Earth, not so very long from now: the silent, inscrutable alien visitors who bathed the planet in transforming rains have moved on, leaving behind a world much changed.
Penn Roma, age sixteen, is blessed—or cursed—with supernatural talents she has always concealed. Her sisters, likewise afflicted, are prisoners of the Commission, the government agency tasked with controlling these strange children. Penn’s determination to save them only gains urgency when she learns of the horrifying plans the twisted Warden Dodge has for the peculiar charges.
But Penn herself must remain hidden, navigating a series of fantastical havens with her embattled allies, similarly enhanced teens also in the Commission’s crosshairs. Worse, her vast, half-understood powers have become unpredictable, failing at critical moments and activating outside of her control.
Can Penn trust a rogue warden, supposedly opposed to Dodge’s schemes, to help free her family…or has the Commission set its most nefarious trap yet?
L.J. Hatton is a Texan, born and raised. She sometimes refers to the towns she’s lived in by the movies filmed in them, and if she wasn’t working as a professional pretender, she’d likely be holed up in a lab somewhere doing genetics research.
She is also the author of Sing Down the Stars, the first volume in her Celestine series.
Ah...book two in a series. I've somehow done it again and jumped into the middle of a series. This does not appear to be a series that it is easy to jump into right in the middle. The biggest problem is understanding who the characters are and their relationships. It was clear that I was missing something as I went through the book.
Not too far into the future, aliens have visited the earth but have since moved on. Unfortunately, they left behind some rains that aren't the normal rains the earth has seen before. Penn Roma is a sixteen year old girl. She and her sisters have supernatural abilities that they must keep secret or face harsh retribution from the government. In fact, the government has an agency devoted just to seeking out people like Penn.
The beginning of this book really caught my attention and had me interested in the people and what was happening. And the last fifteen percent of the book was a wild adventure that also really had me. But the 60-80% in the middle? Not so much.
I'm sure it is because I hadn't read the first book and I didn't understand the characters, their motivations, and the world in which they lived, but I didn't really understand what was going on. I was lost and because of that, I was bored.
This is definitely a common trait in publishing today - to publish books as a series where each book is treated like a chapter or a portion of a serial and you must read the whole thing to follow what is happening. It's great if you can hook a reader with the first book, but it's dangerous when a reader picks up a later book and the writing doesn't really fill the reader in.
The parts that I enjoyed, I enjoyed quite a bit. But it wasn't enough - the story not compelling enough and the characters not interesting enough to make me want to go back and read the first book or care enough to be on the lookout for the next one.
Looking for a good book? Call Forth the Waves, by L. J. Hatton, is the second book in a YA dystopian future series and unless you've already read the first book, you probably won't care much for this second book.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I get that after the events in the first book there would be emotional difficulties dealing with everything, but the first 60-70% of the book felt like them wandering around, depressed and hopeless. Sure, there were a couple battles with the bad guys in there and constant tension of them being found, but I was too exhausted to care. At least the end of the book ramped up and things happened, but most of those decisions didn't feel earned or even wrestled with well enough. To cap it off, it pretty much ends in a very cliff-hanger kind of way. I still kind of want to know what happens, but I don't think I want to read the next book to find out.
Call Forth the Waves had a slower beginning than the first book in the series, but packed in more information about the Touched and how the Commission worked. It added some grey areas for characters that were strictly known as good/bad in the previous book and added some hints for bigger twists later on in the series, which I have some ideas of what will happen.
Although I was disappointed with the second book, I'm glad I persevered, because this one was a doozy. We learned so many answers about Pen and her family. I was reading late into the night wanting to find out more. I can't wait to get into the next book.
I received a copy of this for free through Goodreads First Reads
I think I really need to go back and read book one. I felt a little lost at times since I didn't really know the characters. But other than that it was an enjoyable story.
Really good. In my opinion better than the first one. I grew a little tired halfway through the first book, but this one kept my hooked until the very end. Definitely worth a read!
Like this one better in a lot of ways- we have expanded our group and some of my suspicions have borne out. Even so, I still don't know where this is going or where it might end...
