read it just once, I read it TWICE because it was just that satisfying. In ACOMAF, we see Feyre faced with the shattered pieces of her heart and identity caused by what was done to her as well as by the decisions she made while Under the Mountain (in ACOTAR). Maas does an excellent job developing Feyres character in a believable way  one that worked really well with the storyline. Throughout the book, the reader goes on an emotional journey with Feyre as she grows into her power and demonstrates strength that comes from respecting herself and what she is now (a pretty damn strong High Fae)  an excellent thing for any young woman to read. I was also SO excited to see the twist on the Hades/Persephone-like plot (Rhysand/Feyre) that Maas weaved in there, not to mention the introduction of a pretty epic team fighting the bad guys together. Maas also does an excellent job in expanding the universe of this book. In summary, ACOMAF is emotionally charged, touching, and serious, but it is also funny and wildly entertaining. The ending leads me to believe that there will be a pretty IMPRESSIVE conclusion to the trilogy.

Note to the parents: This book can get pretty steamy/descriptive in terms of romantic scenes. (Im just alerting you if you are very cautious about the types of books/scenes you want your kids to read given their age range.) If it helps, I feel like the author was very purposeful in including those scenes, and if anything, I think things are described in a way that is healthier than whats in a lot of teen fiction nowadays (ie: destructive relationships).
1159720
Rachel Caine's new world continues it's depth and intrigue in this sequel to Ink and Bone. The characters are rounded, mysterious, and conflicted. The plot thickens, albeit a bit more slowly than in the first book, simply because there was a whole new world to unravel in the introductory novel. In this tome, like many middle books, the mood is dark and thick because the characters are in the central part of their journey. But action, character development and world building continue, and the book ends nowhere near where you think it will.

I love this world and can't wait for book three!
2116988
After reading the first book and following our heroine through the many paranormal sticks she gets herself into, I had great expectations for the sequel.  It definitely does not disappoint!  First (an older) Ana is figuring out her new power of hearing or understanding people's intentions, with a much stronger personality, more self-confidence, and as a much more developed character.  I definitely sense that she is more complete, settled down in herself almost.  As with the first book, I cannot exaggerate how creative the author is in weaving the real world and real problems or situations with the fantasy world that she has created here.  It's absolutely amazing the way that she can make such unrealistic situations feel so real!  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by Lyneal Jenkins!

The reason it is four stars instead of five is because there were a few mistakes in grammar and spelling.  They weren't many, but they were noticeable.  However this definitely doesn't affect the story, and I still highly recommend it.
2510513
The 2nd book isn't quite as good as the first, but this is a small quibble. The wonderful structure of the book, where each chapter is taken from a certain character's perspective, continues to drive the plot and give a multi-faceted sense of realism to a fully-realized, subtly alien otherworld.
4403522
After the disappointment I had with the 2nd book in this series, I found the conclusion through inter-library loan.  The third book is the strongest, which surprised me.  Normally a bad second novel means a fragmented third.

Lalelelang, a Wais who studies humanity, is the main character, and human Colonel Staait-ien (also of the telepathic Core) is the secondary character.  Unlike the other books, Foster stays magnificently focused on the story with about 90% of the book directly involving scenes with the main characters that advance the plot.  This is a huge improvement.  Foster can write well, provided he doesn't go off on zillions of tangents (a case with his work in general).

This novel gave me exactly what I wanted:  a philosophical novel which concluded the Weave/Amplitur war and wasn't rosy afterwards.  It explores the potential for violence in humanity within the confines of Foster's idealized alien universe.  If you like either of the previous books in this series, you'll love this one because it's better than both of them.
1508032
For me, this was better than the first book, in which I enjoyed the author's lively, fierce characterization and world-building while feeling a bit ho-hum about the general concepts of vampires and soulmates.  Shadowflame introduces shades of grey into the love lives of its characters and makes them feel less impossibly perfect and more convincing, both as people and as immortal creatures of the night.  They wrestle with difficult decisions and collateral damage, and I felt truly pulled in and really cared about these people.

The vampire world gets more fleshed out here as well - meeting the other Primes and seeing vampires from other parts of the world, hearing about their past, makes everything seem bigger and more important.  I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!  It wasn't perfect - as in the first book, the plotting wasn't quite as strong as the characterization - but personally I'm fine with that.
4380616
This book was an absolutely powerful book. I like how the author used the characters in the first book,and added more to the book. This book has all the twist and turns though out the book. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read the third book.
4716968
The first book was a great read, and now that the scene has been set the action really takes off.  This is a dark, rich scifi/fantasy exploring magic, myth, mystery, politics, science, and love.

