the Valley: Borderlands by Skye MelkiWegner is the second book in the Chasing the Valley trilogy, I have previously reviewed the first book, Chasing the Valley, If you haven't read the first book, it's probably best to skip this review if you're spoiler averse, I'm pretty sure just the blurb contains a bit of spoiler,
"Unputdownable" is a silly word, but it is a good descriptor in this case, As soon as I started reading Borderlands, I was wondering why I hadn't picked it up sooner it's been out formonths, Oh well, at least I don't have to wait to read the third book, which has just come out,
Borderlands has everything I loved about Chasing the Valley, including things I had forgotten I loved, Fiveish teenagers continue their difficult and highstakes journey from their home city to the mythical Valley where they hope to seek asylum, They're still being chased by the King's ruthless hunters and one in particular who has it out for them and, even without that, the going is tough.
Danika and the crew meet new people, loose people, gain other people, . . actually one of the things that has really amused me across both the first two books is that, after learning before they left that a crew of five is the optimal number to survive the journey to the valley, they crew has almost continuously contained five people.
Not always the same five people, but five people, So I guess the advice at the start was right and it probably shouldn't amuse me as much as it has,
There was only one small thing that bothered me in this book and it really was small, Without venturing into spoilers, there was one point where some valuable and useful stuff was available to be easily grabbed, and we're not told whether anyone did grab it.
Only, through omission, that Danika did not, I'm hoping it comes up again in the third book and we learn that Teddy the thief grabbed it when Danika wasn't looking, Sorry about the vagueness, there,
Honestly, I don't have much else to say about Borderlands, I really enjoyed it, for all the same reasons I enjoyed the first book, The worldbuilding, including the magic system, is pretty original, particularly in execution, The behaviour of the royal family continues to be baffling possibly too baffling, in terms of plausible sustainability but works with the story, Looking back at my review of book, I see that I objected to the fact that everyone seemed to obey the taboo of not exposing their necks before they turned eighteen and could safely reveal their proclivity type of magic.
That was actually addressed in book, when they meet people who live outside the law in a different way to the main characters, So yay.
Basically, Chasing the Valley continues to be an excellent series, I highly recommend it to any fans of fantasy, especially anyone interested in fairly original, alchemical fantasy, It is a series to be enjoyed by all readers, young and old, Although I won't argue that it is indeed YA the main characters are around seventeen, it doesn't necessarily "feel" like YA secondary world fantasy.
Possibly because my experience with other YA secondary world fantasies has been less good, but if you're in the same boat, don't pass up Chasing the Valley.
./stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog,
Wow! I didn't expect it to be that good, I read the first book and was like meh but this book really stepped up, really came together and made this a great book.
Can't wait to read the third book, and see how this great trilogy ends, I great read! My only complaint was that the ending was a little over explained for me, but other than that I love the theme of this book.
Loved it! Absolutelyenjoyed this novel, perhaps even more than the first one I'm not sure, but they were both AWESOME! It took me maybe.
. .pages to get back into the story, but once I did, I just did not want to put it down!
Yes, some of the 'revelations' I guessed pretty early on, but that never detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
Fantasy, magic, betrayal, smugglers and secrets and so, SO much action and danger! Loved it and will definitely be recommending it a lot, The actionpacked adventure continues in the second book of the Chasing the Valley trilogy!
Danika and her crew of escaped refugees are seeking the safety of the Magnetic Valley and trying to evade Sharr Morrigan, the king's most lethal hunter.
But the borderlands they must cross to reach the Valley are smugglers' territory: lawless, wild and steeped in ancient magic, When one of the crew is badly wounded, Danika turns to the smugglers for help and accepts a bargain that might prove deadly,
It is Lukas, however, who hides the most dangerous secret, What has he seen through the eagle's eyes The answer can be found in an alchemy charm and a smuggler's tale, and will lead Danika and her friends to an electrifying, unputdownable showdown.
Amazzzinggg series ! Love Lukas and Danika BORDERLANDS was the first book I read inand my firststar read was an amazing thriller of a read.
When I discovered that it was the second in the Chasing the Valley series, I was a bit worried because I hadnt read the first.
Not a problem at all, I was sucked into the story from the very first line and at no stage did I feel that I had missed anything, Having said that I am going to go back and read the first one to catch up on the background in depth, BORDERLANDS is a wonderful blend of adventure, science fiction and magic set in a dystopian world, In this world is the country of Taladia which is ruled over by a really nasty king who is set on conquering all the surrounding lands so he can make even more people miserable.
Danika and her friends have escaped death and destruction and are heading for Magnetic Valley, an almost mythical land where everything is beautiful and peaceful.
They have survived getting out of the city, now they have to survive the borderlands, They are being hunted by the kings special troop of hunters who have everything to gain by capturing the group on top of this little set back of being hunted there are smugglers with ulterior motives and a huge army between the group and their destination.
In Taladia everyone has a magical ability, when they reach their late teens their ability becomes known and a little tattoo appears on the back of their neck that reveals the ability.
Danika is just learning hers it is night, She can create an illusion spell to hide herself and the others, and she can melt into darkness and get through solid things, Others in her group can control animals, start fires and become one with birds, BORDERLANDS is about friendship and working as a team despite personality clashes it is about using your magical talent and it is about ethics most of all though BORDERLANDS is about survival.
