Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon, #2)

Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)

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3.91 of 5 stars 3.91  ·  rating details  ·  5,942 ratings  ·  217 reviews
The second dazzling installment in Patrick Carman's masterful Land of Elyon trilogy

Alexa thought her troubles were over when she defeated the man who had threatened to bring down Bridewell from within. But now that the walls around her land have fallen, a new, unexpected threat has risen from outside. Suddenly, Alexa is involved in a battle much, much larger than her own l
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Hardcover, 221 pages
Published September 1st 2005 by Orchard Books
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Alisha A.
[SPOILER WARNING]

After enjoying the first novel in the series, The Dark Hills Divide, I continued on to Beyond the Valley of Thorns. While the writing, characterization, and world building stood up, I was disappointed with how the plot turned into a kind of Bible fanfiction without so much as a drape of subtlety. Carman did good by using "Seraphs" (Seraphims) as names for his giants rather than "angels", but overall the God vs. Satan (Elyon vs. Abaddon) bit was too in-your-face for me, to the p...more
Megan
The main character, Alexa, and her friends are back in the sequel The Land of Elyon, and although this one has more action, the imagery is a little gross in places. Returning to her favorite chair in the library approximately one year after the death of Warvold, Alexa reunites with an old friend and receives a letter that sends her back out into the lands beyond the wall, and into more danger. Again, she faces up to a long and perilous trek, living on dried meat, fruit and nuts, until she meets...more
Jessi
From School Library Journal:
Grade 4-6–Mystery and adventure entwine in this second book in the series. Alexa and her odd companions (two men, one of whom is two feet tall; a squirrel; a wolf; a hawk; and a giant) share suspenseful and horrific experiences, such as escaping the Black Swarm (hundreds of deadly bats) and running from zombielike ogres on flame-covered hills with only jagged rocks and the Lonely Sea below. Dangerous scenes such as these lend excitement and fear as the group attempts...more
Jennifer S
FOr a kid's book, this book has lots of characters and getting into some complicated plot. It is a fun quick read though. THis one ended with a big cliff hanger, so I will have to get the next one soon. Alexa Daley is off on another adventure, but this time it was assigned to her by Warvold. One year after his death she is told to search for something in a far away place beyond her homw and the valley around it. She gathers a group of friends along the way and works towards defeating Grindall -...more
Leslie
After The Dark Hills Divide, the first book in the series, I didn't think anything more could be said or made better. When I found out it was only the start of a great series, I looked with excitement for the next book. Finally, years after reading the first book, I laid my hands on Beyond the Valley of Thorns, and I was not disappointed. Although these are meant for younger readers, I loved the story and the characters. I was amazed by the amount and level of Christian themes and truths present...more
Crystal (Elegantly Bound Books)
I really enjoy reading this book series. Although they are children’s books, they are really exciting. In the first book, Alexa had to find her way outside of the walls to find one of the few remaining Jocasta (a gem with microscopic writing on it that when worn allows her to talk to animals) so that the animals and her can help warn her people about the attack of the convicts. Also, by bringing down the walls they no longer have to live in captivated fear and are given the freedom to roam about...more
Ival Crisp
Beyond the Valley of Thorns, Patrick Carman's sequel to The Dark Hills Divide, is a fast-paced, enjoyable, and much darker read than its predecessor. The Land of Elyon is a very mysterious place, and readers of the first novel are only too aware of this. Many of these mysteries are revealed in Beyond the Valley of Thorns, yet even more remain unsolved. Readers learn about the history, tragedies, and the balance of good and evil of this troubled land. As much as I am fond of the first book of the...more
Jaemi
Another year has passed, and Alexa is pleased to be going back to Bridewell for the summer. Though her father has a strict litany of rules for her to follow, she fully intends to get into at least a little trouble.