If you like first-rate fiction by writers like Polonsky, Weeks, Leckie, Beaulieu, VS Redick, and RJ Bennett as much as I do, you'll enjoy this fast-paced and poetic epic immensely.
4095366
Is it possible for a sequel to be better than its 5-star predecessor?  Because that's what we have here.

The book starts 6 years ago, when King Gavilar was murdered. Jasnah didn't have a hand in it, but she is a suspicious character in general. Her work has been focused on Shadesmar, the veiled "place" where spren are developed and magic (and life) is unpredictable. Jasnah explains this to Shallan who delves deeper in the secrets of Shadesmar. And, like Kaladin, Shallan has her own spren friend.

We are looking at the return of the Radints, Voidbringers, and sentient spren of both good and bad.

This novel is much more rich in action and plot development than the first was, although character development wanes a tad.  And that is perfectly fine, because the action was beyond spectacular. I had to put the book down twice because scenes left me reeling.
564032
When I got the opportunity to review The King and the Criminal, I was nervous. The first book in the series, The Sidhe, meant so much to me. It was hard to imagine even the most capable sequel measuring up to my rather unfair anticipation.

Oh me of little faith.

This sequel lives up to the original and, beyond that, it builds on Ashes already dynamic world, to reveal characters and relationships I couldn't have imagined as compelling in their own right. This is a smart, fast-paced, playful, and passionate book, that exists easily as its own adventure and, yet, left me begging for book number three. The novel is built on several intertwined narratives, all of which kept my interest and overlapped in ways that were both satisfying and unexpected. Here are a few of my favorite things:

 The Revelations: The central romance takes place between two characters, Tash and Firae, that we already met in book one. Both already existed as complex characters, but I loved watching them emerge from the supporting-character shadows to earn the spotlight. By the middle of the novel, it felt as though I had gone on a journey with former acquaintances only to discover that they had become my friends. Tash has become my second favorite character in the entire series, and I did not see that one coming.

 The Investment: At its best, fantasy and scifi are vitally important, not just because of their artistry, but also because they give readers a new perspective on our own social and political moment. As an author, Ashe has a gift for letting her stories and characters remain relevant without didacticism. Her art asks important questions about the nature of justice, fundamentalism, and entrenched communal fear. She puts our world up to a mirror without losing the narrative escapism we also love about fantasy. After all, who wouldnt rather think about religious persecution in a story full of sexy elves?

 Brissa: *insert heart-eyes gif* This one isn't deep. I just really, really like this character. Shes funny, dynamic, badass, and thoroughly unique. If Tash was my second favorite character, Brissa wins the whole game. Theres a moment toward the end of the book (youll know it when you get there), when I actually cheered for her. Out loud. And yes, I was in public. She rocks and I cant wait to see her again in book three.
4357216
A powerful continuation of the first book by a master storyteller
I enjoyed the interaction between the pillars of the Mother and their adversaries
3437478
Okay, so if you liked the first one, you will like this one, too. (And if you didn't like the first one, you won't be reading this one, so that's fine ;-).)

This one takes us to some unexpected places all around the globe, spans fifteen years, and adds even more characters to an already-extensive cast. But it retains the same relentless pace, lots of action, plus the heart and hope that make the first book worth reading.

I found it to be a page-turner and I am really curious to see where Kristopher is going to take us for book 3.
1265040
As I will likely note in future reviews of other books in the Valdemar/Velgarth saga, I've often found that the middle books in the various trilogies are often the weakest. Such is not the case with this one, however, for I feel it is stronger than the first book, though probably not quite as strong as the one that follows it. The story of Talia's intern journey is engaging, frustrating, and heartbreaking by turns. She must experience one of the darkest times in her life thusfar on this trip, though as usual she comes through it with flying colors and stronger than she's ever been.

Talia has just gotten her Whites at the beginning of this book, and is ready to set forth on her internship with Herald Kris as her adviser and mentor. She has come a long way from the frightened little farm girl she was at the beginning of the first book, though she still has a good deal to learn regarding the need to trust those who are there to help her, and to accept the help that they can give when needed instead of walling herself off and trying to deal with things on her own. Such has been a continuing problem for her, and while one would have thought she'd have learned her lesson about it by now, it pretty quickly becomes evident that she hasn't quite once she and Kris set out. It's not really that she has any inflated opinions of herself or her capabilities, but rather that she is afraid of disappointing her friends and colleagues, and is still won't to fall back upon the distrusting and independent ways she learned as a child among the Holderkin when personal crisis strikes. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that she receives yet another rather pointed lesson in why she needs to trust her fellow Heralds and let them help her when she finds herself in over her head with something. Thankfully, by the end of this book, she does seem to have finally learned that lesson.

