Madly (Madly series book 1) by M. Leighton

     Madly by M. Leighton
          Kindle Edition: $0.00
          Print Edition: N/A
          Length: approx. 53 pages
          Reading Level: Adult
          Madly on Amazon (opens in a new window)

And now for something completely different... Mermaids! And the cover shows it rather nicely without totally giving it away. I like this cover, aside from the title font. I like the sketch-like way it's done, but I wish there were more colors. It seems almost abrupt going from the silver to green. But it's still pretty.

Madly is a princess. Literally. She's heir to the throne of Atlas, her underwater home. But for now, Madly, her friend Jersey, her soon-to-be fiancee Aidan, and Jersey's older brother Jackson (along with several others, I'm sure) are attending school on dry land in the coastal town of Slumber, where descendants of fairy tales come to live. Everything is normal, until the Lore escape. Suddenly everything that matters, all of Atlas, all of the world is threatened. And it's up to Madly to save it.

This novella serves to introduce readers to the world of Madly and provide a base for the subsequent novels, of which there are two for now. The print version of book 2 includes this first novella, which, realistically, is how it could've been all along. But I understand doing it this way, because it entices people to continue to buy the books. So, it is what it is.

Now, there really isn't any "adult" content in this first novella. That's saved for the next two. But because this is the first in a series...

The writing is good. Not great. It's good, and it increases throughout the story. By the next two books it is ramped up to "great" status. If anything, it took Leighton awhile to hit her stride here. But the way she writes is so casual and engaging, you find yourself wrapped up in the narration.

I haven't really made my mind up on Madly as a character, other than I hate her name. There isn't much character development in this one for anybody, so I'll reserve judgement until my next post.

Madly serves its purpose. It sets the stage for the next two, and gets the exposition out of the way. And since it's free, it's a great way to decide if you're interested at all in the series. But I know I was, at the end of this novella.

It's free, so you really have no excuse. And besides-mermaids!

-Kayla

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

     The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams
          Kindle Edition: $7.99
          Print Edition: $7.99
          Length: 320 pages
          Reading Level: Adult
          The Shadow Reader on Amazon (opens in a new window)

And now we foray into the realm of Urban Fantasy. A relatively new genre that shows a lot of promise. This is a great book to get started with. I would also like to make it known that I'm fairly sure prices have changed since I purchased books. Just saying.

The first time I saw the cover for this book was actually when I was finding the image for this entry. It's...fine, I guess. It remind's me a lot of Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series, which is fitting since Aguirre condones this novel. There's nothing inherently wrong with the cover at all. It's colorful, and accurately represents McKenzie. It even seems to show the setting of one of the first scenes, which is helpful. But it's forgettable, as far as covers go. When I think of memorable book covers, I think of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and, yes, Under the Never Sky. I don't think of this one.

McKenzie Lewis is a college student, desperate to finish her undergrad. But it's a little difficult to get your degree when you're constantly being called away by the Fae to take part in their civil war. For ten years McKenzie has helped the King in his pursuit of the rebels that would take his thrown. For ten years she's been in love with the King's sword-master Kyol. But when a leader of the rebels, Aren, the Butcher of Brykeld kidnaps her, she learns the hard way that there are two sides to every war.

I gave this one the rating of "Adult" not because it's porn-tastic, but because the language is a little bit coarser than what one would usually find in YA fiction. And the sex scenes are a little more graphic than what YA usually has. But it isn't something that you'd be ashamed to have someone read over your shoulder a la Fifty Shades of Grey. Of course, if you're on a kindle, it's a bit easier to be discreet.

I really like McKenzie as a character. She's sarcastic. strong, and confused. Her whole world gets rattled, and her indecision is completely believable, because while she tries to logically weigh her choices, her heart interferes. Like it always does. The biggest problem I have with McKenzie is actually her relationship with Kyol. There's nothing shown that indicates why she loves him. In fact, much of what we see is her being rejected by him because "relations" between Fae and humans are strictly forbidden. And she loves this about him. Now, I can understand that she loves his honor, but come ON, girl! He'd rather keep his job than his so-called love. I can't help but think there's a problem with that.

The story is told through McKenzie's eyes, so it's a typical first-person perspective. Which is all well and good, but it's a little odd when she goes out of her way to explain aspects of the Fae, like chaos lusters and what shadow reading really is. I mean, I'm grateful for the explanation for sure. But because of the nature of first person perspective, it seems a little forced at times.

