Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Essence (The Pledge #2)

by Kimberly Derting (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 1,451 ratings · 225 reviews

“Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to C...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published January 1st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2013

28th out of 953 books — 6,473 voters

Can't Wait Books of 2013

67th out of 1,840 books — 9,790 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 02, 2013 Hannah-Linn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-sci-fi

I don't know....just didn't like it?

24 likes · like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Laura Newcombe marked it as to-read

Update: 4/03/12
COVER. YUMMY COVER.

Kimberly Derting is the new James Patterson of young adult. What has she written, like, 50 books this year? It sure feels like it! Now she's going to be punching out another series alongside The Body Finder. Crap. Why can't this woman just write standalones? Darn overachievers...

19 likes · like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Book Flame marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013-must-reads, 2013-releases, 2013-favorite-covers

The cover is so gorgeous...I can't wait to read The Essence but 2013? such a long wait. I hope they change the date.

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 13, 2012 Hayden Casey marked it as own-it-to-read

That cover is just amazing. I need to own that and hopefully I'll get an ARC that matches my PLEDGE ARC :)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 12, 2013 Kimberly Derting rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Because wouldn't it be weird if I gave it less than 5 stars?

28 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2012 Tamaella rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was quite a good book that I give a solid three stars. Prior to reading this book in the Pledge series I had not read the first book yet. I decided to go ahead and read this book without too much knowledge of the first. Surprisingly, this book, The Essence, basically stands on its own as I don't think you will be confused at all about things that happened in the previous book. The characters placement in this magical new world is effortless due to the colorful descriptions that bring each c...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia

They get on the train. They get off the train. They get on a horse. They get off the horse. They get on the boat. They get off the boat. They arrive at the castle. They leave the castle. They get back on the boat. They get back on the horse. They get back on the train.

Somebody tries to kill her repeatedly, but they're not very good.

Nothing else happens.

Seriously. I really wanted to enjoy this one, since I liked The Pledge, but I just couldn't do it. The romance was lacking, there was too much...more

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2013 Hylary Locsin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Now that she is settling into her newfound role as the queen of Ludania, Charlie is struggling to cope with unrest in her troubled kingdom. The caste system that used to strictly divide the country by language has been abolished, and Charlie, Max and Brooklynn are trying to ensure that the transition to equality goes smoothly. Unfortunately, not everyone in Ludania is thrilled about what Charlie h...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Now that she is settling into her newfound role as the queen of Ludania, Charlie is struggling to cope with unrest in her troubled kingdom. The caste system that used to strictly divide the country by language has been abolished, and Charlie, Max and Brooklynn are trying to ensure that the transition to equality goes smoothly. Unfortunately, not everyone in Ludania is thrilled about what Charlie has done. Threats against the queen are uncovered on a daily basis, making Charlie fear for the safety of her family, especially her younger sister, Angelina. Charlie’s biggest threat, however, is not something outside the castle walls, but lives deep inside of her: the essence of the evil queen Sabara, the one Charlie supposedly killed to become queen, is trapped in Charlie and wants nothing more than to get out. The longer Sabara’s spirit lives within Charlie, the more their thoughts and memories become linked, and Charlie soon realizes that there is much she didn’t know about the former queen of Ludania. What do the dreams of Sabara’s previous lives mean? Why does Charlie find herself drawn to a mysterious strange, Niko Bartolo, from a neighboring kingdom? Can Charlie keep the presence of Sabara’s essence within her a secret from the people she loves?

Following the popular first installment in The Pledge trilogy, veteran author Kimberly Derting continues her latest series with The Essence. Beginning shortly after the events of the previous novel, Charlie, the vendor’s daughter turned queen of the kingdom of Ludania, finds herself in a series of increasingly dangerous situations. Her people aren’t as crazy about her as she’d hoped they be, it seems like someone is trying very hard to kill her, she’s not that into being treated like royalty, and the spirit of the evil queen Sabara, who also happens to be her boyfriend’s grandmother, is living inside of her. A lot of Charlie’s spunk that was present in the first novel is absent in the wake of all of these challenges, turning her from a likable leading lady to a bit of a whiner. Things go from bad to worse when Charlie is sent to a summit where the queens of neighboring kingdoms meet to discuss official business and try to out shine one another. Charlie doesn’t know the etiquette that the other queens have had years to learn, plus her trip is especially rocky considering that someone really wants her dead. Much of what was enjoyable about the first novel, the dystopian nature of Ludania, the caste system, Charlie’s budding romance with Max, is completely absent in the sequel. While The Essence isn’t necessarily a poorly written or “bad” story, it’s drastically different from its predecessor, making it unclear if fans of The Pledge will like it. For readers who don’t mind the story veering off from a mix of adventure and dystopia into full on fantasy territory, The Essence will prove to be an entertaining read. For those who aren’t into battles, commanders, armies, and dead queens, however, the likelihood of enjoying the novel enough to pick up the third and final installment is slim.

