Blog Takeover!

Today's post is a little different from normal and is courtesy of the amazing Madeline Dyer and the process of how she wrote her debut novel UNTAMED. Madeline is doing what I dream of doing and reading about her experience is so inspiring. I hope you guys enjoy and go check out UNTAMED - thank you so much to Madeline who took the time to write this post - I really appreciate it.  

Writing Processes: How I Wrote UNTAMED

So, “How did you write a book?” is a question I get asked a lot. And when I say “a lot”, I mean a lot. It’s usually one of the first things people ask me when they hear that I’ve just had a book published, and I love talking about my writing processes.

We’ll start at the beginning. UNTAMED was the third manuscript that I completed—and if I hadn’t had the practice of writing two manuscripts beforehand, I don’t think it would have been any good. It certainly wouldn’t have got me four offers from publishers. Writing my first two manuscripts (a 137,000 word urban fantasy manuscript when I was 16, and a 70,000 word sci-fi fantasy when I was 17), really helped me improve as a writer. Writing these books—even though I doubt they’ll ever see the light of day—was invaluable experience: they set the foundations for UNTAMED. I can’t stress how much I learnt. And you know what? It’s okay that nothing’s going to be done with these first two manuscripts. I don’t want people to read them! They’re mine.

So, I was eighteen when I wrote UNTAMED. I’d already taken part in NaNoWriMo the previous November, and I’d discovered that hammering out a first draft in a month worked really well for me. So, it was in June 2013 (alas, not a Camp Nano month), when I set myself the challenge of writing a new manuscript in a month. In the last few days of May, I was mind mapping like crazy, trying to come up with an idea. I knew I wanted to write a dystopian book of some sorts, and I wanted family loyalty to play a big part. I also wanted to experiment a bit. So far, I’d only ever written in past tense. I wanted to change things up a bit. So I thought: present tense, here we come! But other than that, I wasn’t exactly sure what else I wanted in this book. And I definitely didn’t have a premise at that point.

But by June 1, I did—thanks to a very inspiring scene from a music video.

Throughout June, I was busy writing. I aimed to write at least 3,000 words each day, and tried to write the scenes in a chronological order. I had a playlist ready to go, and everyday I plugged my earphones in and kept writing. At this point, I didn’t know if my idea would be any good, or what it would evolve into. But the more I wrote, the more invested I became in the characters, and the more I began to understand this new world I’d created.

Within a week, I had a very loose outline written at the bottom of my Word Document regarding how the rest of the book would go, and I was constantly referring back to that for foreshadowing purposes as I was writing earlier chapters.

I was seriously excited writing this. It felt different to my other manuscripts I’d written. It felt new; it didn’t take me long to realise that in writing in present tense, I’d picked up a completely new style. I was focusing on the main character’s internal sensations a lot more, and working in body language too. This made the characters seem more real to me, and so I couldn’t wait for each writing session of the day.

By June 24^th, I had completed the first draft of UNTAMED. It stood at 70,000 words, and I could not contain my excitement. Nor could I let these characters go. From then on, I dove straight into the first draft of Untamed book 2, and then book 3. I even started book 4. I could not write quick enough.

But, by this time, it was the end of August. I was due to start my first year of Uni in a few weeks, and I realised I likely wouldn’t have a lot of time to edit and revise UNTAMED during term time. So, for the last few weeks of the month, and the start of September, I got feedback from beta-readers and edited UNTAMED. And, wow, did I do it quickly. UNTAMED was, by the end of this stage, just over 100,000 words long.

I think having already written rough drafts of the next books in the series really helped me when I was editing. I knew for certain who these characters were having spent so much time with them, and was able to correct any dialogue instantly that didn’t feel quite right. The same with scenes; I could tell pretty quickly if a scene needed more work, which ones needed to go, or if another scene was needed. I was on fire!

By mid September, I’d polished UNTAMED, written synopses of varying lengths, and was sending out queries. In the coming months I eagerly awaited responses. Being young, I didn’t realise just how long editors and agents can take to get back to you, so in December 2013, when I saw that a twitter pitching contest was being held, I took part.