My favorite character, though, is Aren. He is clearly complex, as shown by the way that McKenzie doesn't understand him at all. He's supposed to be a bad guy, but the more we are shown of him, the more McKenzie sees of him, the less convinced we are of that. And thus, McKenzie's world gets even more convoluted than it already was.

This book has everything Urban Fantasy should. It's sexy, there's action, there's humor, and there are characters who you want to believe in. The Fae aren't so otherworldly that you feel like you're in full-on Tolkien land, but they are foreign enough to know you aren't in Kansas anymore. It's the perfect balance. And much like Under the Never Sky, it has sequels but functions as stand alone. So go onto the frontier of the internet, and pick it up. You'll have a good time.

-Kayla

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

     Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
          Kindle Edition: $7.59
          Print Edition: $9.99 (paperback) $9.88 (hardcover)
          Length: 389 pages
          Reading Level: older YA
          Under the Never Sky on Amazon (opens in a new window)

After struggling through the Guardian trilogy, I decided that I needed to "spoil" myself and read a clean manuscript; one published through traditional, major channels. So I picked this one. This review will probably be short and sweet, but hey, it happens.

Words cannot express how much I love the cover of this book. It is stunning. The girl is clearly meant to represent Aria, the lead female, and having her be alone on the cover is very telling of her trials as a character. And the colors are representative of the way Earth now looks, with the Aether sky churning above. The title is noticeable, so it grabs your attention when it's on a shelf (as it has done to me every time I walk past it at Target) and Rossi's name is large enough that you can decipher who wrote it. Based on the cover alone, I want to see this as a movie.

Some of you may know that I'm a gamer...in that I'm really bad at most video games and I prefer watching people play games so I can become more fully immersed in the story and the action without any risks. One of my favorite game franchises to watch is "Fallout," and, in particular, "Fallout 3." I think it is my love for this game that drew me to Under the Never Sky.

After an event called the Unity, Earth has been scorched. Most of humankind fled into partially underground structures called Domes or Pods. The rest were left to try and survive. Thousands of years later, Aria finds herself thrown into and torn between two worlds. Thanks to the dweller, Perry is too. Together the two of them set out in a fight for survival that neither of them anticipated.

Does anyone remember the first time they read something like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter and you were left to try and decipher words you'd never encountered, and you were pretty sure half of them were made up? Yeah, that happens here. Much of it is slang, and through context it's easy to figure out what the intended meaning is. Even better, the nature of the slang is drastically different between Aria and Perry. It's a small detail, one that irritates some people. I, however, love it. Having a unique vocabulary like that adds to the immersive nature of the story, and makes everything seem more real.

Unlike many contemporary YA novels, this is told through a switching omniscient third person point of view. Chapters alternate between Perry and Aria, and the switches are indicated each time. It is a nice touch that adds an element of situational irony, because as a reader you are privy to both character's thoughts. The fact that it sets Rossi's story apart from most other YA novels doesn't hurt, either.

Unfortunately, like most YA romance novels, the romance develops unnaturally fast between characters. It doesn't seem forced, per se, because I actually believe that Perry and Aria care for each other deeply. I just have a problem with it happening over the course of ten days or so. The two of them have undeniable chemistry, but the timeline should have been stretched out a little, maybe by a month. That's all it would take for me to accept their love.

The world that Rossi develops is fascinating. The differences between Dwellers and Outsiders, and the way they live, is so noticeable, they are clearly two different worlds. Even better is the amazing transformation Aria goes through, going from near-android status to a "modern" human. The timeline is clearly set ages ahead of ours, and the world of the Outsiders like Perry shows this even more comprehensively than the Pods. Because of science. Humans like Perry have evolved (yes, evolved) to have a dominant sense, like Sight, Smell (Scires), or Hearing (Auds). Not all of them have this, because evolution is slow, but the Marked humans are making concentrated efforts to perpetuate the senses. The strong survive. It also adds a nice bit of sci-fi to this dystopia, but hey, science!

The biggest gripe I have with the novel, even more than the speedy romance, is Perry's name. His full name is Peregrine, which is cool, and fitting. But the nickname just grates on me. It's just not a sexy name. Never mind the fact that it makes me think of Dr. Cox from "Scrubs." This might just be me, but it was bothersome all the way through.

