Read For Free Mirage (Above World, #2) Written And Illustrated By Jenn Reese Ready In Hardcover

to the very first book, it really wasn't that good, However, as a book itself it was really good, As of the many trilogies that I have read, I felt that it suffered from the typical middle book syndrome, In my eyes, it meant that the book really was not a need to read and not much happened, However, I was here for the character development, Joy. I would recommend that you read this book though so yeh, ed first on sitelinkLiteraritea


Wow, This is one of those secondbookinaseries that assumes you have read the firstintheseries and

can keep up! With very little preamble, we are immediately plunged back into the world of Aluna and her best friend Hoku, both Kampii, and their friends Calli who has wings and Dash, an Equian.
If those descriptions means nothing to you, read no further, Just go read Above World quickly so you can catch up!

The four friends attempt again to thwart the nefarious Karl Strand and one of his clones in this fastpaced book.
Trying desperately to arrive at Mirage an aptly named desert city in the middle of Equian country, the friends find their plans constantly shifting and changingmuch like the terrain they are crossing.
As the book progresses with rapidly advancing plot, they meet new friends and form new alliances, We meet the Serpentia race of people adapted to live as snakes do, We understand more of Dash's personal history as well as that of another "failed" Equian, Tal, We watch Aluna struggle to admit her need for and dependence on her friends, and we watch a gripping showdown in which the ending is brilliantly done.
I love it when an author doesn't give us the expected ending! Aluna "grows up" a bit in this book as she suffers the side effects of the pill she swallowed at the end of the last bookthe pill the Kampii swallow to generate their trademark tale.


I'll confess that I didn't find the writing style as distinguished in this book as in Above World, Still, for fans of Above World, this is a fun sequel to be sure, Similar thoughtprovoking discussions will result, as well: what makes us human When is too much tech, well, too much What assumptions do we make about others based simply on appearances or quickly formed judgements from one action When does our pride get in the way of a true friendship either with people we already know or with those we've prematurely judged When is tradition important and when should it alter to fit the new times we're living in

Clearly we are headed for more in this series Karl Strand is still out there, and Aluna and her band are stronger than ever!

Recommended for middle grades, especially those who enjoy fantasy/scifi! Look for Mirage in book stores this week, and hopefully on library shelves soon, too! After the Harry Potter series, I wondered who could build another world with such detail and then there was The Hunger Games.
Each time I thought, "How could anyone create a world as believable, expansive or as unique, Last year, I read another original world building novel, Above World and I again, believed that this could be the new series to love, Now after reading Mirage, my hope has been satisfied that another series has picked up the gauntlet, What I love about Mirage is Reese's use of science fiction tech and imaginative fantastical creatures and then braids them into a tight strong rope, I was lassoed away into the deserts of the Equians and their deep traditions as it clashes against the realities of war with Carl Strand and his clones.
The unlikely heroes, Aluna, Dash, Calli and Hoku unite with new friends Tayan, Tal and Nathif, despite their differences in beliefs and traditions, embrace their differences as strengths and travel the higher road.
I can't say enough about the themes of family, sacrifice and honor that resonate from the pages,

See complete review at sitelinkwww, soimfifty. blogspot. com
At the end of Above World Aluna, Hoku, Dash, Calli and allies defeated Fathom and regained control of HydroTek, Now they are off to warn the equians of the threat of Karl Strand, When they get the stronghold of the Red Sky herd, Mirage, they find they are too late, Scorch, another Strand clone, has made herself the power behind the throne of the most powerful herd, If not for Tayan taking Dash prisoner they would have immediately been killed, It's not much of a reprieve, when they get to Shining Moon Dash is going to be tried for breaking his exile and most likely sentenced to death.


Fast read, I did squirm a bit, it looked hopeless, Same lovable heroes from Above World, Really good, clever resolution. My belief was stretched, maybe because it's YA or middle grade, maybe my mind is just underestimating Aluna and her friends,.stars, strong finish. I felt this was a book I should have loved with wholehearted abandon, and yet that's not how I felt about it, most of the way through.
Everything is good, and the slow and sometimes painful growth of family in characters from widely differing backgrounds is excellent, It might have been the writing, which felt a little heavy at times, especially the use of "the Equian" or whatever, in place of a character's name.
It's such a minor quibble, but is one of those stylistic things that can become quite irritating, Possibly it was the dragging out of Aluna's "I've started to grow my tail, Oh, I must hide it from my loyal friends" dilemma/mistake, which grated a little eventually, I can't think of anything else that is really different from the first book, which I did love, There's no question at all about reading the third book, however, as the final sections pulled together beautifully, and provided the emotional wallop I'd been missing before.
Damned racist centaurs. A thrilling sequel from an exciting new voice in middlegrade scifi tracks two oceanborn children braving the dangers of the Above World,