I seem to keep being disappointed by sequels to novels that I really loved and, unfortunately, The Essence is yet another sophomore slump for me. The Pledge was a really interesting and entertaining story, with the language-based caste system, Charlie uncovering her role as heir to the throne of Ludania and her relationship with Max. In The Essence, Charlie is now a bit of a brat, whining constantly about all of the issues she has to deal with as queen. The plot is also slow and never seems to pick up a lot of speed at any point in the novel. I hope that the author can turn the series around with an excellent third novel, but I’m sorry to say that my hopes aren’t very high.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 Jeanbooknerd rated it 5 of 5 stars

The second book to Kimberly Derting’s Pledge series, The Essence, continues the compelling story of Charlaina after defeating Sabara and taking her place as the Queen of Ludania. Adjusting her new life as queen and having the class system eradicated, she realizes that there is still conflict in her kingdom and even threats to her life. Invited to a summit with Queens from surrounding countries, she learns of the dangers that lie outside her kingdom walls. She’s struggling to keep a kingdom toget...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Justine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, books-i-love, fantasy, young-adult, magic

3.5 stars

You know, I did not realise that this was a 'dystopia' novel until halfway through the first book. The whole plot could just as well work in a high-fantasy setting. As a fantasy-dystopia, I would really like to know-- even just a passing mention, of how the world came to be composed of queendoms. That was the only thing that was nibbling at the back of my mind while I was reading The Essence.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed The Essence. Despite the lack of exposition about the w...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Three Stars: A good middle book, but not much plot advancement.
Charlie is struggling to come to terms with her new duties as Queen of Ludania. She tires of everyone, even her best friends, referring to her as "Your Majesty". She longs sometimes for the return to the simplicity of her old life. Yet, she has risen to the occasion and taken a firm hold on the throne. With her rein, she intends to bring peace, prosperity and equality to her kingdom. No longer are the citizens divided by class and la...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Christina (A Reader of Fictions) by: Blythe

Shelves: sadie-hawkins

As anyone who has read my review of The Pledge knows, I was not a big fan. I had absolutely no intention of reading the sequel, but such are the joys of the Sadie Hawkins feature. Blythe wanted me to read this, so here we are. On the plus side, I didn't dislike The Essence the way I did The Pledge, largely due to the decrease in romance, but I still don't think this series is particularly impressive.

One part of The Essence is super cool, and that is Charlie's relationship to the queen she displa...more As anyone who has read my review of The Pledge knows, I was not a big fan. I had absolutely no intention of reading the sequel, but such are the joys of the Sadie Hawkins feature. Blythe wanted me to read this, so here we are. On the plus side, I didn't dislike The Essence the way I did The Pledge, largely due to the decrease in romance, but I still don't think this series is particularly impressive.

One part of The Essence is super cool, and that is Charlie's relationship to the queen she displaced. At the end of The Pledge, Charlie took over from Sabara, but, in so doing, Sabara's essence became part of Charlie. Now, Charlie can here Sabara's voice in her head, and dreams Sabara's memories. In moments of weakness, Sabara can even assume control of Charlie's body for brief periods of time and sway Charlie's emotions.

The interplay between Charlie and Sabara is fascinating, and it's the sort of mindfuckery that I appreciate greatly. Charlie can never be entirely trusted, and her feelings can be hard to separate from Sabara's. I like, too, that Sabara becomes a bit more complex and sympathetic here than she was before, as Charlie dives into her memories. Similarly, Charlie becomes more interesting as Sabara's presence in her mind starts pushing her into a crazy, evil direction. Charlie's character arc reminds me of Anakin slowly sliding into Darth Vader, which is awesome.