If you're into dystopian romance, and don't mind that it's young adult (meaning lots of sexual tension that is only briefly resolved before they go back to ramping up tension) I can almost guarantee you will enjoy this book. Aria isn't a typical obnoxious female, and Perry isn't without faults. Which makes them real...ish. This story shows a lot of promise, and there's a companion novella that came out in October, along with a sequel that is due out in January. The best part? It doesn't even need the sequels. I look forward to them, don't get me wrong, but it could stand alone if need be, which is something every book should strive for in some way. So read it, and send a word my way to tell me what you think. Because I think you'll like it.

-Kayla

Reckoning (Guardian Trilogy book 3) by Laury Falter

     Reckoning by Laury Falter
          Kindle Edition: $9.99
          Print Edition: $9.99
          Length: approx. 321 pages
          Reading Level: YA
          Reckoning on Amazon (opens in a new window)

And here we are. The final book in the Guardian Trilogy. Best book of the trilogy, best cover of the trilogy. The font is consistent with the previous book, which is nice. Falter's name is yet again too small, but so it goes. The image, though, is the best. It's the perfect foreshadowing for what the novel contains. The scythes bring to mind death, and the way that they are crossed also looks like wings. It works beautifully.

After the events of the last few chapters of Eternity, Maggie remembers everything. And now she knows that everything she loves is at risk, so she sets out on her own, hunting the Fallen. The hunted becomes the hunter. But her actions bring about consequences she never intended. By trying to save Alterums everywhere, Maggie may have just started a civil war.

Comparatively speaking, I flew through this book. I recognized while I was reading it, even. And it was such a relief. The plot actually progresses. We, as readers, gain more insight into characters, and we get to leave New Orleans. New characters are introduced yet again, and they have real, legitimate purpose and development. Campion was great, but he was a little one-note. Best yet, we finally understand what the gift Maggie brought back to Earth when she fell truly is.

We also finally get to resolve some of the sexual tension. Kind of. Maggie and Eran finally do the deed. And the first time I read it, I found it incredibly sexy. I mean, they have sex in the air. That's pretty damn cool. Unfortunately, upon rereading it, it's an even darker "fade to black" than the honeymoon in Twilight. I wish I didn't have to reference that series so much, but there are so many parallels it's hard not to.

Since this is the best book of the series, it makes sense that this is the best writing as well. It's more polished than ever before, and is therefore the easiest to read. The biggest problem is with key inconsistencies...and with one key consistency.

Alterums and Fallen have wings. Five letters. Wings. And yet, nearly every time they are mentioned, Falter refers to them as "appendages." While this is technically true, and was probably initially meant to be an example of artistic license, it just gets irritating. Referencing the wings as such a few times is fine. But when I can count on one hand the number of times the word "wings" us used in a 300+ page novel? That's a problem, and it seems like Falter is trying way too hard.

As for the inconsistency. Remember way back in the first book when Eran mentioned his special skill is the ability to manipulate any metal? Apparently it's only good for opening Maggie's door for late night rendezvous. Because Eran gets into more than one scrape with someone who uses metal weapons and booby traps. And he gets hurt by them. Doesn't really seem like much of a gift if he can't use it in a fight. They even go so far as to lock Eran in a stone prison cell so that he can't break out. And yet, this skill that our fearsome hero has, is essentially useless. This irritated me more than anything else in the series, because so many problems could have been avoided if it were used the way it should have been. His gift becomes one of convenience for Falter to employ whenever it makes things easy, and to forget about when there is supposed to be tension or danger.

These problems are large, in the grand scheme of the book. They're distracting. But they are not insurmountable. The rest of the plot does a pretty good job of keeping the reader from caring too much. Truly. Getting to visit the past lives of the Fallen were some of the best moments of the series, even better than revisiting Maggie and Eran's past lives. And the end is really, truly, a happy ending, and yet the reader still understands that it isn't over forever, simply by the nature of human beings. It ties everything up in a little bow, but one that isn't too neat.

-Kayla

Eternity (Guardian Trilogy book 2) by Laury Falter

     Eternity by Laury Falter
          Kindle Edition: $8.99
          Print Edition: $9.99
          Length: 311 pages
          Eternity on Amazon (opens in a new window)

Apparently, here marks the first not-bargain entry. I wish I had an explanation for the six dollar difference between the first and second books, but I don't. However, as this is part of a series, I'm reluctant to "count" it. Now, onto the blog.