In the overall scheme of things, this story steps away from the larger plots of the trilogy and extended series, though it doesn't forget them entirely. A few more crucial parts of the background to the tapestry that's being woven are laid in here, though the main focus stays squarely on Talia and the trials she faces during her year and a half on the road with Kris. Vicious rumors, personal catastrophe, an epic blizzard, her first taste of battle, and murder all figure into the tale and all contribute to Talia's growth as a Herald and as a woman. Through it all, enough ominous signs of an impending showdown of some sort can be seen to thoroughly whet the appetite for the final book in the trilogy.
109146
This was a superb sequel to The Sons of Thestian. Sequels have a tendency to be disappointing but this one did not disappoint at all. In fact, it was even better than the first book which I thought would be an impossibility. I absolutely loved the first book, it is definitely one of my favourite books. But if the first book had me shook, then this book absolutely killed me with its awesomeness. Not sure if I will survive a third book to be honest.

Most characters from the first book return for this one. Rufus, despite having gone through hell, is still the same old Rufus from the first book. He is fun, sarcastic and overall lovely. You can't help but love him and wanting to coo at him, tuck him in and keep him safe from the world. I love how he

Arlen Zachary, villain in the first book, came out and sucker punched me in this book. My feelings towards him in the first book were pretty complex and I couldn't decide whether I liked him or absolutely hated him. This book had me totally re-evaluating him as a character. He does not redeem himself in the sense of going from villain to hero, but you realise that things here aren't just black and white, they are far more complex than that, just like Vaughan's characters are.

There are of course many other characters that are absolutely amazing in this book but if I write about them all this post will be massive. Instead, I will say that we got a lot of diversity here. We have several LGBTQ characters, strong female characters, and to certain extent ethnic diversity as well. With that said, let's move on to the plot. It is fascinating and so much fun. It definitely keeps you entertained from start to finish, and is pretty much perfectly paced. It has several twists and turns that keep the plot fresh without making it overly complex. Instead, it brings you several aha-moments, which was bloody fantastic. And the ending, oh the ending.  Just know that the ending of this book will have you screaming "WHY?" at the top of your lungs. I almost threw my Kindle out the window. In this case, that is a very good reaction. It is an ending that will break you but also have you desperate for more.
2773671
My goodness! If I had been glued to my seat reading the first book of the Variant saga, this surpassed it. Following adventures in two worlds, each protagonist acting totally in character as we had come to know them, still we were not quite prepared for all the action packed into this one volume. I am grateful to the author that he didn't cut it in the middle of the suspenseful events, when the number of pages reached the extent of an ordinary book. It was so rich in experiences, that I got more and more amazed as the story went on. I love the way JN Chaney uses different layers of human perception in his story. I have a feeling that I might buy this series in printed form later on to be able to lend it to my friends who are not fond of reading on a screen.

A delightful, powerful read. Burning with desire to go on and learn the improbable events that must come in the third book, I am more than ready to plunge into the sequel!
4751665
Heavy Jake Sullivan, Faye, and the other Grimnoir are back for more in "Spellbound", and while the reader doesn't get that first book pleasure of discovering all the great powers with which they are gifted and must employ against their enemies, the action is again plentiful and the struggle against the coming menace is coming into greater focus.  The characters are wonderfully drawn, and their use of powers is quite well thought out and cleverly employed.  As has been known from the first book, the Traveler Faye in particular is a  special case even by Grimnoir standards and we discover a bit more of her nature.

Real figures from history continued to be employed to sketch in some of the history of the appearance of magic, and how it has altered events.  The '30's is a great period to use for this series, though Mr. Correia occasionally loses his feel for it and draws a scene without any differences from the present.

This is a series that should please almost any reader, and I hope it lasts a long, long time.
2287398
I quite enjoyed the first installment of this series, and I believe I gave it four stars; a respectable rating expressing enough like to bother getting the second. I'm very glad I did so, for this little darling earned five full stars from me.  Past the necessary restraint of introducing characters "The Perilous Journey" plows full-forced into a more exciting and engaging plot than the first book.  I was absolutely delighted.

A year after the first book ended, the Society is brought together for an emergency.  What was supposed to be a fun little spy mission has gone wrong when Mr. Benedict vanishes.

The characters have grown since the last book, and I found them much more realistic, flawed, and lovable--all within the fun range of children's literature characterizations.  I actually had trouble figuring out the plot of the first book, but this one is clear, exciting, and indeed perilous.  There is plenty of heart and action, all told through endearing prose.

I can't wait to get my hands on the third.