2017-11 Sequels - The reviews

[Lyn (Readinghearts)]

It's time to break out those Sequels, read, and review. Was it as good as the first book? Better? Not as good? If it is not the last in the series, did it make you want to read more? Do you consider the book a true sequel?

At any rate it is time to clear our shelves of some of those books that we have been meaning to get to right after we read the first one. Have fun! And remember, To be considered for the January shelf picker you must post a review in this thread.

In addition, I am starting something new this month: A discussion question that will go with the shelf for the month. So if you get a moment, pop over to the Monthly Discussion thread and give your opinion.

Happy Reading!

[D.G.]

I read , which I rated 4.5 stars. The absolute best of the series! Cletus is one of the most unique heroes in romance - he's so freaking hilarious!

I'm really looking for the next in the series...when it comes out in audio!

[Joyce]

I read Tempted by P.C. Cast which is the 6th book in the series.
Review: The beginning of the book was a bit abrupt. No explaining what happened before. They assume you are reading these within a short period of time one after another. By the middle I was enjoying it more and remembered what had happened. The ending was very abrupt and had a huge cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers now I have to read the next one to find out what happened. I will do so but probably not too soon.

[Elvenn]

I read Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter #2) by Jeff Lindsay and I liked it more than the first one (but my opinion may have been affected by reading book one right after watching the tv series).

In this book Dexter realizes he has aroused the suspicions of Sergeant Doakes, who decides to become his shadow. The Dexter in this book is still the darker Dexter of Darkly Dreaming Dexter- not a hero, but a killer that enjoys what he does with a complete lack of empathy- and with that in mind, we start following him in his routine, sharing in his numbness, grimly wondering not if but when the situation will escalate. To this we add the threat of a serial torturer, the new dynamic between the main characters after the events at the end of the first book (different in the tv series) and the added complications of having a girlfriend with two kids. And if that wasn't enough, while he navigates the hard times Dexter even makes a few discoveries, one of which gives the story "another turn of the screw" (and one that won't agree with many readers).

Rating: 5 stars

[Rosemary]

I read The Jackal’s House, which I didn't have when planning for this shelf because it was only published on October 30th. It's a steampunk male/male romance, a sequel to The Gilded Scarab.

It's set in an alternate 1901, in London (called Londinium) and Egypt (called Aegypt). One of the main characters is an archaeologist. There was a ton of fascinating detail about the dig, but it was all worked into an exciting plot. There's also a weird political system, which I won't try to explain but it made more sense to me in this book than in the first one, probably because it was integral to the plot this time.

A really good sequel, perhaps even better than book one. You'd want to read book one first, though, because it follows the same characters.

[Marina]

I read The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith.

This book is definitely wordy but, notwithstanding that, it's a page turner. After the first half I just couldn't stop reading.

However, I felt it went too much into useless detail sometimes, and I'm not thinking of the description of the corpse. That one is gory, but in that case going into detail is not useless, quite the contrary in fact. But, for instance, who cares about the people who travel on the tube together with Strike? I appreciate that describing them might add to Strike's thoughts, but I don't think we really need to know all of his thoughts. I mean, just give us what is relevant to the story. I appreciate the author wanting to create context, but sometimes it was too much detail where it wasn't needed.

Other than that, I thought the solution to the case to be quite unbelievable, not because of the murderer (although I would never have suspected that person), but because of the process behind the unveiling. I mean, it's a very convoluted way of thinking the one that got Strike to understand the murderer's identity. I didn't find it likely.

Another last complaint would be the rushed ending - after you've read more than 400 pages, I think you as a reader are prepared to read some pages more if that means a better understanding of how the culprit came to be discovered, the logic behind Strike's reasoning. I would have liked more depth on that account.

However, the book earns 3 stars because I liked reading it, I couldn't put it down. (The first one in the series was much better, though).

[Lyn (Readinghearts)]

I have finished one of my sequels, Darkness at the Edge of Town by Jennifer Harlow, the second in her Iris Ballard series.

Although I enjoyed the first book in the series, Beautiful Maids All in a Row, I think I liked this one better. In this one Iris goes home to help her mother get her brother out of the clutches of a cult. I found the description of the cult leader, the cult members, and the workings of the cult fascinating. Since this book deals with a cult, there is a lot more of the psychological in it and less of the physical, which I enjoyed. I also thought that the central characters were becoming more developed, which I liked.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Charity]

I read Scarlet and was immediately hooked back into this story. I even recommended the series to my tween girl (it's relatively clean and free from adult content. She is now hooked too and since she isn't stuck ready 4 other books will probably surpass me in the series.

The books in general take a futuristic sci-fi view on traditional fairy tales and additionally interweave the stories into each other as each sequel progresses. Scarlet take the story of Little Red Riding Hood and twists it into an intense, action-packed story that I couldn't put down (and neither could my daughter). In general I think this is a great series and look forward to the other books in it!

[CluckingBell]

I listened to the audiobook of Go Set a Watchman. Its questionable path to publication is common knowledge, so suffice it to say I read it out of curiosity about a writer's process rather than expecting a continuation of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird—and knowing that Lee didn't even want it published, it bothers me when people use GSAW to bolster criticisms of TKAM. (Plus, being in the throes of NaNoWriMo right now, I'm very aware of how little correlation there is between an unpublished manuscript and any eventual published work derived from that germ of an idea. Characters and plot are always malleable and fluid. You cannot draw a straight line from one work to the other.)

