Review: A deliciously,tense and exciting adventure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 17, 2014
Firstly, it isn't advisable to read book 2 without finishing book 1. The books in this series are not stand-alones and continue where the last one left off. And yes, the endings are cliffhangers.We find Joshua right there where we left him, captured by the Father. Although the revelation at the end of book 1 hits like a bomb, Joshua has little time to embrace his new knowledge before being swept off on a long, underground journey with the Sweepers (cannibalistic, flesh eating monsters) as his not so gentle escorts. The trip is gruesome, not only due to the Sweepers inability to handle anything with care, but sweepers with telepathic abilities are determined to read Joshua's mind and use all means of psychological torture to try to achieve their goal. Nope, this is not a story for the weak-stomached--which Joshua himself later in the book illustrates numerous times.While Joshua's undergoes probably the worst days anyone can imagine, Nadia seeks the help of her new allies and friends, the Atlantians, and starts a journey across their world in attempt to save Joshua. Her concerns and dedication to Joshua make it easy to root for her, and her occasional self-doubt give her a wonderful, human touch.This is a fast-paced story with bloody battles, dangerous ambushes, and decisions to make, which are never black or white. N.W. Harris does a great job flipping Joshua's concept of the world upside-down, making it easy for the reader to sympathize with Joshua when he ends up deciding to do things he would have found unethical before. Despite his decisions, Joshua still battles with his own conscious the entire time, making him very easy to root for.My only critique on this is maybe that the long march Joshua conducted with his army was exactly that - long. His exhausting inner-struggle was presented a little too well, making the story almost seem heavy during the later chapters (yep, I found myself skimming over a few paragraphs.) But this by no means damages the story or the fun! I read this in two sittings and can't wait for book #3 to come out and see what happens next.