And I got requests from editors who wanted to see the partial manuscript! I quickly sent the desired number of chapters away, and waited with baited breath.

A few weeks later, requests came in for the full manuscript. So far, so good.

In January 2014, two things happened. A small press made an offer, and another gave me an R&R (revise and resubmit) option. After much thought, I decided I wanted to do the R&R option; the editor had sent me all her thoughts on UNTAMED as it stood then: things she didn’t like and ways in which it could be made better. And I could see exactly where she was coming from.

I spent the following month (working around uni work!) revising UNTAMED. I came up with a completely new beginning, per the editor’s comment that the old one threw the reader too far into the action with no space to breathe—and this was a comment that was now regularly making its way into my inbox, thanks to that first round of queries. I also added in a new subplot. I worked to improve my writing, getting rid of as many instances of passive voice as I could find.

And then I sent this new version back. Although this editor didn’t acquire my book in the end, I now had a much stronger manuscript.

And I kept working on it. I had new ideas of things that needed to be improved and included. I worked a lot more body language in, developed my writing style and voice. And I learnt a lot about guns. Firearms play a huge part in UNTAMED, so I spent days and days researching them. I added in the little details that would make it authentic, realistic.

By March 2014, I had a manuscript that I was really proud of it. I began to query this new version. Three months later, I had three more offers on the table from different publishers (as well as the offer from January which was still standing). And, at the end of June 2014, I made my decision. I signed with Prizm Books, the YA imprint of Torquere Press. In August, I heard that Prizm Books wanted to release UNTAMED on May 20^th 2015. I had a release date!

But that wasn’t the end of it! Oh no! Prizm Books assigned UNTAMED to one of their fantastic editors, Deelylah Mullin. And she had so many great ideas of things that were already in UNTAMED that could be developed—as well as a few scenes that were redundant (and this was a good thing, as the word count needed to be reduced somehow). She also spotted quite a few things that needed further explanation too, and we sorted out any unwanted ambiguities in the manuscript. During these editing rounds, we worked together until we were both really happy with the manuscript, passing it back and forth—Deelylah giving me her comments, notes, and edit letters, and me responding to these comments, notes, and edit letters with a lot of rewriting and editing. By this point, UNTAMED was about 92,000 words—though we did decide to put in Chapter One of book 2 at the end, making the whole book 95,000 words. (See, it was a good thing I’d already written first drafts of the next books, as I only had to edit this new chapter, which didn’t take that long!).

This took us to around March 2015. Then all that was left to do was proofreading and galley checks. Around this time, I also the cover for UNTAMED!

In short: the time whizzed by, and then before I knew it, it was 20^th May 2015: release day!

After two years of writing, editing, revising, and more editing, my book had been born!

UNTAMED by Madeline Dyer

UNTAMED, BOOK #1 IN THE UNTAMED SERIES

About Untamed…

As one of the last Untamed humans left in the world, Seven’s life has always been controlled by tight rules. Stay away from the Enhanced. Don’t question your leader. And, most importantly, never switch sides, because once you’re Enhanced there’s no going back. Even if you have become the perfect human being.

But after a disastrous raid on an Enhanced city, Seven soon finds herself in her enemy’s power. Realizing it’s only a matter of time before she too develops a taste for the chemical augmenters responsible for the erosion of humanity, Seven knows she must act quickly if she’s to escape and save her family from the same fate.

Yet, as one of the most powerful Seers that the Untamed and Enhanced have ever known, Seven quickly discovers that she alone holds the key to the survival of only one race. But things aren’t clear-cut anymore, and with Seven now questioning the very beliefs she was raised on, she knows she has an important choice to make. One that has two very different outcomes.

Seven must choose wisely whose side she joins, for the War of Humanity is underway, and Death never takes kindly to traitors.

Published by: Prizm Books, the YA imprint of Torquere Press.

