Jenna Burtenshaw
Greenwillow Books
June 26th 2012
Young Adult | Fantasy
Greenwillow Books
June 26th 2012
Young Adult | Fantasy
Official Blurb -
Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane ' the High Council's most feared man ' recognizes Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft ' a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume . But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft. To help Artemis, Edgar and herself, Kate must honor her pact with a murderer and come face to face with the true nature of death.
A dark, desperate and compelling read. Situations get increasingly more tight and hope becomes all but a memory. Yet the characters are divine and will keep you turning pages long into the night. A great addition to a riveting tale.
Edgar is a perfect light pivot for this book. Everything is full of despair yet he stands stalwart amidst the onslaught. He almost doesn't grasp the danger or perhaps he has very little fear. Since he can't stop it he just keeps moving forward instead of being overcome. Right at the end there is this stellar comment made by Edgar about all the things he has endured that sums up his attitude perfectly. He thinks clearly and even humorously into perilous times.
Silas is the best semi-villain ever. He is always ready to remind you why he deserves the title of villain yet will surprise and delight you with his ability to be genuine. A good portion of this book is done in Silas' perspective which was a treat of enlightenment into his thoughts. In the first book I thought he was a truly chilling villain but now I have met something far worse. This new villain has thought of every angle and can counter everything. There is no escape only submission.
The ending of the book leaves very little to hope for. If you thought the characters were in a bad spot at the end of the last book you will see how mistaken you were. For those with a weak constitution you might want to consider waiting until the release of the third book before plunging in.
Edgar is a perfect light pivot for this book. Everything is full of despair yet he stands stalwart amidst the onslaught. He almost doesn't grasp the danger or perhaps he has very little fear. Since he can't stop it he just keeps moving forward instead of being overcome. Right at the end there is this stellar comment made by Edgar about all the things he has endured that sums up his attitude perfectly. He thinks clearly and even humorously into perilous times.
Silas is the best semi-villain ever. He is always ready to remind you why he deserves the title of villain yet will surprise and delight you with his ability to be genuine. A good portion of this book is done in Silas' perspective which was a treat of enlightenment into his thoughts. In the first book I thought he was a truly chilling villain but now I have met something far worse. This new villain has thought of every angle and can counter everything. There is no escape only submission.
The ending of the book leaves very little to hope for. If you thought the characters were in a bad spot at the end of the last book you will see how mistaken you were. For those with a weak constitution you might want to consider waiting until the release of the third book before plunging in.
Content:
Violence: Moderate
Moments Divine:
"Funeral boxes," she said. "Filled with ashes of the dead."
Rising dust swirled unnaturally around Kate's feet and a rush of cold clutched at Edgar's neck.
"Well that isn't creepy at all," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------"This bridge has been here for years," said Kate, sensing his nerves. "It's not going to collapse now."
"That's what the person standing on it when it does collapse will have said."
-------------------------------------------------------------------"There's being inconspicuous, and there's stopping," said Edgar, pulling her along.