That said... Ugh. Nothing about this book left me glad to have read it. The first 3/4 was clunky with regard to style, character, and plot—I'm not sure it deserved to be published, but I feel that way about many books published today, and it's nice to know Harper Lee wasn't perfect. The last 1/4, while still clunky, was at least what the rest was (ineffectually) building up to, focusing on a young woman disentangling her own identity from that of her father, who it turns out is not the man she thought he was.

My biggest problem is I have no idea what Harper Lee intended with it. If TKAM were the perfect culmination of the thought she started with GSAW, I would feel much better; that would mean she scrapped the latter because she knew it was not getting her point across and I wouldn't need to guess what that point might be. I could stick with TKAM and put GSAW out of my mind (and continue despising HarperCollins).

But what if GSAW was saying what she wanted it to and its point just happens to be entirely different from TKAM? That would bother me, because I did not like many of the points GSAW seemed to be making. It read like a strange (and unconvincing) apologia for white southerners' racism, brushing off a long and troubled history with arguments about states' rights and the implication that everyone had been getting along just fine until black people, who were already a tremendous drain on society (as argued by even the most forward-thinking character in the book), started being impolite and offending white folks' sensibilities by demanding equal rights. And I just don't know how much of it, if any, was ironic—or a bad idea well expressed, or a good idea poorly expressed.

Overall, I found it a bit sickening, and while I believe that literature should challenge the reader, knowing the history of this book I was not certain that revulsion was the intended effect. I did give it two stars for managing to wind me up so thoroughly, but I feel like TKAM has always gotten me wound up for the right reasons—like compassion and letting your moral compass guide you even if it draws the ire of your peers—but GSAW? I'm kind of mad at the book itself. I found nothing elevating about it.

[Christina]

Finally out of my funk! For this month I read Hallowed. It is the second book in the Unearthly series. The book was good and I enjoyed it but it has started to head in the love triangle direction, which drives me crazy in most books. I don't know why so many hit the second book and the author is suddenly like, "Need more drama, throw in a love triangle!". In this book's defense it did at least pick on itself over the triangle. Overall, the book was still good but I have some concerns about where the third may go due to this turn of events.

[Bea]

I read some that would fit this month's shelf (Eighth Grave After Dark (reviewed in last month's thread but finished this month), Magic Burns 4*) and some that looked like they would but were only shelved as series: A Rule Against Murder 4*, Flesh and Bone 4* and Birds of a Feather (currently reading).

Regarding the last three, one was shelved "series - sequels", which makes me think that person is as confused as I was about the two words.

Regarding the discussion of series and sequels, Birds of a Feather seems to fit as a sequel, although no one has shelved it as such. The personal story of Maisie continues to be developed and revealed even though it is not the main focus of the story...rather the back story.

Now to a review for this month: Magic Burns. I love this paranormal urban fantasy. Of course, there is a kick-ass female (Kate Daniels) and a shapeshifter interest (Curran), who is powerful. In this book, Kate is dealing with goddesses and gods or ancient Ireland who are trying to become alive in this world. She must enlist the aid of the Pack and witches to fight for the life of a young girl and save her world! Just the sort of book that I can root for the heroine, understand her internal conflicts, and find hope that all will work out in the end...her world saved, her love interest advanced...and my world less stressful. I mean how can my life be stressful compared with Kate's! This is escape reading, fun, inventive, and delightful.

[Klela]

I read A Clash of Kings by George Martin
Martin created an addictive world with gorgeus and great characters. You have to know what happens next, you can't put away the book and go to bed, you have to read another chapter and see what happens to your favorite character....Wonderful!

[D.G.]

CluckingBell wrote: " I'm very aware of how little correlation there is between an unpublished manuscript and any eventual published work derived from that germ of an idea. "

That's why I have no interest whatsoever in reading this book. I really think that Harper Lee didn't intend to publish it when she had all her marbles exactly because of what you explained above. This is no "sequel" to TKAM - it was just a different story with the same character names! From what I've heard, Atticus is a completely different person and this isn't how it works IRL - good people don't devolve as they get older, unless there's some mental illness involved.

[D.G.]

Christina wrote: "Finally out of my funk! For this month I read Hallowed. It is the second book in the Unearthly series. The book was good and I enjoyed it but it has started to head in the love tria..."

This is why I haven't read this book because of the love triangle...although unlike most YA, this one makes sense to me.

Anyhow, this is on my TBR on the list of series to finish soon. :)

[D.G.]

I've DNFed after listening about 3/4 of the book. I just can't take the heroine. I don't know how this book made it to the finals in the GR choice awards for romance...

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I read Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich

In this installment, Stephanie is after a guy who thinks he is a zombie and trying to keep her grandmother from flying off to Florida to meet her newest beau. Diesel makes an appearance so Stephanie has to juggle him, Ranger, and Morelli. I will continue to read the series as long as the author continues to write them. The only criticism is the book ended rather abruptly.
5 stars.

[Susan]

The sequel I read was Broken Harbor, by Tana French. I confess I never really thought about the difference between a sequel and part of a series before, and this would fail that test: what ties this story together is that the protagonists of each book are all part of the same murder squad. But it was still a good choice for me, since I enjoy the series.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

The sequel I read is Days of Blood & Starlight. This is the second book in the series. I really liked the first. It is a fantasy with angels and demons and the main character was raised by demons. She falls in love with an angel. The second book is the aftermath of their relationship. I read the first book awhile ago so I had to get back into the story.