Genre: YA dystopian/fantasy/science fiction

Word count: 95,000 words

Pages (paperback): 314

Pages (kindle ebook): 301

Find Untamed:

Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Waterstones  |  The Book Depository  |  Books a Million  |  Kobo |  Prizm Books  |  Torquere Press  |  Indigo Books  |  iBooks  |  Smashwords |  Hastings Books  |  All Romance ebooks  |  Omnilit  |  Goodreads

Praise for Untamed: 

“From the first line, Untamed pulled me in. This is the sort of book that is incredibly difficult to put down, the kind of book you can fall into and forget the world, forget you’re reading words on a page. Our narrator is a true heroine in a tumultuous futuristic world in which the [Enhanced] Ones are “better, faster and stronger than you.” The premise is unique and engrossing, and by the end of the book I was left wanting more (good thing – it’s a series). As a person who rarely reads fantasy/sci-fi but grew up with it always on the nightstand, Dyer’s book reawakened in me a buried love for the genre.” – Jen Knox, author of AFTER THE GAZEBO.

“Seven is a satisfyingly human main character, whose strength arises not from athleticism or fighting prowess, but loyalty and tenacity, in the face of wobbly self-confidence and the powerful attraction of a superficially attractive lifestyle that’s there for the taking. The other characters are recognisable and individual in their particular failings and weaknesses, and occasional redeeming strengths. The action is plentiful and the pace high as the Enhanced close in – there’s not a lot of stopping to smell the roses. The ending managed to twist and turn [and] left me with no idea of how things might pan out, so I look forward to future instalments in Seven’s journey” – Matthew Willis, author of DAEDALUS AND THE DEEP.

“I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series. […] Seven was really a heroine I could root for – she was imperfect, conflicted, and real. I could identify with her struggle to choose the easy way versus the way that meant more work and pain. Something almost everyone struggles with at one point or another. […] I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes young adult sci-fi/dystopia” – Samantha, Amazon Review.

Madeline Dyer is the author of Untamed, a YA dystopian fantasy novel from Prizm Books (May 2015). She is currently working on book two in the Untamed Series, as well as a new dystopian trilogy for adults. Aside from writing, Madeline enjoys reading, painting, and inline skating.

Madeline can be found at:

http://www.MadelineDyer.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/MadelineDyerAuthor

http://www.twitter.com/MadelineDyerUK

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis: When Mara Dyer wakes up in hospital with no memory of how she got there, or any explanation as to why the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her boyfriend and best friends left her mysteriously unharmed, her doctors suggest she start over in a new city, at a new school, and just hope her memories gradually come back. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere and now she's started to see other people's deaths before they happen. Is she going crazy? As if dealing with all this isn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she's ever seen, can't seem to leave her alone. But does he have her best interests at heart, or another agenda?

Review: I was so excited to read this book. I've heard so many amazing things about it and I've been wanting to read it for what seems like forever...but it was just a little...meh. The premise of this book is so intriguing - I normally quite enjoy books where we have to find the memories along with the character but after reading the book, I feel like the synopsis of the book is quite misleading. Specifically the seeing people's death's before they happen - because she doesn't. She doesn't see people's death's so for me, that was misleading and, when we find out what Mara can actually do it was a little...unbelievable. I think that was my main problem with this book - I couldn't suspend my disbelief for a lot of the things that happened within the plot.

It was quite a confusing book and it wasn't the switching between present day and what happened the day of the accident that was confusing - that was probably the clearest part - the present day plot itself was just so confusing and I'm not sure whether that's the purpose of the plot or not (although I've heard the hype about this book, I haven't read any other reviews on Goodreads or anything so this is purely my opinion) but it really put me off and stopped me from being fully absorbed in the book.