Fast paced, full of drama and humor the story was action packed, I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next, The ending was great, edge of the seat stuff, and with some deaths but nothing graphic, It is good to know that there is a third book to come due out in Julyand hasnt been given a title yet but this knowledge means that possible the nasty old king is going to have another crack at conquering the world or is he vanquished finally Will the Magnetic Valley be the utopia Danika and her friends are hoping for All will be revealed Im sure, and I plan to be front and center getting it when it comes out.
I HAVE TO KNOW what happens in the end,
This review contains spoilers, mainly because Im terrible at writing one without them, they are covered though
In the second book of the trilogy, Danika and her crew have successfully destroyed King Morrigans stash of Curiefer and are now heading once again to the Magnetic Valley.
However, turns out what they destroyed was only PLAN A, for the King has a PLAN B, putting a damp once more to the crews plan.
Along their journey to stop the King, they encounter smugglers and a new acquaintance within them named Silver, who will be of much help to the crew and holds the key to their success, they are forced to leave friends behind, run away from new and old enemies and will be surprised when an old friend makes a reappearance.
Onto the review,
The story was an improvement from the last book, Undeniably quickpaced, the characters didnt even get much time off before they had to, once again, run for their lives or deal with a new threat.
In fact, Id say thats one of the things what made this book so frustrating, I mean seriously, give the kids a break dear god.
Overall though, Im happy with the story and the ending, Ill admit, however, the supposed twists and surprises werent much of either, I could pretty much guess/smell them from the getgo.
Lets move onto characters, boy oh boy do I have a lot to say about them.
I really dont like Danika,
I swear I tried, really did, and shes not even THAT bad, but I justI cant deal with her anymore, She was such an immature idiot and sometimes hypocritical too, Hell, Ill give her that at her most selfish moments she would realize how dumb she was and mentally slap herself for such
thoughts, and that sometimes she was pretty badass.
But her.
And that bloody obsession with Lukas
I just, I couldnt deal with her shit, It really was the biggest turnoff of the book, Mind if I join you Lukas says,
Yeah, of course. Im slightly flustered by how his breath tickles the back of my neck, I mean, of course you can join me not of course I mind, I mean
You see this in the first few pages and you think, finally! theres going to be a bit of development to their romance!
But no.
It was a lie,
The romance, or well, romance was basically Lukas, once again, gone to do his I need to save Taladia from the hands of my evil family!!! I need to do this alone because hurrdurr Im a strong independent man'' and her just mentioning him nonstop until they finally meet again.
It was so bloody annoying, you know Like okay babe I get it, but if you mention his namemore times it isnt going to make a difference, I cringed so hard when the name Lukas popped up becauseof the time, it was Danika and her maiden heart calling out to her beloved prince.
Oh but hang in there, Im not done yet:Youre wrong
Maisy doesnt look up from her knees, I hope so.
I know so, I snap, too affected by her words to even soften my tone, What do you think he is, some kind of traitor Just because hes the kings son Its not his fault who his father is people cant choose their relatives.
Ironically, not long before that book timeline she was hating on Lukas because of the same reasons she snapped at Maisy for.
Because of his family. Our kiss in the tower was just a kiss Clearly it didnt mean anything to Lukas, so why should it mean anything to me
oh my goooooodd can you not youre supposed to be a hardenedyear old for heavens sake, not a whiny one.
Hell, the richies are more mature than you! His voice is hoarse, Danika, I
Shhh. I wrap my arms around him and press my face against his neck,
Hey, this wouldve been a sweet scene, If they, you know, werent about to drown, Ffs Danika, are you thick or something
Im sorry, I just couldnt deal with her and this goddamn outoftheblue romance,
Onto what I DID enjoy yes I did enjoy some parts, hush now,
Secondary characters. I fucking loved how they developed throughout the story, maturing and becoming way more reasonable and thoughtful,
Maisy was one of my favourites since the last book, and I can proudly say she outdid herself, she was amazing.
Man, her character has changed so much since the beginning, I just cant believe how well shes progressed,
Then theres Teddy, oh my beautiful Teddy, And hey Itd be a shame to rob the world of my most impressive feature,
Clementine raises an eyebrow, Meaning
Teddy looks down suggestively, then wiggles his hands at her with a laugh, These things, of course. Best damned pickpocketing hands in Taladia,
I justGAH. Hes so perfect. The humour relief of this book, hes funny and flirty, but can get serious when necessary, how can you not love him
And the thing he and Clementine have going on though.
Im loving how you can see them slowly develop feelings for each other, Or maybe its just my imagination, but if it isnt, THATS how a romance should be done, with care and patience, Seriously.
Moving on to the bad guys of this thing, Firstly, we have Sharr:So shes on the run now I twist around to meet his eyes, Just like us
Yeah, Just like us. And I know why shes chasing us, Lukas takes a breath. Danika, we ruined everything that matters to her, All her ambitions, all her hopes of inheriting the throne, She wants revenge.
Initially you think, oh finally now that shes fueled with revenge shell be an even bigger bitch and well definitely hate her! because that character development tho!
Sorry to break it to you, but shes hardly around and when she is, its pretty boring.
Lastly, Ive not much to say about the ending.
Happy, as usual. Very thrilling as it was drawing nearer and then yay freedom! Im quite satisfied,
Overall, I need a break from Danika, Ill read the third for sure, but for now, Im moving onto a new series,
.
Gather Borderlands (Chasing The Valley #2) Executed By Skye Melki-Wegner File
Skye Melki-Wegner