Upon her first visit to the Library, she wistfully dreams of escaping through the secret tunnel out into the wild, but she knows it’s not possible, now that the tunnels are patrolled. Naturally, when she hears a knock on the wall behind her, she’s therefore quite alarmed. When she open...more
Cathy
Nov 28, 2010 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Cathy by: Library kids
Second in a series -
Alexa thought her troubles were over when she defeated the man who had threatened to bring down Bridewell from within ("The Dark Hills Divide"). But now that the walls around her land have fallen, a new, unexpected threat has risen from outside. Suddenly, Alexa, as the "chosen" one to help good defeat evil, must venture beyond the Valley of the Thorns with her new friends, confronting giants, bats, ravenous dogs, and a particularly ghoulish mastermind in order to bring back...more
Holly
2009 #30: This is the second book in The Land of Elyon series. Unlike the first book, The Dark Hills Divide, this one didn't fit as a story on its own. Beyond The Valley Of Thorns just continues straight into The Tenth City, the third book in the series. Like many movie trilogies, I found this second part in the series to be less satisfying than the other parts.
Susan
Land of Elyon #2--Alexa returns after a year's absence since the walls of the city had been torn down. She has an unexpected visit from Yipes who had a letter from the deceased Worvald. This letter sent Alexa and Yipes on a new adventure beyond the Valley of Thorns. They are joined by old friends and new ones. They meet giants who are evil and rotting and must breach a tower where someone (perhaps Renny, Warvold's wife) is kept captive. A surprise twist at the end plus the knowledge that the adv...more
Haley!!!!!!! :)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Adara B.
I really like this book, though not quite so much as the first one. I really liked the ending however, especially with (SPOILER!!!) Alexa found Warvold and Renny in the dungeons, ALIVE!. I liked the whole series so much that I read it whenever I'm bored. It's my go-to book when I've read so many books that I'm out of books (only temporarily). However, this series seems to be the only books that I like that Patrick Carmen has written. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy...more
08jaimev
Summary: In this sequal to the first book in The Land of Elyon series, Alexa Daley find herself in the carridge with her father riding back to Bridewell for once again another summer. Since the events of the previous summer, Alexa finds herself eager for more adventure once again with Yipes, Murphy and a very special spot of light, in the most comfortable of chairs, in a worn library, where the adventures began. Things are now a little different, not meaning the jelly faced old friend that still...more
Amalia
One of the best things about fantasy books are the surprises and mysterious ways in which the history of the story can be rewritten. Unfortunately, I can't say anything more without ruining the book for you.

As always, I find second books more difficult than firsts. The beginning of a series usually has all of the fun, lighthearted magic. It draws you in and makes you feel safe yet interested and curious about the world the author has created. We often don't really meet the bad guys until book 2....more
Aleetha
Setahun setelah kejadian yang melibatkan para narapidana, Alexa dan ayahnya kembali ke Bridewell. Tak banyak yang berubah dari kota ini termasuk perpustakaan tempat yang paling disukainya. Bahkan kursi empuk, tempat ia menghabiskan waktu sampai masih berada di tempat yang sama. Tempat inilah yang ia kunjungi sehari setelah tiba di Bridewell

Buyi ketukan tiba-tiba terdengar ketika Alexa baru saja hendak menekuni buku yang dipilihnya dari rak. Bunyi ketukan berulang –ulang itu ternyata berasal dari...more
Keshia
I sped through the second book at a much higher rate than the first. One, because the world has been a lot less stressful, and two because the story and action in this was just so much more pulling and enticing that I could not put the book down. There is a definite improvement on the writing style and you can really tell the maturity in Alexa, not just because the journey she is on now is so much more important than the last but because she has a strong purpose.

There' not much else there is to...more
Janeen-san
Alexa has just arrived in Bridewell for the summer. The first few days are quite, as she gets reacquainted with old friends. Soon, however, a new adventure arrives: a message from the late Warvold! Alexa and Yipes embark on a journey through the tunnels to recover the last Jocasta, a stone that allows the holder to communicate with animals. It seemed Warvold had plans for more than just Alexa and Yipes, though--they soon encounter a former convict, by the name of John Christopher, who journeyed...more
Areeba
The second book in this series was a bit different from the first one because it jumped right into the story/action. This time Alexa doesn't waste anytime lingering around in Bridewell, she goes out on her adventure right away. I didn't like that at first because I would have liked to be reintroduced to the other characters (her dad, Nicholas, Grayson, etc.) but once the adventure started, I pushed that aside. We're introduced to new characters too like John, Odessa, Grindall, etc (view spoiler)...more
Jessica
The author did so well with his bedtime stories of book 1 that he was able to write books 2 and 3. However, these books didn't have the same light-hearted feel of the first one. The book still feels like something a dad would tell his girls at bedtime, but now the stories are more random and seem less thought-out and put-together. Still, I enjoyed reading the books, and they were short enough that I have no regrets spending time on them. But unfortunately, not as fun as book 1.
M.
Book 2 of the Land of Elyon series. In Book 1, we're introduced to Alexa and learn of the problem about to descend upon her world. In Book 2, Alexa goes out to combat the evil directly. She joins up with various animals and unusual people to combat Abaddon and his evil minions, with lots of action and excitement. This is a good fantasy series for girls about 4th grade and up.
Book Elf
This surprised me in the end. Wow. While I was reading this, it reminded me the Bible, scriptures in Genesis and Apocalypse. So it was really exciting for me. I liked to be reminded of those. When angels where fallen and married humans they created Giants. It's like that. And the one who wants to usurp God because of jealousy..who else, but the devil himself.

