Nadette Lawson knows when you’re lying.
Every night for the past two years, the Balasura have visited her dreams, enticing her to enter their world. And every night she’s seen through their lies. Now, they’re tired of playing in the shadows and they begin to stalk her in the waking world. It’s no longer just an invitation; if Nadette doesn’t join them, they’ll take her family. Forever. She needs help, and the haven she’s seeking may be just out of reach.
Julian Teagan is a master of deception.
To survive, he has to convince the world his mother isn’t useless, that everything’s fine, otherwise he’ll lose what little he has left in this life. He knows the lying won’t be enough to keep him and his mother in the shadows, but it’s all he knows. The only light of truth is Orane, a Balasura who sees past Julian’s facade and challenges him to face the darkness.
Then Orane is killed, and Julian learns his mentor was far from innocent. The Balasura have hunted children like him for centuries, and their next target, Nadette is his one chance at finally being a part of something real. If Julian can just convince her to trust him…
I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
NOTICE: THIS IS A SEQUEL FOR ANOTHER BOOK. THERE MAY BE SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOK. Review of Book One
Every time someone lies, Nadette has a bell ring inside her head. For the past two years, Balasura have been trying to convince Nadette to stay in her dreams, stay in their world. They want her ability, but her ability allows her to see through their lies. Now they're tired of waiting and will force her into submission by threatening her family and torturing her during waking hours.
On the other side of the country, Julian lives with a mother who couldn't care less about him and an ability to lie. Every night, Julian sees his best friend, Orane in his dreams. Then Orane dies and Julian finds out that his best friend was a Balasura and was actually evil. Julian doesn't want to believe, but now there's someone else being targeted and he has to help her get to safety.
After the end of Sing Sweet Nightingale, I was expecting this book to follow the same characters. Instead we get two new characters and a new story. Interestingly, it still feels like the story is being carried over. The characters in this book are connected to the ones in the last book and even the events are connected. It's actually a great way to continue the story!
I liked both Nadette and Julian. I liked Nadette's strength. She doesn't have the strength that we associate with most YA girls, but the real kind. The kind where she has to go through something difficult and it able to do it, but also not perfect. She's human and she does break and few times, but she's still strong. I also love her attachment to her family and her family in general. She has a crazy, huge family and I just loved how they believed in Nadette and just never questioned her.
Julian was a great character too. He would hate me by saying this, but I felt really bad for him. He has a bad family life, sure, but that's not the main reason. First of all, his best friend turned out to be evil and then throughout the book he just seemed confused and I really just wanted to shake him, so he would be able to see things more clearly.
As for romance, there wasn't really much romance, but it was dealt with very well, especially when it came to Nadette <highlight to view spoiler>I thought the add in of Julian being asexual was a bit awkward. I really like the fact that we're seeing an asexual character (since that's what I identify with), but it was just so conveniently explained that I felt it could have been added in a little bit differently. It made it sound so easy and it really isn't that easy to figure out what you identify as.<end of spoiler>. I appreciated how this book didn't follow what most people expect from YA, while adding diversity.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and I like how the story was carried over and it still felt like I was reading something new. The end was very action packed and it kind of left me hanging, so I can't wait for the next book.
I hereby give this book
4 Stars!
Meaning: It was amazing!
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