I don't really get the cover for this one. The font changes, which makes it seem like it's not even part of the same series. Falter's name is again too small for my liking. But the biggest point of confusion for me is the triqueta. It's an Irish trinity symbol, generally used to represent the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). So, in the holiness aspect, I guess it makes sense. Kind of. But these books don't really focus on any aspect of the trinity, just angels. The TV show "Charmed" also used the symbol to represent the three sisters, or something like that. I don't know, I've never watched the show. I was more of a "Buffy" girl myself. Like the first book's cover, I applaud the simplicity, but I don't think it's as effective as it could be.

The cats are out of the proverbial bag. Ezra, Rufus, and Felix are Alterums. Eran has fallen back to Earth to protect Maggie. Unfortunately, Maggie is still a reborn, with no knowledge of her past, so she still has a distinct disadvantage. But with the arrival of a new Biochem teacher, Maggie is regaining a bit of her past, whether she is conscious of it or not.

If the first book took me a long time to finish, this one took an eternity. Ha! See what I did there? But seriously, 90% of this book is just a vehicle to get to the last chapter or two. It's almost entirely exposition. Falter tries to introduce some romantic tension, as well. Eran's focus is on protecting Maggie, not bedding her. Maggie isn't such a fan of that choice. That is, in all honesty, the driving plot line in this novel. Even when a "new" guardian angel, Campion, is introduced, Eran is going on nightly missions, and Maggie starts training to be a fighter again, it's all undermined by what is clearly supposed to be sexual tension.

It's too bad I didn't feel tense.

Seriously, though, except for the last little bit, it's all very "wash, rinse, repeat." Maggie goes to school with Eran. Fallen show up, there's some glowering. Maggie visits the dead, and (most interestingly) visits her own past lives. Maggie trains to be more badass. Maggie pines over Eran, Eran resists her feminine wiles. (Again, a la Twilight.) Sure, things change a little bit, and the explorations into Maggie's past lives are some of the best parts, but it's more than a little tedious at times.

The writing did improve, overall, in terms of skill. There was one line in particular that I highlighted because it was so beautiful. Unfortunately it was only one line. Maybe I'm just more inclined to notice "bad" things than good, because I feel like that's what I'm always commenting on. Some of it is really simple, too, and could have been fixed by a proofreader. Like, for example, inconsistent spelling when referencing the Camaro. A cursory Google search could have eliminated that. And, a minor irritation that's not necessarily a result of poor writing-the butler's name. I'll let you guess.

If you guessed that the old British butler was named "Alfred" then congratulations! You win a corner of the internet. Now, I understand that this may have been meant to reference Batman, in which case, awesome. But it's such a generic butler name that I doubt that's the case. Why not "Winston" or something else that's kind of stuffy but not "Alfred?"

The formatting improved rather drastically this time around. There are even some seemingly arbitrary chapters marked for easy navigation. It's not great, but it's a start. Random blank pages are few and far between, which is refreshing.

Overall, I'd say that Eternity is largely on par with Fallen. It's better in some ways, the same or worse in others. If you enjoyed the first one, then I'm sure that even the price tag can't keep you away. It's a means to an end, sure, but the end is worth it. The last in the series, Reckoning, is definitely the best of the series. So I'll see you there.

-Kayla

Fallen (Guardian Trilogy, Book 1) by Laury Falter

 
     Fallen by Laury Falter
          Kindle Edition: $2.99
          Print Edition: $9.99
          Length: 274 pages
          Reading Level: YA
          Fallen on Amazon (opens in a new window)

Whew. Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving and all those other holidays I've missed. Sorry about the absence, I've been moving and not with Internet and other such things. I also just finished the third book in this series yesterday. Maybe the day before, at the earliest. I know, it's unheard of. I can sometimes put down multiple books in a day. But for some reason, this second read through of Falter's series took ages. I even had to use the "notes" function on my Kindle. I'll get to that, though. First, as with the other entries, I want to briefly discuss the cover.

It's simple. And that's not a bad thing. Its simplicity is something to be admired, especially after reading the book. The feather is symbolic of everything that lies within, and even the graduated colors (grey and white) are important. My biggest gripe is that Falter's name is too small. As an author, call me crazy, but you want people to recognize your name, and then seek you out. There's really not much more than can be said about it, so my final opinion is that it is...effective.

