RATING: 4.5 FRICKIN' HARRY POTTER SCARS

Rise of a Hero is, if I dare say, better than the first book. Although the first book did captivate me, this one was more...promising. More suspenseful. More alluring. I'm on the edge of my bed and I've almost fell multiple times because I'm too caught up in the story, and constantly looking for a comfortable spot without having my arms ache. I love the three main characters Soraya, Jiaan and Kavi. I love them so much, they're officially (and unofficia More...

Finally got this from the library and have used every spare moment with my nose in it. I was not disappointed. It's times like these that I'm glad to get in on an old series so that I don't have to wait for the sequel to be printed. I have the third book in my lap as I write.

I like the bits of magic that seem more like just using your senses more fully and thereby plausible. I like the Jack Bauer moments in the medieval setting that get my heart hammering along with the spy working to keep cover More...

I really enjoyed book 1 of the Farsala Trilogy, "Fall of a Kingdom" and this, the second book is just as good. I liked the way story is rotated through the three main characters, it keeps things interesting. I still haven't decided if I like Kavi or not. In the beginning he was a traitor to Farsala and then after regretting what he had done, he turns around and becomes one of its greatest allies. I do know the other two main characters definitely don't like him.

Soraya the spoiled princess has t More...

A great second book in a trilogy. It was fun seeing the three story lines come together, and the characters' lives got more dangerous, and the choices they made were a lot more complicated. I sped right through this book and couldn't wait to read the third!

Again, as a disclaimer, if you aren't good at glossing over a few swear words, it might annoy you. Also, it IS a series completely about war, so there is quite a bit of battles and death (again, something I start to gloss over if it looks like More...

This Book was a great read. This gave a great story that spent a lot of doing and not a lot of explaining. I never got bored of this book because of the cycling of story's(The warrior,The thief and The noble). This book had a great pick up from the last book. But what i found amazing is that from the release date of book #2 and the ending of Book #1 match so it feels as the story continued as if you were never gone. The author didn't spend a lot of time explaining the characters which is annoyin More...

As I said in my review for book one in this series, I sided more with the conquering army than the home team. In Rise of a Hero we discover that the bad guys have conquered the land, and our heroes are trying to do whatever is needed to take back what was once theirs. That means heavy travelling and fighting, both things that I don't like. This may be more a matter of taste than a critique of writing ability, but I found this novel to be awfully slow. I didn't like the characters enough, or care More...

With the fall of the deghan cavalry, Farsala is all but taken over by the invading Hrum army except for small pockets of resistors who are working independently. The acts of all the resistance are credited to a legendary hero. Jiann is trying to train one group as soldiers; a former Hrum spy is now working for the Farsalan resistance;, and the commander's daughter is working with a third group. As the groups come to be aware of each other their efforts improve but there is an aura of mistrust be More...

Even better than the first one and hard to put down. Thanks to this book my dishes have gone undone and there is most likely a load of laundry mildewing in my washing machine.
The story gives one lots to think about as far as questioning what one is willing to give up in order to gain something. How does loyalty really work if you disagree with your team's way of doing things? It also happens to go nicely with my current attempt at reading Aristotle's Politics.

I loved the book and the series in itself, but then again I'm a fantasy nut and I love nothing more than a good action/fantasy. The plot is interesting and it keeps you coming back for more. As usual there are spots where you start to get bored but as long as you keep reading it stays interesting and the plot gains momentum like a ball rolling down a steep hill. If you like fantasy stories I would highly suggest that you read this book.

This book continues where the first one left of fairly well, keeping up with the characters as their clash becomes a little more epic with the conquest of their land. I liked it almost as much as the first one, but here I think some pacing problems started to pop up. The plot just progresses too slow, and while the characterization is still the strong point, I spent a good part of the book sort of wishing for them to get on with it.

