Author: Ruth Fox
Publisher: Hague Publishing
Rating: WORTHY!
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a review copy kindly sent to me by Hague Publishing. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review. The chance to read a new book is often enough reward aplenty!
This is the sequel to the very excellent City of Silver Light, but whereas the first volume was told from the PoV of main character Jake, this one follows Keira Leichman, the feisty, soccer-playing girl from the first volume, who's a friend of Jake with a hint of perhaps something more?
Normally I don't go on about book covers in my blog, because it's all about writing, and writers rarely have any say in the cover their book gets lumbered with when they go the Big Publishing™ route. In this case, however, I have to again commend the cover which is painted by Ruth Fox herself. Another keeper! And Kudos to Hague Publishing for knowing when it has a good thing going with the book and the cover!
The author did everything right here. Changed the PoV, gave us a female perspective in place of a male, took us from our world to the City of Silver Light, and gave Jake's younger brother Daniel a look-in. I liked this novel because of all of these changes, but between this and the first volume, I preferred the first. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because there was no longer the big mystery once we entered the other world? Maybe I expected more mystery?
There was some mystery, so it's not like it's devoid of anything like that, and I liked the story very much in general, but I felt I wasn't getting enough of the other city and the people who populated it. I think this is why I felt that I liked this a bit less than the first volume. I would have liked to have learned more about the citizens of the other world than we did. I'm guessing that's what's going to be revealed in the third volume of this trilogy.
That aside, I really liked Kiera. She is brave, adventurous, strong, feisty, self-possessed, and the way she cared for Daniel was endearing, so I recommend this novel as a fun next step in the trilogy.
Many thanks to Hague Publishing for a chance to read and review this novel and its companion.
