4/5 stars
Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2013
324 pages
YA Paranormal Contemporary
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Last year, I read Burn Mark, a tale of witchcraft set in an alternate version of our own contemporary world. In that book, posh Lucas and chavvy Glory discover their abilities and set out to negotiate what those changes mean for their lives in addition to battling a larger plot against witchkind. Some of the things I liked most about that book were both main characters, which seems to be rarely the case; its clever incorporation of magic into our world; and its London setting. I wasn't sure what to expect in this sequel but I knew I wanted to read it.
Both Lucas and Glory are struggling with exactly what their powers at their young age means. Lucas' father's ambitions are diverted while Glory's coven is in disarray with witch terrorism continuing. A lead from a posh school in Switzerland sends them off to South America to discover if it's possible to remove the witch from a person and to prevent more violence and chaos.
My favorite part by far was the section at the school. It's a school for (rich) young people whose powers have manifested but have so far escaped official notice from the government. They can hide out here and be safe from prying eyes. I am pretty obsessed with boarding school settings as well as just schools in general so it's probably not too surprising that this was the part I loved the most. Not that I didn't like the other parts, just this one seemed tailor made for me.
I felt like this book really deepened the characters of Glory and Lucas, the latter who is especially conflicted about his magical abilities whereas Glory is struggling with her legacy and her long gone mother. These characters are also still deeply sympathetic and fun-I still like both of them just about equally. They're teenagers who sometimes act above their years but at other times, fall prey to their emotions and vulnerabilities. They seem very realistic for living in such a fantastical world.
Overall, I think this is a very well-done series with excellent characters. I do hope there will be a third book to build a trilogy.
Cover: Got to love how it matches the first book!
The deepening of the characters make this sound like a good sequel
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated that-some sequels just put the characters through more hurdles instead of deepening our understanding of them.
DeleteI haven't read Burn Mark, but like you, I'm mildly obsessed with boarding school stories, so I think that part of this story will likely be my favorite as well. I just never tired of schools for the magically gifted:) Definitely need to check out book one, thanks for the lovely review!
ReplyDeleteI was so surprised and pleased to discover that element here (it's not present in the first book). I really wish there had been more time spent there.
DeleteI haven't read these, but I love Bloomsbury books! I'll try to fit these in over the summer!
ReplyDeleteJen @ YA Romantics
I quite like Bloomsbury books too-I'm tracking publishers this year (inspired by you) and expect that Bloomsbury will come out pretty high.
DeleteNICE, I like that this one really digs in and works at developing both Lucas and Glory. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit, so I definitely want to read this one at some point. :)
ReplyDeleteMolli | Once Upon a Prologue
Hope you get to it-looking forward to your thoughts!
DeleteI wanted to do a witch challenge this year but ultimately decided against it because I didn't have any books in mind. I'm definitely interested in this series. Enjoying both characters is rare. I usually fall in love with one or the other.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really cool idea! Ghost stories and witchcraft stories tend to be my favorite kinds of paranormal so I'd have an interest in that.
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