Makes you sit on the edge of your seat. Waiting to see what will happen next. Well written the emotions and energy of the characters leap off the page.
**I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I knew it. I knew Hatton would do this to me... She left me hanging. Again. O.M.G. I need the next installment now. Like, yesterday. The cliffhanger in this novel must lead to another. If it ended this way, I would pull my hair out. No, it must be a cliffhanger. I just wish I knew when the next installment was coming out. So Hatton really struts her stuff in this novel. At this point we (the reader) are used to the story world (a mix of steampunk and fantasy, thriller and science fiction). We've gotten close to our Celestine, Penn. We've seen her transition from the ringmaster boy to the harbinger of doom. She's powerful and elemental and an all-around badass. I'm a big fan of my main character. The depth in this story is amazing: we see the puzzle pieces slowly fit together and learn a little more about the history, the Wardens, and the Commission. And I love my Siren, Winnie. She's got the power to make someone do whatever she wants but uses it sparingly. I feel we are closer than ever to knowing what happened to Magnus Roma (did I mention it's also a mystery as well? I guess I left that out...). ★★★★★. All day, every day. Sing Down The Stars was a little harder to get into because it was the beginning. I'm all in now. Call Forth The Waves was a journey I was more than eager to take. Total recommendation from me. Love the characters, love the action, love the twists and turns. Love the tech. Absolutely love the slogan, "Bring The Rain." C'mon Hatton: bring the rain. Bring it. Now. (In book form. Please.)
Somehow I managed to not notice that this book was second in a series when entering the giveaway. I felt early on like I was missing something. Some vital piece that makes me really care and connect with the characters. I usually don't do books out of order so it's a very real possibility the problem is me. lol I would love to get my hands on the first book because there is real magic here. I just wouldn't recommend it as a stand alone. I'll probably have more to say after reading the first book. I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
20 aug 16, 1st from hatton for me. the celestine series book 2. it happens. jumping into a series out-of-order. oh well. how'd i come to be here? that, i know. reading on the kindle, you open it up, turn it on, screen lights up, there's usually an ad. this story is one of a few i've purchased like that now. the price was right. 'reduced' i think...could be wrong, regardless the price was right. rain all day today, too. good day for pickling, bread & butter pickles, dilly bean, pot full of green tomato that i'll bottle up tomorrow morning after they set the night.
I love books that are well written with a good plot and wonderful characters. This book transforms reality but keeps you guessing. The twists and turns never disappoints. It's a whole new universe. I can not wait for the next book.
I absolutely loved this book and the twists and turns in it. Great character development and the characters are amazing. I highly recommend this series.
I just devoured this book in a day. Another sequence of events that keep you guessing...and an ending that will have you looking around like "What just happened?! And when is the next book out??”
Another venture into Ms Hatton's Celestine world. And like the first in the series, this is one exciting ride after another. This new world is drawn in such vivid colors that it's hard to put the book down. And when you get to the end, you'll be wondering, just like me, when the next installment is coming out!
I did not like this book nearly as much as I enjoyed the last one. The plot was extremely slow and I felt as if the characters were going in circles. For every issue they encountered, the characters dealt with the same internal problems and feelings. I also had an issue with how long it took to get to what was supposed to be the central plot of the book. It wasn't until the last 50 pages that it was even addressed. That really bothered me for some reason.
On the bright side, I really enjoyed the creativity that was the flying city. I liked the connections it had to the main characters and how it tied in to the plot.
The only reason I finished the book was because I was so intrigued by the first one. I wanted to see what happened and if the author would redeem themself by the end. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I will not be reading the next book.
I LOVED this book. The touched children mythos deepens and we get to see more of Penn and her roguish band try to outwit the commission. I love that we are getting back stories on many of the other characters and that the conflict gets more complex as we go. Even though I correctly predicted the last chapter's events, I am not sad by this but happy that I saw the crumbs that the author put forth. I am so hoping that book three is out soon because I need to know what happens next!