Very adventurous feat for a 13 year old girl. And I like it.
Dan
Poorly written, contrived, and ridiculous. Mr. Carmon's chronology and internal logic are incompatible with those he established in The Dark hills Divide. He even changes his mind about some things halfway through the book. It seems like he was too lazy to go back a rewrite previous chapters to maintain logic and chronology. I don't think I'll finish the series.
Jenben8426
A great bedtime story book for when my kids are a little bit older. Continuing from Carman's first book in the series, Beyond the Valley of Thorns continues the story of Alexa Daley. The walls have been torn down, but instead of feeling a great sense of freedom Alexa is starting to feel exposed and that a great danger is coming towards her. When her friends from a previous adventure come back to get her, Alexa becomes involved in an adventure to save the Land of Elyon from a great evil.

This book...more
Elevetha Houre
2 1\2 stars. Pretty boring. It was all right but certainly not anything special. What is up with Alexa being chosen by Elyon since the very beginning as the person to save everyone? Her destiny and all that. More annoying than epic in my opinion. I ended up buying this and the first one at Half Price Books for $1 each. So that was a good price but I'm not sure I would have spent much more on this.
Edisty Friskanesya
Surprisingly lebih seru daripada buku pertama. dan secara ide, keren ya Patrick Carman ini ngeplot petualangan si Alexa. Pada buku pertama, kisahnya tentang pemberontakan pada sebuah kerajaan Bridewell, hanya sebagian kecil dari daratan Negeri Elyon. Lalu pada buku ini, kita dihadapkan pada konflik negeri Elyon ini. WOW aja gitu..
Tapi tetep, cara pengarang mengilustrasikan tempat itu ngga enak dibaca. Maka dari itulah, tetap dua bintang untuk buku ini.
Emilyanne
A good sequel and fun kids book to read out loud.
My kids liked listening to me read from it out loud but I would have been happy reading it to myself as well. It's silly and exciting and a good fantastic fairytale story.
Recommend to anyone who hasnt lost their inner child. :)
Shelly
This book, i felt, was even better then the first.Though the first was still amazing.These books are so cute,while being erie.Patrick Carman did an amazing job with these books.He put the perfect amount of everything,resolving to a super delicious book for people all ages to anjoy.
Sherami
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kitti
Grace and I just finished reading this (together). I thought it was okay but Grace really liked it and can't wait for us to begin the third book.

I was surprised at some of the gruesome descriptions but they didn't upset Grace. So take from that what you will.
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Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)
Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)
Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)
Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)
Mas Alla Del Valle De Espino / Beyond the Valley of Thorns (The Land of Elyon #2)

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I have been a lifelong writer and storyteller. Salem, Oregon is where I spent my formative years and I graduated from Willamette University. After college, I spent a decade living in Portland, Oregon where I worked in advertising, game design, and technology.

I've written young adult and children's books for Scholastic, Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins P...more
More about Patrick Carman...
The Black Circle (39 Clues, #5) The Dark Hills Divide (The Land of Elyon #1) The Tenth City (The Land of Elyon, #3) Skeleton Creek (Skeleton Creek, #1) Into the Mist (The Land of Elyon 0)

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“after allthe events of the previous summer he was more prtective then ever,and i whanted to be sure i knew the rules i'd be likely to break once we arrived in bridewell.” 6 people liked it
“I watched the night sky with it's countless stars and its moon, and I wondered about the universe and all that had been created, why the stars and the moon rose at night and the sun in the day, how vast it must be, how I could never understand the infinite measure of its size.” 2 people liked it
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