The characters as well, weren't as fleshed out as they maybe could have been. I thought all of the characters were pretty two dimensional - they really weren't real to me. The plot definitely had something to do with that but there was also the fact that I really didn't like any of the characters. There was no chemistry between Noah and Mara really - it was quite a strange relationship to me and I don't think the plot really leant itself to relationship development. Maybe I'd learn to like the relationship if I continued with the series but after reading this I don't think I will. Mara and her family were so dull and I didn't understand why Mara wasn't told about her dad taking on a murder case - it's a completely different scenario than what happened to Mara so why should she be bothered about what case her dad is taking? I think it was her mother that really irritated me the most. She's supposedly a therapist and almost takes on that role for Mara after the accident but she doesn't actually do anything except keep things from her daughter and mix between being completely over-protective and then switching to being completely fine with her daughter suddenly dating. To me, that's just not realistic in any situation, let alone if your daughter has just come out as the sole survivor of a terrible accident.

The whole 'power' thing that eventually comes about in the plot was just unbelievable. I'm guessing it will be explained in the other two books, but as the first book in a series, I felt like there was too much happening to the characters that wasn't explained to the reader, which makes it hard to believe this is happening. Especially from the way this book is set up, it doesn't lend itself to the characters having powers in my mind. In The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare for example, we're introduced to the concept of Shadowhunters and folklore and magic in the very first chapter which sets up the idea that this is a fantasy series and so characters will have powers and magic in some form so when it does happen, it's believable to the reader because it was set up from page 1. In this book, we're not introduced to the idea of something being strange until quite a few chapters in and for me, it took too long so when the 'big reveal' came towards the end of the book; not only was I really confused but I didn't believe it. It just wasn't set up well enough throughout the rest of the book for me.

So overall, the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a let down, especially considering all of the things I'd previously heard about the series. Despite having picked up the other two books in the series from the library, I don't think I'll be reading them because the first book has just left me so confused and disappointed. What did you guys think about the Mara Dyer series? Was it just not right for me, or did you have the same problems as I did?

Image from Goodreads - no Copyright Intended

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis: If I'd known right then that this was the kid that would grow up to break my heart beyond repair, maybe I would've stayed upstairs on the phone with Tess. Maybe I would've gone to bed early. Maybe I would've begged my parents to take me with them - even though those doctor dinners are pretty much the most boring things ever. But I didn't know. Couldn't know. So instead I shrugged and said something really genius like 'Um, whatever.' And proceeded to fall totally, madly, crazy in love. 

Review: I'm not entirely sure what I thought about this one. I mean I did really enjoy it - I breezed through it actually - but something was a little...lacking. And I think it was the character of Brie. I just didn't connect with her.

It started out as a really promising book. Brie has literally died of a broken heart - her heart has actually broken in two. Stuck in the afterlife with Patrick, the guy who looks like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Brie has to work through the stages of death - from denial all the way through to acceptance. From there, things get a little bit...strange? I thought Brie would be someone who maybe wouldn't take death in her stride per say, but wouldn't be overcome with revenge so fast and so much. This need for revenge takes up most of the book and you can tell that she's got everything wrong. Brie makes all these assumptions and it's pretty obvious that she's wrong about them.

I also hated the way she treated Patrick. He was by far my favourite character - he seemed to have a bit of life to him (no pun intended) whereas all the other characters didn't really seem real to me. Brie is horrible to Patrick again for most of the book and it just got irritating after a while because it's obvious he's trying to help her and she just keeps pushing him away so I was quite glad when he just stopped showing up to help her. Unfortunately, Patrick disappearing means Brie is free to make all sorts of bad decisions so it's kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of situation. She won't listen to what Patrick is telling her but she actually needs him there to tell her she's being stupid.

The plot was also a little off for me. We seemed to spend so much time on Brie's need for revenge that all the other plot points seemed a little far fetched. One minute, we're in a city alone with Brie and Hamloaf and then suddenly her dead ex-friend turns up, obviously looking for trouble (but surprise, surprise, Brie doesn't realise). That plot point was really out there and I thought it needed more set up. We spend so much time watching Brie obsess over what she can't change that when we get to the important things like the soul-stealing thing, it just feels confusing because it hasn't been set up well enough earlier on in the book. Likewise the major plot point with Patrick (this is the only plot point I didn't guess until just before it was revealed). All we had to go on was this nightmare that Brie used to have about a motorbike and that was it. There was no set up so it just came out of nowhere which was really disappointing to me because I would have loved to have spent the whole book on this plot point and the history between Brie and Patrick. I think a duel POV would have been so much better - maybe Patrick watching over Brie? I don't know but it was disappointing that so little time was actually spent on what could have been, to me anyway, the entire book.