Better that "Fall of a Kingdom" it´s kinda predictable that Farsala won´t actually succumb to the Hrum empire but she makes the characters better people by evolving them (you can actually appreciate their evolution) so it makes it more interesting and now I really want to read the third and final book because ahe´s made three books where there could perfectly well only be one!! =)

The story moves on in this from where it was left in Fall of a Kingdom but it kinda drags in between at many places. Its an interesting read, it does cross over into the boundaries of fantasy world with small subtle magic stuff. Its an interesting read & my only gripe is that a few pages could've been cut down & this book could've been made a bit fast as per the story rather than dragging along unnecessarily multiple times.

book 2 - not bad, not great - a little young. good enough that i will read the next. the good thing about these books is that the characters are learning and becoming better people - thank goodness! i hate it when a character doesn't learn anything from their experiences. are 3 characters from the beginning of the 1st book are all back together now.

Interesting character development and growth in all 3 of the major characters. Once again there ia a glimpse into the different levels of society from the haves to the have nots. A bit shocking how many parallels can be drawn with our current society here in the good old US of A! Am looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy.

These books are hard for me to get a handle on. While I love the premise and the ideas, not to mention the world, the writing throws me off. It's somehow superficial, like the author is trying too hard or wants to rush through it so it turns out blunt and hard to digest. And the characters are too generalized/cliche for my liking.

This book was kind of like the middle time between the beginning of the war and the end. Soraya showed a great deal of courage in the book, and I adored it when she finally met the Suud, because she fit so well with them. But, although the plot was fantastic, the writing was poor and lack-luster, and almost boring.

The second book in the Farsala trilogy, doesn`t disappoint. The magic in Farsala is not wand-waving nonsense. The reader is not supposed to know that there is no Sorahb, but the author fails and any semi-intelligent person can figure that out. But overall a great second book in the series.

Just as good (if not better) than Fall of a Kingdom. Actually, I like this one a bit better. My favorite character is still Kavi, but Soraya is super close and Jiaan is too. Super good read though! We sooo need to go to the library cuz we don't own the last one, Forging of the Sword, and I need it!

This was a fun read but way too much the middle book of a trilogy. A lot of plot but nothing really getting wrapped up.

Some of the character development and some of the plot elements were really good, almost enough to make me give it 4 stars anyway.

This book is even better than the first one. I don't have much to say, other than I'm quickly falling in love with author Hilari Bell, and I'm making a special trip to the bookstore tomorrow to get the third book. One of the best YA series I've read in awhile.

My review for this and Forging the Sword can be found here.

I definitely enjoyed this book as much as the first volume. The interwoven legend of Sohrab is a nice touch. An interesting take on how the characters grow and change due to the invasion.

Excelent. Exciting all the way through. Full of twists and turns in the plot that no one saw coming. The perfeect sequel to a wonderful book. a surprise ending that leavs you wanting more.

I liked this book a lot. The balance between Jiaan, Kavi, and Soraya was well-struck, and the way their three plots interwove was masterfully done. Soraya could have been an annoying character, but she wasn't - her arrogance, her "deghan's heart," kept her from being too idealized. Kavi's double-crossing added quite a bit of tension. But Jiaan stood out, for he not only had to take care of himself, he was responsible for an entire army. I enjoyed how he was an honorable hero,, but with blind spo More...

I forget how much I love this book until I start reading it, at which point I stay up way to late to find out an ending that I already know.

I love the character development in this series. You come to like the main characters, even the traitor.

This one was better than the first. I love the 3 main characters and their "coming of age" experiences.

Started this series by borrowing a book from my nephew. Good young adult read! I liked it too.

Clever, clever, clever! Bell is at the top of her game with "Rise of a Hero," returning to the characters you've grown fond of and exposing new depths until you're irrevocably in love. Her political insights—intrigues, and strategies—are nothing short of brilliant. As is Bell's speciality, both the readers and the characters are forced, again and again, to reexamine themselves and why they believe what they believe. Yet it is done in a way that leaves you wanting more.

An exciting, clever, thou More...