What made me dislike The Pledge so was the pathetic, illogical world building (which is still weak) and the romance, which is nauseating. Thankfully, Sabara messes with some of the fairy tale perfection of Charlie's relationship with Max. Even better, they're hardly together during the course of the book. The few romance scenes that do transpire are pretty cheesy and eyeroll-inducing, but are kept to a minimum.

For the most part, though, the awesome mind stuff aside, there's really not a whole lot that happens in this book, other than Charlie being an utterly crap queen. Though I admire Charlie's goal of removing the punishing social hierarchy, she does so in a really stupid way: all at once. Nor does she have the infrastructure prepared to deal with backlash. Surprise, things don't go well. She spends the whole book ineffectually running from an assassin and trying to avoid having to go to her queen lessons. Despite skipping her lessons and remembering the few she attended, she is praised by everyone, except the ones who want to kill her, for her marvelous queenship. She's just speshul that way.

The perspective largely follows Charlie in first person, but does switch to a couple of other characters in third person limited. I'm rarely a fan of this technique, and this is no exception. The reason she's done this is because Brooklynn, Charlie's friend and the head of her guard, split up for much of the novel. Still, I find some of the perspective-hopping entirely needless. For example, there was one scene from the perspective of the mole in the guard, intended to add tension, but that could have been conveyed just as effectively by someone finding the body. I'm a firm believer in not hopping into a perspective just once, and, if she needed both Brooklyn's and Charlie's, going with first person on both would seem a wiser choice.

All told, I wouldn't say this was a terrible book, but I still really can't personally recommend this series, because there's so much better out there to be read. A resounding meh to The Essence.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 Paige Fornwalt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I loved this book. I liked it a tad bit less than The Pledge, but I still loved it a lot.

The basic plot consists of Charlie adjusting to life as queen. It is established pretty quickly that, though she's abolished the class system and given freedom to her subjects, there is dissension in her kingdom and threats on her life. She's also invited to a summit, where all the queens from surrounding countries mingle every year. And in addition to the external dangers, Charlie faces an internal struggle...more I loved this book. I liked it a tad bit less than The Pledge, but I still loved it a lot.

The basic plot consists of Charlie adjusting to life as queen. It is established pretty quickly that, though she's abolished the class system and given freedom to her subjects, there is dissension in her kingdom and threats on her life. She's also invited to a summit, where all the queens from surrounding countries mingle every year. And in addition to the external dangers, Charlie faces an internal struggle too, as Queen Sabara's Essence threatens to take over her mind.

The action in this book seems a bit more intense than the last book. While The Pledge had a big climax at the end, the rest of the events seemed almost insignificant, with Charlie just trying to survive and protect her sister and her secret. In The Essence, more was at stake. Charlie has to survive each major attack because she has things she wants to accomplish. She has a whole country she's trying to protect. She's also a bigger target than she was in the last book, so the danger is more imminent. All in all, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

As for the romance, it was a far cry from The Pledge. I'm going to refer to The Body Finder series, like I did in my last review, for this part. The main character, Violet, had already secured Jay as her boyfriend in the first book, so in the second book, the romance was far less steamy because the chase was over. I thought this would be the case in The Essence, but Derting sidestepped that by having Max absent for much of the book. When he was there, the romance was fine, but other than that, not much to say.

The major qualm I had with The Pledge was predictability. It didn't bother me as much in this book, but it was still there. We learn in the prologue that a queen is out to get Charlie, and I didn't guess which one mostly because they were all thrown at me so fast I didn't have time to really distinguish which was which. So the predictability problem was replaced with a characterization problem. The other big mystery, who was a traitor in their group, was easy to solve just because so few new characters were introduced into Charlie's circle.

The struggle for power inside Charlie's head progresses subtly and naturally. Sabara interferes with Charlie's thoughts just often enough to remind her she's still there, but not so often that it's easy to keep tabs on how powerful she's becoming. She surprises Charlie a few times, proving that she lays dormant on purpose, which is even more dangerous than if she was constantly trying to take control. I predict this plot point will be far more pertinent in the next book, and I look forward to it. In The Essence, it got off to an intriguing start.

