Review: An Amazing Sequel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2011
"Winter's Storm" grabs your attention and doesn't let go, becoming impossible to put down once you've started.I'd already fallen in love with the characters from "Winter's Awakening," and the second book in the series doesn't disappoint.  We are introduced to Creed Young, a metahuman who was raised under the auspices of the evil Dr. Williams, along with hundreds of other metasoldiers in a training camp called The Facility.Threatened with death for failing to kill his own brother in a visceral opening battle scene, Creed accepts his first assignment as a meta-assassin:  to kill Margo Winter and kidnap Meg, Alik and Evan - those wonderful characters from the first book whom we deeply care about.  Creed has not only been bred to kill, he has been lied to and believes he's performing a good deed by returning the children to Dr. Williams, who wants them because they contain the original meta-DNA.Now Meg, Alik and Evan must rise to the occasion and deal with tragedy and adversity, "evolution" and romance.  The dialogue is consistently terrific.  The conflict is deadly serious, a perilous game of survival and a struggle for the truth.It's also a struggle for Creed's soul, and there is no room for error.  He is smart and sensitive, and although he suffers from brainwashing, he doesn't want to become like his cruel brother.  As the story progresses, we see a remarkable transformation as Creed wrestles with the virtues of honesty and struggles to become the type of individual he can respect, while at the same time being torn by conflicting allegiances.Once again, the Winter children are called upon to summon their inner strength to defeat the malevolent Dr. Williams with the help of Margo's patient teachings.  The author switches point-of-view with ease and writes with a magician's touch, and her young adult heroes and heroines are utterly believable.  You will be rooting for them all the way to the unexpected and unforgettable conclusion.  Highly recommended.