So while I did enjoy this book there are a lot of things that I didn't like about the book. To me, Patrick was the only like able character in the whole book and the plot needed more work. A relatively quick read but I wouldn't pick it up again.

Image from Goodreads ~ no Copyright Intended

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead



Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires. But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds if far worse. The sister of the Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathising with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

Review: Okay, so I picked this book up at my local library because I've heard so many amazing things about not only the Bloodlines series but also the Vampire Academy series which Bloodlines is a spin off to. This was the only book they had at the library but I picked it up anyway and I'm really glad I did. Despite not having read any of the Vampire Academy series the plot is easy to pick up straight away. There are a lot of references to events which happened in that series obviously because it's a spin off but Richelle explains everything so well that, if like me you haven't read the VA series, you can still follow the plot of Bloodlines.

Bloodlines occurs just after the events of the last book in the VA series with Sydney being torn out of bed in the middle of the night by her dad for Alchemist business. Alchemist's are people who protect humans from the dangers of vampires and Sydney isn't exactly popular with them right now. After helping Rose in the VA series, she's seen as being a vamp lover and her allegiance is called into question by everyone close to her. I loved Sydney as a character - she's tough in her own way but there's a vulnerability to her that made her relatable. She's not used to praise because her dad is so strict and rarely (if ever) praises her and because she's been home-schooled, there's a real naivety in how she handles social situations which leads to some decidedly funny moments. Despite her desperation to not be seen as a vamp lover, she can't help but care for the vampires under her care - and even those who aren't. Jill and Eddie do seem to become like siblings to her in some way, and she really does seem to care about them which is really sweet. What I did love about her was that she is selfless. Her whole life has been dedicated to the cause of being an Alchemist that selflessness is ingrained in her but it's a really interesting characteristic for Sydney to have because it provides so much conflict within the plot - her selflessness to help not only Jill but Adrian as well throws more confusion as to where her loyalties actually lie.

Her relationship with Adrian is brilliant. It's a typical hate at first sight relationship with Adrian being so hot and cold so fast it's actually quite impressive. He's sarcastic and witty and they both give as good as they get but, Adrian shows from the start that Sydney does mean something to him. He overhears Kevin arguing with her and, while he doesn't step in, he does offer some support in his own way. Watching the relationship grow over the course of the book is really interesting but what I loved is that even after we've gone through a few chapters with Sydney and Adrian getting along, Richelle reminds us that their personalities are quite similar in a lot of ways and, no matter the situation, an argument is likely to be close behind the pair.
It was almost heart breaking to see Sydney struggle with her relationships with both Adrian and Jill. She really does try to do the right thing - looking out for Jill's love life and trying to help Adrian stay in college but it always seem to backfire on her and you really do feel for her because we can see the good intentions behind the actions but obviously Jill and Adrian don't until after the fact.

The world building was really intricate. Obviously this world has already been set up in VA but it was still amazing to see how much work Richelle has put into this world to make it believable and it really pays off. The tattoo plot point was really interesting. As an Alchemist, Sydney has a gold 'tattoo' on her cheek which she obviously thinks nothing of, but once she gets to school she finds out that a lot of the kids have paid for similar tattoos to either give them a boost in sport or to just give them a high. When this plot point was first introduced, I'll admit I was slightly sceptical because it did seem a little strange even for a vampire book, but Richelle really made it work. It was intriguing and different and yet it seemed to fit seamlessly into the world that she's built which is something that's quite difficult to achieve.

