4 out of 5 Some of you may have read my review on the first book of this series 'Captivate'. This book follows on exactly a year after Marko promises to wait for her on Bob's Bay beach if she wishes to return to Marin. Of course she does and everything goes super chaotic - Damir's capture is questioned, Lauren is there, Sylvia is two-timing, Robbie's been hurt. SO much going on. Infertility of Marin is a big focus in this book and the difficulties the entire civilisation faces with rulers and the future of their race. Miranda is a much more confident and exuberant presence in this book and I felt as if she really is herself when she is taking charge and caring for the well-being of others - much like Marko. I loved the emphasis put on the idea of putting others first and truly loving a people. This book was a fantastic follow up to Book 1 and really held it's own. It was not a carbon follow up of the first book - but posed new plot twists and characters that shocked me and had me crying and swooning at the same time. |
Before I go on, I will explain my lack of 5 stars - I felt the book could have been longer. I just finished a 700 page novel this morning and maybe was just shocked at the difference in length. However I felt as if some scenes and plot lines could have been more deeply explored and still retain the same ending - the relationship between Marko and Miranda I felt was underexplored and I would have liked to see more scenes between them (hoping for Book 3). However, this book is in no way incomplete and definitely holds its own as an amazing follow up novel to an amazing debut.
I loved the vast array of plot lines and twists and the amazing difference in characters it included, other companion characters like Lauren, Robbie, Svetla, Sylvia, Damir and Jonathon made constant appearances in a vast majority of the plot twists adding to the constant confusion and complicated atmosphere mirroring the chaos in Marin. All the plots seemed to culminate at the end, and when I scanned back I noticed the various clues in seemingly unrelated issues - proving the sheer brilliance of this book.
Plot lines like - Robbie's injury, Lauren's 'issue' (no spoilers :P), Damir's seeming freedom, Sylvia's treason, Anna's questionable new job, the reappearance of the Mermaid book and the infertility of the entire city. Really added a dynamic depth to the entire situation that is Marin and made the civilisation that much more realistic.
I absolutely loved the parallels between book 1 and 2 and found them to truly culminate in a deeper understanding of the reader - I felt as if the legends and history and myths were built upon and truly developed a unique and special literary world that is Marin, making it extremely believable and addictive as it truly had depth and reason making it super hard to question.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for Book 3. The novel blew me away in its originality yet fresh take on the overdone 'Underwater' life.
Vanessa Garden is truly a 'sun gem' in the YA world (:P).
Btw Marko is going to be meeting me at the beach for my 18th birthday, he's mine !! HAHAH
Well done Miss Garden,
Well done
Hayley xx