Crazy Bibliophile and Book Pimp (Not So Anonymous)

Tricky, tricky... how to describe this book #2 without giving away spoilers... well here goes nothing.

First of all, for all those unfamiliar with the series I saw, you are totally missing out on a lovely dose of Torin St. James. Really missing out. Like motorcycle with a bad boy heart of gold kind of missing out. Well, for the first book. That's the tricky thing about memory... take a cocky, alpha bad boy and subtract the 'heart of gold' along with memories and it's a harder task shining up that turd. We get fleeting glimpses of past swoon that didn't completely excuse the present, at least at the beginning... darn, almost caught me. Not going to tell, you just have to check out the transformation yourself.

I was rather pleasantly surprised by the outsider/witch hunt atmosphere of the school. "You're excited about a witch hunt, Alana?" Well, that's not quite right. It seemed REALLY believable to me of the overall reaction of the public (in dealing with the events that occur at the end of book #1, Runes.) Having seen a microcosm of a similar scenario, I really have to commend for showing that dark underbelly of human nature without taking away or overshadowing the overall plot. Bravo!

Another good point, Andris. Never thought I'd be saying that after book #1. I had written him off as a huge cantankerous lost cause, and boy I was WRONG! While I admit, it's a HUGE change of character for him (comparing book #2 to Runes, book #1) but I was so happy and eager for the change from douchecanoe to decent friend. Maybe I'm just easy that way, and eager to see the best in everyone.

It has elements of predictability, but they are really lulling you into a false sense of security. Quite the little twist seems to be the MO for this series as a whole so far. It's a strong installment for the series, but still lacks that *fangirl* extra star. Can't quite put my finger on even one solid reason why, but I am just not as passionate about this series as I feel I could be. All the elements are there, but something is leaving me a hair frustrated. In spite of all that, I am still very keen on continuing the series. I want to fully fall for Torin, I just am hoping I haven't reached the 'right' book yet for him to fully shine for me.

I received an ARC eBook for review from Ednah Walters via As You Wish Tours & Walking On Bookshelves in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.