The only reason this book got 4.5 stars rather than 5 is that it's obvious from the outset that both Lee and Keith are up to something and that Lee's father is somehow involved. While I didn't guess the ending in it's entirety - I didn't guess Lee's background for example - I did know that Lee would show up and would try to hurt Sydney in some way and Keith was just a moot point from the very start. Whether that was intentional on Richelle's part - I think Keith's character definitely was - or not, I did see it coming and, while it didn't stop me from ploughing through the book and thoroughly enjoying it, it was slightly predictable and so this stopped me from giving a full 5 stars.

I would definitely recommend Bloodlines - it's a fast paced, exciting read that is different from a lot of vampire books I've read. I can't wait to read the rest of the series to see what happens!!

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My June TBR

So, long time no see. I'm so hoping that this post marks the start of me getting my reading life back for at least a few months now that life has kind of slowed down a little bit. We have a couple of weeks left in June and there are 6 books that I want to read in that time and here they are.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead: I haven't actually read the Vampire Academy series that this series that comes before Bloodlines, but from the first couple of chapters I've read of this book, I don't really think you need to (although I may be proved wrong). Either way, I've heard amazing things about this series and I'm excited to see what it's like.



The Retribution of Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin: This is another series that I've been meaning to read for a while now and I'm really looking forward to it and to understanding and becoming part of the hype surrounding the series.






The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenburg: I've seen this book for a while now but just never picked it up but I'm intrigued to see what this book is like because if the gorgeous cover is anything to go by, it's gonna be good.



Ultraviolet & Quicksilver by RJ Anderson: I kind of picked this one up on a whim. I actually picked up Quicksilver, not realising it was the sequel to Ultraviolet so I'm just waiting for that to come in at my local library but it sounds really interesting. There's no real blurb to the book which automatically catches my attention and I can't wait to see what this series is like.

So these are the 6 books (the Mara Dyer series is a trilogy - I can count!) that I'm planning on reading for the remainder of June so lots of reviews to post. I'm hoping this will become a monthly thing but I'm not sure it will - it's quite rare to have a stack of books just lying around waiting for me to read them. We will see. Until next time guys


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Top Ten Tuesday

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is the ten books you would love to see as a TV show/movie. As usual, go and check out The Broke and the Bookish and lets get started.

1. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout - so this is kind of cheating because there is an Obsidian movie currently in the works but since we don't know anything about it yet it's going on the list.
2. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - I would love to see these books turned into movies but I would be wary of it if it did ever happen because fantasy films seem to be either amazing or awful. If it was done well though, it would be amazing.
3. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - I'm not a huge horror fan - I'm quite easily scared and as such, I've never seen a horror movie in my life - but this is the one horror book that I would go and see in a movie. Cas' sarcasm would be amazing to see on the big screen.
4. Evernight by Claudia Gray - I think this would actually be better as a TV show. We could spend so much more time getting to know the characters and learning about the school and their lives. I think Evernight would make an amazing TV show and I would love to watch it.
5. Dark Visions by L.J. Smith - I didn't really like the Vampire Diaries as books - the TV show is way better - but this book introduced me to L.J. Smith and I loved it. I'm not sure whether a movie or TV series would suit the books better but either way it's definitely on the list.
6. Angel by L.A Weatherly - This is a series that I completely fell in love with and would love to see brought to life. Alex and Willow's story is so sweet and I love them so much.
7. City of Halves by Lucy Inglis - this is very similar to the Mortal Instruments but I loved this book so much. The characters are so lifelike and funny and I just love it and need to see it in real life.
8. Clarity by Kim Harrington - intriguing plot and characters. I could watch seasons and seasons of this if it was a TV Show.
9. Saving June - the music in this book would make a great movie soundtrack. I'm thinking this would be kind of like If I Stay or Fault in our Stars kind of emotion, especially at the end, with the added bonus of about ten million times more sarcasm.
10. Gravity by Tess Gerritsen - despite the recent movie of the same name and the fact this isn't actually YA, I would love to see these characters brought to life. You really get to see the complexities of a shuttle launch and the added mystery of the disease/organism kept me gripped from cover to cover and I'd love to see this as a movie or TV show.

That's my list - what's yours?

