Review: Fantastic sequel!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2013
I really enjoyed the sequel to Florence, I had been hoping for one and I'm glad it came about. Florence is still in Niemela, she is still no nearer being accepted by the Mer and the person she holds dearest - Rolan - has changed since being crowned King, pulling away from her and acting like she doesn't exist and shouldn't be there. She is left with only one friend now, the princess Yolee....Florence starts having dreams that seem so real, she even has trouble believing they aren't and they urge her to `save the children of Niemela', having no idea what they mean she simply ignores them for a time and decides to support Yolee in her quest to find a life path, choosing to try out herself much to the chagrin of the Guardians. When she mentions her dreams to Yolee it becomes apparent that she is having prophetic dreams that are warning her of some impending doom and only those marked for death get them.... But one thing is clear, Florence must enter the maze of the Life Path tournament with all other qualifying novices or more than her life will be at stake. Will she ever be prepared for the dangers that await her within the maze? When secrets and lies are revealed, will Florence be enough to save them all?As I said, I really enjoyed this - it was a great continuation from book one and it was good to see that by defeating Kiren that the storyline wasn't over, it was just the tip of the iceberg and we start to uncover other players who are in cahoots with the `Darkness'. Florence is still very likable, she is a very unassuming person and even though it's clear she has insecurities, it's nice to see that she doesn't let that affect her decisions or how she conducts herself which is always going to be hard when she knows that people don't want her there and view her as a nuisance. I love her friendship with Yolee, it brings a little fun to Florence's life and she needs it especially since the relationship with Rolan has hit the rocks, I missed their connection and what their love brought to book one so I'm hoping things will get better for them.I have to say that I loved when the tournament kicked off and they entered the maze, this brought all of the danger and excitement to the storyline and each scenario that each cavern brought was great, really imaginative too and I love how there were certain ways to solve what was within to move on to the next stage, it was a terrifying labyrinth filled with creatures, riddles and of course lots of unexpected surprises - not always of the good variety. I was left routing for all of them as they went through the ordeal especially when it's clear that not all of them will be leaving. This part made the book for me and grabbed all of my attention and I loved it when all of the clues slotted together and we get the bigger scenario in all of its glory. I don't want to say a lot of what happens but even though a few more pieces are slotted into place I was still left with the feeling that it is not over yet, not by a long shot which excites me because it means there is more to come from Florence and the Mer of Niemela and it's becoming apparent that Florence is going to have a big role to play in all of it, I'm really looking forward to book 3 now.