One thing I have to mention is how much I love Derting's writing. Her prose can be absolutely musical. I often found myself halting my reading to marvel at a phrase or a line, with some of the best being used to describe the cold weather. A couple of examples: "'I've waited so long,' Niko said on a crystalline puff..." and "...and filling me with apprehension so cutting I'd shivered." Those are just a few I found when flipping through, but there are countless others. I love reading things like that.

All in all, this book was almost as hard to put down as The Pledge. The only thing that kept this book from being as good as The Pledge was the lack of romantic interaction, which I feel is one of Derting's greatest strengths. I don't think we'll see romance in this series as captivating as in The Pledge because the chase for Max is over. However, the exciting action and internal struggle made up for the lack of romance and really kept this book moving at a satisfying pace. The language was divine. A great read, and I can't wait to see what happens next!(less)

like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Chev E rated it 4 of 5 stars

After the supposed defeat of the evil Queen Sabara, Charlaina is now queen and has installed a New Something-or-other in her that represents freedom in her kingdom. No longer are the classes separated by tongue, school or work-everybody is now equal (except for the fact that there's a queen of course). However, now everybody is happy with this new regime, and some would like to go back to the days of free labor and superiority. While trying to deal with the threat of rebellion, Charlie is also i...more

like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Leann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013, review-written

The Essence picked right up where The Pledge ended. I really enjoyed reading The Pledge but I have to admit I enjoyed The Essence so much more. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out who was the person that was behind the betrayal, and once it is discovered I was actually surprised, very well written and played. I think that Charlie is less sure footed than she was in The Pledge but I think that is rightfully so being she is not in her element and she is trying to find...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternating-pov, dystopian, ghosts, historical-fiction, magic, owned, politics, swapped, 2013, 3-stars

The Good

Sabara. I love the internal struggle Charlie has with Sabara. Sabara's past is wildly interesting, but I wish there was more focus on her. I am hoping the final book will give more insight into the evil queen's past.
The terrorists. Equality seems all well and good to most people, but every time huge changes happen in a government you are going to have at least a small group of people who don't want change and like things the way they are. The presence of terrorists in the book fighti...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 Frishawn Rasheed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-2012, dark-and-delicious, favorites

While it is true that Sabara and now Queen Charlaina are linked. That doesn't seem to pose the eminent danger that one might think. It seems that more than a few people are not too happy about all the changes that are being made since the young queen has come to power...and people are dying.

Couple this with the fact that Charlaina is trying to balance the girl that she was with the royal that she is becoming. There is a maturity in this book that was not there in the first read. Not so much so t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Tiffany Chin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Mar 03, 2013 Najla rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, read-in-english, reviewed

If you need some kind of proof that having an inexperienced eighteen-year old girl as a QUEEN with yet another eighteen-year old girl as The Commander of The Armed Forces is such a bad BAD idea then read The Essence, it's proof enough.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Rariny rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

May 04, 2013 Honor rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd say this book was not as good as the prequel, The Pledge, but it was still a good read - if an irritating one at times.

I got very annoyed with Charlie for not just telling her friends and family that she hadn't gotten rid of Sabara, it actually made me love/hate the book. On one hand, it's a great story line and I like the characters, but on the other Charlie's decision not to tell anyone influenced the book greatly and got on my nerves every time there was a situation in which Sabara was i...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Laine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, dystopia, young-adult

Continuing the story of Charlaine and her triumph over Sabara, Charlie is now Queen of Ludania.

She is learning things she would never have learned in school.

She is learning how to ride a horse...beastly things.

She is learning how to curtsey and the different meanings of hello.

She is learning how to take charge when all she wants to do is crawl back to her father for help as she did when she was little.

She is also learning more about love.

She's also learning that Sabara isn't really dead...but...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Siobhan rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this sequel to The Pledge we find Charlie is a very difficult position. Not only does she have to keep Queen Sabara in check, but she also has to deal with an uprising in defense of her new rules.

