Review: Great continuation of the series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2013
I gave Mythos (book one) five stars, and yet I feel like Second Coming deserves yet more stars! This is a great second instalment.A unique element of this series is that while it does have some classic YA features (a quasi love triangle, plucky teenagers, angst etc), the characters are not card-board cut outs or one-size-fits-all. I find in a lot of paranormal YA fiction, typically the female lead is annoying, or a bit stupid, or at least prone to making stupid choices for no apparent reason, (or all three), and the male lead is impossibly 'hot' but also 'stalkery' (I know that’s not a word), controlling and possessive - and the author would usually portray these characteristics as being incredibly attractive. I find this approach makes a lot of the characters I come across in YA not only cliché, but very unrealistic. In Second Coming, we have intelligent, fully fleshed-out human characters who react naturally to extraordinary situations and circumstances.Because the characters are so realistically portrayed, I became very emotionally attached to them. The author cleverly draws out each character's traits and quirks through their interactions and dialogue with each other. Through these interactions you see the relationships between them, and they are very believable. By the end of the book I felt like I knew all the main characters personally, and I genuinely cared about what happened to them.The multi-layered themes of book one (Mythos) are continued, but one of the things that struck me about Second Coming is how the layering of these themes has been ramped up - there are many underlying themes and ideas being subtly introduced (through references to mythology, religion and metaphysical ideas in general as well as quantum physics among other things). I really look forward to seeing how these are explored in the upcoming instalments, because it is rare to see concepts like these pitched towards a YA readership. Usually, I would imagine ideas like these are usually analogised in epic fantasy novels with really complex political and magical systems, but because of how the ideas are woven into the storyline of the Descendants series, the effect is lot more subtle, while not less powerful in impact.Another thing I really appreciate about Second Coming (as well as Mythos), is the lushness of the language - the narration is eloquent and the description is rich. I especially enjoyed the descriptions in the prologue of the ship Nibiru and its passengers. You can tell the author appreciates words, and she takes the time to string them together in a way that is genuinely artistic and creative, and not just functional in the way they are used to tell a story.I could say a lot more, but then I'd have to go into the actual plot and I don't want to risk any spoilers. So all in all, this is a fantastic read and I'm looking forward to book three.