Em

Silver has an amazing narrative voice that continues in the second book. The ‘challenges’ keep the tension high and gradually immerse the reader in the insanity of Elmhallow while avoiding incredulity and disconnection. The only thing I would say is the ending felt a bit rushed and it feels like there was an opportunity for a trilogy here. Most of the important action occurs near the end of the novel and as a result the reader ends up feeling somewhat confused and dissatisfied at the rapid conclusion. **************************SPOILER************************** **************************************************************** **************************************************************** **************************************************************** **************************************************************** I personally would have liked the opportunity to watch the relationship between Seb and Eleanor develop a bit more before the end. This might have allowed the group of three to create more of a complex and satisfying escape plan in the third book. Also I appreciate the book is YA, but if someone (not necessarily a main character) had been killed towards the end it might have added a gravity to the book, as the fact everyone seemed to survive despite undergoing some sort of death gauntlet seems to stretch the imagination a little. Saying that, I still enjoyed Eleanor’s role towards the end and Silver still managed to resolve the situation while conveying the mental health message that was at the core of both books.