Helpful Score: 3
This is a sequel to RESENTING THE HERO---while it can stand alone, you would have a better understanding of the world of Sheilds and Sources if you have read the preceding book. I enjoyed the story, but it didn't have the action and adventures of the first, but Moore is a very good writer and creater of worlds and I look forward to reading more of her.
Helpful Score: 2
Sequel to "Resenting the Hero."
This book has "middle of a trilogy" (or second in a series) written all over it. There was more character development, but at I never got that truly finished feeling from the plot. Part of the conflict has been left unresolved and other parts were quick to guess. There's plenty left hanging for another installment.
Characters are definitely Moore's strong suit, and her world building is solid as well. I noticed that in the first book and she's kept it up through this one. While I felt the plot of this second book was a bit slow to start and then too crammed at the end, I'd be interested to see where she goes with this storyline just because of Lee and Taro! I'm very glad not to have either one of their mothers, though!
This book has "middle of a trilogy" (or second in a series) written all over it. There was more character development, but at I never got that truly finished feeling from the plot. Part of the conflict has been left unresolved and other parts were quick to guess. There's plenty left hanging for another installment.
Characters are definitely Moore's strong suit, and her world building is solid as well. I noticed that in the first book and she's kept it up through this one. While I felt the plot of this second book was a bit slow to start and then too crammed at the end, I'd be interested to see where she goes with this storyline just because of Lee and Taro! I'm very glad not to have either one of their mothers, though!
Helpful Score: 1
After their last adventures, the Pair is back in the city of High Scape, normally a hotbed of disasters which the Pairs must avert. Now there are odd climate changes, but not disasters, and on top of that Lee is afraid for Taro because minor nobles have been disappearing. Again Lee is the narrator of this story so we see everything from her perspective. I get the feeling that although she's supposed to be an observant and quiet Shield, she misses a lot about other people and how they perceive her. So far this series is light fantasy - easy reading, not too taxing, but there is an underlying layer of more serious subjects. Unfortunately the books point out these underlying layers and then frustratingly nothing really gets resolved about them. In book one, it's pointed out how terribly some Shields (steadfast, dependable) are treated by their Sources (flightly, dramatic), but while Lee is shocked and dismayed by this, she doesn't act. In book two we learn of how both Sources and Shields are resented by the population for getting everything for free, and there seems to be a mistaken notion that they do hardly anything for it, but if the Pairs are doing their jobs, the normal population should never know what disasters they have avoided. Basically - an ongoing series, that has a lot of things I'm interested in seeing resolved so I'm pretty much sucked into seeing what happens. I also like how flawed the characters are, even though they can drive me nuts (of course Lee) so that's sucking me in too.