I absolutely loved this sequel because it had everything in it, action, adventure and love that is pushed to the brink. Charlie is a very flawed character and that is she ois relatable, even if the situation is something we as readers can not comprehend. She is young and asked to do things that are n...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, favorites

Wow is nearly all I can say after reading this outstanding sequel to The Pledge. I recieved The Essence free through Goodreads FirstReads, and I was ecstatic when I got it in the mail. After reading The Pledge, I couldn't wait to see what happened to Charlie and her queendom. As much as I enjoyed the first book, The Essence is ten times better. If you haven't read this series, start. If you have, be prepared to laugh, cry, and throw the book across the room in frustration when you read.
The Pled...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 fennie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, scifi, things-that-make-you-go-hmm

this book wasn't terrible. but it took a REALLY long time for anything interesting to happen...like past 100 pages. i even considered putting it away because the plot seemed so slow and boring. and i still don't feel particularly connected to charlie. i actually preferred the random intermittent chapters about brooklynn and aron and the assassin...there was more mystery and breadth to those chapters than the silly musings of a child queen who can't seem to become queenly or keep sabara out. ok t...more

like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Kaitlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

This was a pretty good book... But I must say I enjoyed The Pledge more. Part 1 was pretty boring and part 2 was not too bad. I loved part 3 though. The whole complexity of Sabara and Niko and Charlie and Max was good. I also liked the points of view from Brooklynn as well as her little romance. I think that if the author wanted to add a little suspense she could have made us wait a little (like until the next book) to see how Max's feeling ended up being for Charlie instead of the epilogue reve...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Renuka rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of the Seven Realms series

Shelves: checked-out, adventure, cliff-hangers, diff-pov, dystopia, european-literature, fantasy, fav-couples, favorites, magic, my-fictional-boyfriends, romance, to-review, villain-love, young-adult

I definitely liked this one much more than the first, and I liked the first pretty dang a lot. I think this one was just more in depth.

The Plot: For one, the plot was more developed rather than simple revolution and finding your true identity. This time, Charlie, Charlaina, has to deal with the pressures of being Queen while still having the last Queen in her head. It mainly rotates about Chalie's growing concern with rebellions around the city against her rule and abolishment of the class syst...more I definitely liked this one much more than the first, and I liked the first pretty dang a lot. I think this one was just more in depth.

The Plot: For one, the plot was more developed rather than simple revolution and finding your true identity. This time, Charlie, Charlaina, has to deal with the pressures of being Queen while still having the last Queen in her head. It mainly rotates about Chalie's growing concern with rebellions around the city against her rule and abolishment of the class system, while also preparing for a meeting between Queens at the annual summit. I like that the world-building was more developed and explained, and we got to see beyond the walls of Ludania.

The Characters: Charlie on a whole was progressing well into her role as Queen even if having trouble with the horses. She made some great changes in the city while facing opposition and was mature, but then again, she is still having trouble with Sabara. I love Sabara. It's weird but I loved her even more in this book, especially after getting more insight into her life as a child and well...stuff. She is just so ancient, twisted and evil, but then under that is just this little girl who went to the beach. And then of course there is Max, who is absent for a major part of the book, but is still adorable. Finally, the supporting characters are all absolutely wonderful and you love them and just want to keep them safe although you cant always. Brooklyn, Aron, Zafir, Angelina, Xander, and Eden along with Avonlea, Florence and Neva are all so precious.

The Romance: I guess it's getting a little more complicated here. And very interesting. Seems like Sabara's got an old beau. Haha but that's her old love life. I'm not saying anything more on that matter. Charlie and Max are happy enough, if a little stressed about the events in the kingdom.

The Style: Ludania was greatly expanded by Derting and she made sure that all the political shenanigans are far from over. Plus all the different perspectives are great and keep the story moving in all directions. Furthermore, the Queens powers and the supernatural aspect of the story are also being explored.

Overall: Nothing is dull and everything is intense. Sabara's threats are far from over and Charlie has to deal with heaps of responsibility. It was a continuing struggle to mesh the newfound identity and the old identity of Charlie and her fights against dresses and "Your Majesty"ing, with the ancient, evil of Sabara mixed in. I could see that things were not going to be easy for Charlie, but with the support of such wonderful characters, I know she'll be fine and I cannot wait for the third book.

See more reviews at: http://thedepthsofpages.blogspot.com
(less)

like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

So after hating The Pledge so much, I for some sick twisted reason, decided to read the next book in the series The Essence . This book is divided into 3 parts. Part one was total filler and I hated it as much as it's predecessor. Part two I found tolerable, but by part three, I was actually even a bit intrigued. However, it was one of the most predicable stories I have read in awhile. If you look at my status updates, you see several predictions I made as I was reading (and I had more I didn...more So after hating The Pledge so much, I for some sick twisted reason, decided to read the next book in the series The Essence . This book is divided into 3 parts. Part one was total filler and I hated it as much as it's predecessor. Part two I found tolerable, but by part three, I was actually even a bit intrigued. However, it was one of the most predicable stories I have read in awhile. If you look at my status updates, you see several predictions I made as I was reading (and I had more I didn't comment on) and all of them, yes all of them turned out to be true. Perhaps that is actually why I was intrigued in part three, I was just waiting to see if my theories panned out. The author just made it way too obvious who Niko and Sebastian were going to end up being.