Maggie Tanner moves. A lot. As an orphan who lives with her photojournalist Aunt, she's constantly traveling. Until she's dumped in the Big Easy, New Orleans, to live with her Aunt's friend Ezra while on an extended assignment. And for the first time, Maggie feels like she's at home. In the home of (American) Voodoo, she no longer sticks out because of her special gift. Maggie can speak to the dead every time she goes to sleep. And then things start to get weird.

So, here we have another Fallen Angel story. This one is significantly less theological than previously reviewed books. It's more...spiritual, I suppose. There's very little talk of God or Hell or Satan. It's pretty much just good versus evil, with wings. There is a Heaven, but it's more of an idea than anything concrete. Sort of. It's hard to explain, really. However, there are really no redeeming qualities to the "evil" angels like there are in After Eden. Everything in Fallen is very black and white, cut and dried. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad. There is literally only one exception to this rule, and I can't even really talk about it because it's meant to be a surprise.

The aforementioned spirituality stems from an almost-Buddhist universe, in which people are nearly constantly reincarnated. It's an interesting look at the idea of previous lives and soul mates, kind of how I imagine Cloud Atlas to be. This provides a great excuse for the insta-love between Maggie and Eran. They know they're supposed to be together, not through any logical means, but through spiritual ones. The romance, sadly, is all but nonexistent. At least, I feel that it's severely lacking.

Falter tries to make Eran the dashing savior romance novel lead, complete with a British accent, but I don't feel that we, as an audience, are ever really shown his swoon-worthiness. We're just told that he's supposed to be swoon worthy and we have to accept that at face value. It's a bit disappointing, because there is definitely a lot of potential. It's even more disappointing that she (Falter) seems to depend on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight cliches. For example, while they are kissing or hugging or whatever, Maggie stops breathing and nearly passes out (or does pass out completely, in other scenes) and Eran has to forcibly remind her to inhale. This happened several times in Twilight and it was ridiculous every time.

As for the bad guys- well, they just aren't scary. Maggie’s life is repeatedly in danger, and luckily her guardian angel is there, but it just never feels like there was actually a risk. When I read a book, I want to dread meeting the villain(s). I want my skin to crawl, and I want to be concerned that the hero or heroine isn’t going to walk away with just a story to tell over drinks-they’ll be lucky if they walk away at all. Falter is definitely trying, but with the Fallen being one-note, direct threat on Maggie’s life installations, they feel like they are put there because she’s totally in danger, guys!

The writing, overall, isn't what I'd call sloppy, but it definitely could use a spit shine. There's several issues with commas, apostrophes, plurals, and homophones. I found them distracting, and paired with some just plain poor word choices, this is a noticeably "indie" novel, in that it clearly didn't have an editor (or ten) poring over it. Falter also made some choices that I would question, because when I was in writing classes, we were told to avoid exclamation points at all costs. And capital letters. And repeated letters (i.e., “noooooooooooooooooooooo!”) To me, these make the story appear amateur, even when the idea is good. Some descriptions of character's physicality seemed incredibly contrived, such as Maggie describing herself as having too large of eyes. Since when are large eyes an undesirable feature on a female? Isn't that what the mascara industry is all about? Falter also made the creative choice to use written dialects for every character but Eran, so Rufus, who is Irish, has his dialog written as such. There is also a cajun-accented character whose dialect is nearly unreadable. But this is a personal gripe for me; because I absolutely hate reading written dialects. 

Another Indie Red Flag is the formatting. Or rather, lack thereof. There is no navigating chapters in this book, everything must be done page by page. This isn’t necessarily the be all end all of bad formatting though. It’s really just a minor inconvenience to Kindle readers. The bigger problem is the way things appear on the page. There are blank pages between chapters. Sometimes it’s only one, sometimes it’s more. A couple chapters start halfway down the page, which is just irritating to look at. By themselves, these wouldn’t be issues, but everything combined just interrupts the natural flow of the story.

