Review: Fascinating Sequel in New Paranormal Series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
IF YOU HAVENT READ BOOK ONE IN THIS SERIES <em>Skin Deep</em> STOP HERE. THESE BOOKS ARE MEANT TO BE READ IN ORDER. If you don't, much of what takes place will have no meaning, and the potency of the story will be lost.<blockquote>With her sister missing and her mother and Anjelo stuck in the Wraith World, Kai must find a way to save them all. But the Wraith poison has brought her to her knees and only Logan's fire can help ease her pain.Uncertain who to rescue first, Kai's decision is made for her when she discovers her sister Greer is stuck in the Greylands and slowly going insane. Desperate to save her, Kai will go to incredible lengths to obtain a portal key to the land of the dead - and maybe, she’ll go one step too far.From deathtalkers to demons, trackers to ghosts, Kai must fight against betrayal and evade the clutches of danger to set her sister free. Can she save Greer from a horrific death - and will she ever be able to forgive herself if she can’t?</blockquote>Picking up where book one left off Kailin is torn between who to rescue first, her Mom and Anjelo, taken prisoner while in Wrythiin battling the Wraith Overlord and his minions, or her sister Greer, who is lost. When Greer jumped into the Wraith's portal he moved it so she went somewhere other than home. Given Kai and Greer's tumultuous relationship it's not much of a surprise that Kai wants to rescue her Mom and Anjelo first. But the help of some friends she learns where Greer is, and it's bad news. Greer somehow landed in the Greylands, a place no living being inhabits - it's the plane where beings go when they die, but only until they are ready to move on the the next place, kind of like Purgatory, except with Demons, ghosts, and other things.The only reason she hadn't already turned right around and begun a rescue attempt was because of the poison in her system. Although the shards of the Wraith's obsidian blade had been removed from her arm, the poison was still coursing through her system. Logan was learning to channeling his fire into a method of burning the poison out without harming Kai, but he was still perfecting it and so she was stuck needing headings every few days or less, depending upon how physically active she'd been.The rest of the book is covers Kai's preparations to head into the Greylands, should she be able to obtain a portal key, her reconciliation with her father and brother (based upon her mother's startling revelations), and her initial training session with Lily, who has become her new sidekick. Then there is her trip to the Greylands, and everything she learns while she's there. Upon her return Kai undergoes a final healing, arranged through the agencies of Gracie's network of friends and preformed by an Ancient - which is something pretty unheard of considering most people were under the impression that the Ancients were long gone and the stuff of legends only.Throughout all of this Kai learns more and more about herself, her family, and the different factions and powers in her world. She does a fair amount of maturing under some very stressful situations, and learns from her mistakes, which is always nice to see in a character's development. Her romance with Logan is still there, but given the tine crunch and the poison problem, it took a backseat in this book. It was very much clearly alive and kicking, just not a major topic of coverage this time around. With the exception of Kai's learning to appreciate those she's let into her life that she trusts, and she is tremendously grateful that she took a chance on Logan. But she also gained Lily, and a much stronger bond with Tara's mother Gracie. Plus, her Grams has slowly become more and more forthcoming, sharing the secret of her life's work, and who else is involved in it. Many revelations unfold within this story, all laying groundwork for the story(s) to follow.The book ended on a bittersweet note, but ended with closure to one part of Kai's life, while opening the door for a whole new realm of possibilities - after she rescues her Mom and Anjelo of course. I am certainly looking forward to reading the next book in this series to find out what direction Kai decides to go, in addition to what will hopefully be a totally successful rescue of her Mom and best friend.