Like the first book, this one was written in way too many POVs. Most of it is told from Charlies' perspective, but we get a chapter, or even a few of them, from several other characters as well. It bothered me that their chapters were in third person and Charlie's was in first person. I complained about all the crappy metaphors in the first book, there wasn't many in this one. So that was an improvement. Like the first book, all the action here was contained to part three, particularly the last 50 pages or so again. I was pretty bored for the couple hundred pages prior to that.

I don't have much to say about the book honestly, it was just kind of there. I guess I will take some time to comment on some issues I had with the characters.

Charlie- She goes from poor vendor girl to reining Queen pretty much over night. Far fetched and unlikely to make so many changes to the country and be loved or hated by the people so fast.

Brooke- She goes from being a normal, flirty girl in book one to freegin commander of the Queens army in this book. Huh? WTF?

Aron- So you have been hanging out with these two girls your whole life and all of sudden you realize you love one of them? And one that treats you like crap at that. I don't get how one minute people are friends and the next lovers. It is really unrealistic to me.

Niko- He just seemed too nice, too understanding. I mean I guess he has gone through this a million times, but usually it's Sabara in full, just in a new body. This is a teenage girl and she's in control. I dunno, his whole interaction with Charlie was just weird to me.

Max- He forgave Charlie, way too fast. He says he needs time after watching her kill 4 men, bad guys yes, but still. Then goes on to forget all about it and make out with her right after. She had been keeping Sabara a secret for months, ergo lying to him. Not to mention she had just made out with Niko.

The Queen Charlie killed - How did she know that Sabara was in Charlie but none of the other Queens did? I suspected someone at the Summit would find out, but why this particular one? Also, why does the Queen who basically ordered the hit on her want her dead? There is really no explanation for it besides possibly wanting to take over her country.

I know there are more things that were ridiculous, too obvious, or extreme filler (what was the purpose of the Avelena character or the dude who raised her and his slow son?)but since the book didn't really stick with me even though I just finished reading it less than an hour ago, I can't really say any more than that. (less)

like · see review

Jan 18, 2013 Jessi Courier rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-series

So I probably should have reread the first book before I started this one because I was a little lost in the beginning. However, I did enjoy the read once I was familiar with the world again. I thought the story progressed at a steady pace, but I didn't feel like anything really happened. This book seemed to serve as the bridge between the action in the first book and the action in the third book (assuming there will be a third book). Overall, this book did provide more character development for...more

like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Oceana Fern {Assorted Insanity} marked it as maybe-read

Shelves: cover-lust

That cover is simply delicious.

Mmm. :P

3 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Audiobook?	1	5	Jan 03, 2013 03:06pm
SO CLOSE!!!!!!	3	25	Dec 31, 2012 11:34pm

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Science Fiction > Dystopia

90 users

Young Adult

82 users

Fantasy

52 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

29 users

Romance

24 users

Fantasy > Magic

20 users

Science Fiction

9 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

7 users

Young Adult > Teen

6 users

Mystery

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Asunder
by Jodi Meadows
Breaking Point
by Kristen Simmons
Dance of the Red Death
by Bethany Griffin
Untitled
by Tahereh Mafi
Rise
by Anna Carey

About Kimberly Derting

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (coming Summer 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless...more

More about Kimberly Derting...

Books by Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Essence

1 trivia question
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Essence

“Charlie?" he said, pulling mme back to face him. "I do love you." My breath caught on his words . . . words I'd waited so long to hear.” — 17 people liked it

“ In the privacy of my dreams, I'm a warrior.” — 7 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Essence
avg rating	preview: The Essence Goodreads rating: 3.73 (1451 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12631512-the-essence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343178392l/12631512.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12631512-the-essence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Essence by Kimberly Derting[/url]

The Essence (The Pledge #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website