Age: 16+
Plot Development: A+
Character Development: A+
Favorite Quote: Unfortunately can't put it because it would ruin the biggest point of the book
ALI DEAN DOES IT AGAIN!! I really wanted to make some sorta skiing or snowboarding pun there but it would end in a wipeout - unlike this book. Anyways, if you're counting this is the third book I've read by Ali Dean and can I just say it is insanely hard to find a new author to 100% get behind? I'm not sure if it is the same for you guys, but there will be a period of time when I will have a couple of authors that I'm absolutely crazy about and then there will be a dry spell where I'm waiting for my next literary obsession. For example, J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer happened...then dry spell...Suzanne Collins and Sarah Dessen...dry spell....Cassandra Claire and Kiera Cass...Sierra dessert kind of dry spell...then Richelle Mead and Anna Todd....then another dry spell. At this point I was whole heartedly convince my literary well had run dry and my favorite author list was done for. But fear not, along came Ali Dean!
So if you read my last blog about Black Diamond and are now reading this one to see if the series is really worth the read - YES IT IS!! If you've read the first book and want to see if the second book is worth the purchase YES IT IS!! But really though...if you've read this first book and aren't immediately clicking "buy" for the second one, I'll pray for you and your sanity.
Quick recap for you, Roxie basically went from newbie at Stark Springs, to the top of the food chain, thanks to her strong moral compass and the hold she has on Ryker. Now Roxie isn't sure if she wants this power. Even though she has Ryker by her side, he does come from a completely different background and set of values. You get to delve almost straight into Ryker's history and figure out why he is the way he is.
Ryker and Roxie have to navigate the turbulent waters of dating and under unusual circumstances as well. After all dating when you're a teenager is difficult enough as it is because you're trying to establish your own identity but add training to be an Olympian on top...not the easiest. We know Ryker isn't the typical American teenager, but as the story goes on you find more and more secrets he is keeping. How Roxie put up with him...I haven't got a clue.
This book is like nothing else out there. Ali Dean takes you on a ride and although what happens in this book is like a soap opera...it doesn't feel cheap or like the same old soap drama. There are moments where you will sit there and thing W T F(udge)!! Yet another masterfully written novel that gives a better understanding of these complex characters.