The desert is no place for oceandwelling Kampii like Aluna and Hoku, especially now that Aluna has secretly started growing her tail, But the maniacal Karl Strand is out to conquer the Above World, and the horselike Equians are next on his list, Aluna, Hoku, and their friends winged Calli and Equian exile Dash race to the desert city of Mirage, intent on warning the Equians, When they arrive, Strands clone, Scorch, has gotten there first, Now the Equian leader has vowed to take all his people to war as part of Strands army, Any herd that refuses to join him by the time of the desertwide competition known as the Thunder Trials will be destroyed, To have any chance of defeating Scorch and convincing the Equians to switch sides, the four friends must find a way to win the Trials, The challenge seems impossible. But if they fail, the desert and possibly all of the Above World will be lost to Karl Strand forever, Here is the actionpacked followup to Above World, which Kirkus s called "a thrilling scifi adventure, Imaginative and riveting. " Mirage Above Worldby Jenn Reese,pages, Candlewick Press,

Language: Gswears,“f” Mature Content: PG Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

During their encounter with Fathom, Aluna and her friends learned that his sibling Scorch is planning to claim the Equians, as Fathom tried to do to the Kampii.
Rushing to the desert to warn Dashs people, Aluna and her friends find that they are too lateScorch is close to achieving her goal, Dash broke his exile for nothing, and now they may all pay the price,

This book cannot be read without its prequel, Above World, and Mirage is just as good, if not better, The extension of their story is engaging as Alunas quest continues far from home, and the character development helps prevent the obstacles to success from becoming repetitive.
Adventure awaits those who stick with Aluna, and the final installment is begging for me to stay immersed in this world,

er: Carolina Herdegen
sitelink blogspot. com/ Originally posted at sitelinkRandom Musings of a Bibliophile,

Sequels are scary things, This is why I approached reading Mirage by Jenn Reese with equal parts excitement and trepidation, I LOVED Above World my thoughts so much, I wanted to love this one, I needed to love it because I haven't loved many books yet this year, It fulfilled all of that yearning plus some,

Aluna, Hoku, Dash, and Callithey all have pieces of my heart, These are some truly wonderful characters and Reese took them and grew them in this second volume, Aluna learned so much from her first journey and it is wonderful to see her apply those lessons in this book, She proceeds with more caution and listens more carefully, She still makes some mistakes, but I love that her character has not stagnated and is moving with the story, We learn about Dash and his past in this book and what I discovered only made me love him more, His nobility, honor, and loyalty are great attributes and his charming ways only add to that, It was interesting to watch Callistill torn between what she knows she must become and what she wants to do, She's so caring and diplomatic, and yet there are times when I'm not as sure of her as I am of the others, Not unsure of her loyalty, but what she'll choose to do with it, It keeps her from being too perfect, And Hoku. GAH! His quiet heroism in this book catapulted him past Dash as my favorite I think, I love how he refuses to back down from his ideals and tries to figure out ways to make them work in the world he lives in.
It also has me very afraid for his continued safety, I always say I love it when authors aren't afraid to hurt even their main characters and Reese certainly isn't, It doesn't stop me from not wanting her to,

The friendship these four share is my favorite element of this trilogy, They met and began it in the first book, This book sees it challenged and grow in amazing ways, It is clear too that they are all learning from each other and becoming better people because of each other, There are scenes that actually had me tearing upand that is not an easy thing to make me do, One particular scene between Dash and Aluna had me actually shed a tear, I love how Reese uses their friendship and interactions to reveal more of their characters too,

In addition to our four intrepid heroes there are a host of new and amazing characters added here, I loved Tal, Rollin, and Nathif especially,

The world building continues to be impressive, In this volume the setting switches to the desert, Here two different types of people dwellDash's Equians and the Serpenti half snake peopleand let me say that whole concept is just awesome by itself, The history of these groups is fraught and rich with detail and these were wonderfully incorporated into the fast moving plot, While Karl Strand and his evil plans shadow this book, the story here is less about confronting a nemesis than it is about learning to grow and change.
The story focuses on the desert peoples and the workings of their traditions and politics, There is again a lot of food for thought here on honoring tradition and history while not clinging to it to your own detriment, This fits well with the themes of hope, unity, and strength in community that continue into this story from the first, The way Reese is able to do all of this in a plot that never once drags or even slows down is impressive, I also appreciate how she knows how to end a book, Yes, there is more and they are not done with their struggles, but this book ends with a sense of completion, I still really want the next volume while at the same time don't have cliffhanger rage,

Mirage gave me an adrenaline rush and book hangover like I haven't had in quite some time, I love books that can do that to me and am eagerly awaiting the third and final installment of the trilogy,

I received this most joyfully and gratefully from Candlewick via NetGalley, Mirage is available for purchase today, March, I have anyear old eagerly awaiting our copy's arrival, She is quite annoyed I already got to read it,

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