The first time I read this book, I couldn’t get enough. I finished the trilogy in about a day and a half. I read it through entire classes, late into the night, basically I had my nose buried in my kindle whenever I had a spare moment. This time, I was unable to become absorbed by the story like I once was. I even became irritated. What were previously minor inconveniences were suddenly huge problems, and I would put the book away after ten or so pages. It was a truly alarming experience, especially when I realized that it took me two months to complete a series. It didn’t even take me that long to re read all seven Harry Potter books. I was even more unnerved by the fact that when I was deciding to choose this book for the next blog entry, I was excited. I remembered liking the series and I couldn’t wait to get started. I remembered really connecting with Maggie and lusting after Eran. This time, I was just annoyed by them. I found much of their actions forced and contrived. I didn’t believe in them, or the so-called sexual tension.

Now, I realize that this has been an overwhelmingly negative review. But I still don’t hate the books. The first read through had me totally enraptured. I think that this could still happen for many people, particularly those who have an affinity for the fallen angel genre. But, unlike some novels, there seems to be, for now, very little reread value. So give it a shot, but don’t expect to go for it twice.

-Kayla

Beloved Purgatory (Fallen Angels, Book 2) by Katherine Pine

     Beloved Purgatory by Katherine Pine
          Kindle Edition: $2.99
          Paperback Edition: Not Available
          Length: approx. 315 pages
          Reading Level: older YA
          Beloved Purgatory on Amazon (opens in a new window)

More cover talk. I really enjoy the change in color scheme from one book to the next. In my mind, the green of the first book represents Oz's importance to Devi, what he can offer, etc. The purple featured on the cover of this book seems to indicate the increased importance of Forneus, especially by the end of the book. It really makes me wonder what the cover of book three will be, when it's released. I'm thinking possibly white or blue, something to indicate Camael? We'll have to wait and see. Allegedly, book 3 is due out this year, so I'm watching Amazon closely.

Beloved Purgatory picks up right where After Eden left off. And I mean RIGHT where it left off. They're still in the car after Devi's encounter with Onoskelis, heading back home. Devi thinks she knows Oz's biggest secret-that she is destined to kill him. She's wrong. And when Forneus taunts her with the promise of not only freeing her father's spirit, but finding Kai, what will she do to protect all that she loves? In book 2, we learn what it truly means for Devi to be without a spirit- and it's more than anyone bargained for.

The second book in the series maintains the momentum of the first, and as more is revealed, more questions arise. Forneus becomes more than just a literal handsome devil-we learn why he truly wanted Devi to stay away from Azazel. It's not just because he doesn't want Oz to die. He really, truly cares for his friend. Both Forneus and Camael become more prominent characters, and each becomes more interesting in his own unique way.

There still isn't technically a love triangle, but there's an interesting dilemma between Devi and Camael that weighs on her relationship with Oz. She has no love for the angel, but his light, the light of Heaven, calls to her in a way she cannot refuse, and each time she falls into it, she feels like she's betrayed Oz, whom she truly loves.

With everything that happens in this book, everything that happened in book one almost feels like exposition. This seems to be where Pine truly wanted to be with her story. She wanted to show that heaven and hell are more than just good and bad. There is no black and white. Forneus is a devil, yes, but is he truly evil? Camael is an Angel, but is he fully good? And Devi is caught between the two, with only Oz on her side. But with his own secrets, she can't be sure. Heaven and hell are in a tug of war for Devi's soul, and in this book we finally find out why. And it's nothing Devi or Oz could've imagined.

Along with all the heavy stuff, there's the added fun of more shape-shifting Oz, Halloween, and pancake shenanigans.

Devi's mom goes from mostly-absentee to almost completely absentee, which should be problematic, but I just couldn't bring myself to care. There is just SO MUCH going on, that the plot flies by.

And yet, it took me over a week to finish this book. I'm not entirely sure why, because I do love it more than the first one. Maybe it's because of the Internet, which is a cruel, distracting mistress. I don't know. So, my reading of book 2 was a little fragmented, which is making this review pretty hard to write. Between that, and the fact that the last thing I want to do is spoil any of the fun, I can only speak in vague terms.

If you read book 1, I highly doubt you'll skip book two. But if your feelings on After Eden were a little ambivalent, I really recommend giving book two a shot. It has all the best parts of the first one, and few of the lackluster parts. And the ending of this one even feels like an ending! Which is probably why we're still waiting on the third installment-it wasn't written yet.

Book 2 will make you eager for more, and then you'll be stuck in the waiting game, just like me.

-Kayla