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi


Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: WORLDS KEPT THEM APART. DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. Aria has struggled to build a life for herself outside Reverie. It hasn't been easy adjusting to life in the wilderness, but the struggle has been worth it with Perry by her side. But Perry has other challenges. His people are looking  to him for answers. Answers about what happened to his nephew, and what's happening to their world. And they don't trust the privileged Aria, one of the enemy, in their midst. Soon Perry'll be forced to choose between the tribe that looks to him for leadership and the girl that looks to him for love.

 

Review: I loved this book a lot more than the first. I thought the plot was a lot tighter on a whole than the first one and the issues I had with the timing of information in the previous book were completely gone. This book made me so glad I picked it up in the book shop and forced me to start reading such an amazing series.

 

Aria and Perry's relationship was so much more believable for me in this book. The first book was more about the struggle between the pair as they got to know each other and so the relationship didn't happen till the end and felt almost rushed to me in places. In this book, we pick up in Perry's POV right where Aria left off in book 1 with the two reuniting and from there I just loved it. I thought it was such a sweet relationship and what I loved is neither of them is particularly over protective of the other. Yes they want to look out for each other but, if you think about Tris and Four's relationship - the over protectiveness from both of them leads to trust issues and miscommunication and I really didn't like that in their relationship. Aria and Perry don't do that - they know each other has a job to do (another thing about them, they don't keep secrets which just saves so much time) and they completely respect that.

 

This was a very relationship heavy book. We finally meet the elusive Liv and we get to understand her story a little bit better and understand why she ran from Sable and Roar in book 1. The relationship she has with Roar is so sweet and the friendship she begins with Aria is equally beautiful. Aria actually says in the book that in an ideal world her and Liv would have been good friends and I totally agree with that.

 

What I thought was really interesting though was the fact that, while the book is relationship heavy, the characters don't dwell on it. It's more of a subtle undertone throughout the book. When Aria and Perry are apart, of course they think about each other but they're also completely focused on their tasks. This is something I haven't seen much of in YA fiction but I really loved it. It meant we got to learn more about the characters morals but equally about the world that they lived in. The Tides need a leader and we really get a first hand look at how difficult it is being that leader and trying to keep 400 people happy and earning their loyalty. There wasn't a point in the book where I wanted to skip pages to get to the next chapter which can happen when books focus on the mundane of the world - the struggle to survive - but I was completely hooked. I wanted to learn as much as possible about the characters and their lives and I thought Veronica just wrote the book perfectly. I did also like that Veronica didn't include the good old love triangle. There were hints at it - mainly from Perry when Kirra starts putting doubts in his head but we avoided it and I'm all kinds of thankful for that. I really don't like love triangles.

 

Cinder is such an interesting character. The idea that he can harness the power of the Aether is so intriguing and I love that in this book we learn more about Cinder, his power and his past. In book 1 he just kind of appeared and I really loved that Perry has taken him into the Tides and is trying to help him survive. For a total stranger (who, let's face it, could have almost killed him in the last book) I think it's so sweet. Even giving him a birthday because he doesn't know when his is and I loved him and Willow and Flea the dog (because Willow & Flea are kind of a package deal). I think the Tribe will be really good for Cinder and I can't wait to see what will happen to him in the next book

 

The only thing I found confusing came right at the end of the book. In book 1, Aria tells us that Dwellers can't survive on the outside. She can because her father was an Outsider, but normal Dwellers can't do this - they die. Yet at the end of the book, a number of Dwellers are broken out of Reverie and appear to be fine. A little shell shocked and scared yes but dying? No. So - do Dwellers die on the outside or don't they? This was the only discrepancy that I noticed in the book but with the emphasis put on it in the first book it was quite big. Maybe when I re-read the books, I'll better understand and I'll have missed something but, after the first read this was the only disappointing and somewhat confusing thing I found.

 

Overall, this book was a lot better than the first one. The plot was tighter and the characters so much more rounded and real. I loved getting to see the relationships and world evolve and I can't wait to pick up book 3.

 

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