Review: Warning -- so engrossing you may not be able to put down
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2013
Overall:  I devoured this sequel overnight – seriously, I went to sleep at 3am cause of this book.  It’s hard to find MG fantasy that has the world-building depth of adult fantasy books.  Once again, I adore the black and white illustrations of Victoria Simcox.  Her artistic talent definitely rivals her writing skill.  THE SHARD picks up with Kristina (now  15) suffering through the company of Hester and Davina at summer camp.  For those who haven’t read the first book, the first couple chapters may be confusing.  Once Kristina re-renters Bernovem, THE SHARD is easy to follow without reading the first book.Characters:  I was disappointing that Kristina had not grown as a character from the end of the last book into this book.  She is still insecure, shy, and naive.  She doesn’t act her age.  I would say that she acts about 12 or 13 and that was my major gripe for this novel.  Most of the characters in this novel act like preteens instead of teenagers.  I understand that this is designated for MG readers but I still expected teenagers to act like teenagers.  Hester and Davina are still horrible children, although Davina is a little less so then before the first adventure. I definitely grew to love Davina over the course of the novel.  Hester not so much.  The chemistry between Werrien and Kristina was hit or miss through-out the novel.  They never seemed to be on the same mental page.Plot:  Apparently only Kristina remembers the first adventure the group had in the fantasy land of Bernovem and her real life pretty much still sucks.  Davina and Graham aren’t nearly as mean to Kristina as they were in the first book, but Hester is a complete spoiled brat.  Hester and Davina seem to have a love/hate relationship with each other.  There were a few sections that dragged – when Werrien’s father info dumped and then when the evil villains at the end info dumped.  I hate reading info dumps.  Besides that, I really liked the action in this book.  The villains were scary and I was worried about Kristina’s safety and sanity through its entirety.  There is romance in this book, but its very downplayed to fit the audience.Ending:  The ending definitely leads into the third book.  I thought that the villains at the end talked way too much but otherwise I enjoyed the twists.  I was SO not expecting this one particular character to be as bad as she was.  There are reveals at the end of this book that actually explain the purpose of certain characters from both books.  THE SHARD wasn’t perfect, but it is still an amazing read.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book.