Settling (Solid #2)
by Shelley Workinger
ISBN: 9781460981726
Published July 4, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★
Settling picks up
where Solid left off—Clio and her
friends have chosen to remain on campus and explore their abilities further,
while taking on new responsibilities around the “camp.” Just when they thought
they’d gotten rid of the “crazy,” a new foe surfaces. No one knows the
villain's motives… and no one knows who the next victim will be.
While I really did enjoy this second installment of the
series, I did wish there was just a little something more. It’s hard to explain
exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I wish the whole “attacker” thing wasn’t
revisited this time. Maybe I wish some of the subplots (like Clio’s love life)
were fleshed out a bit more. I guess it could come down to the end, where one
mystery is resolved, but there are still a few loose ends, which is
understandable because this isn’t the END of the series. As with any kind of
cliffhanger, it is slightly frustrating but makes me anticipate the next novel
even more!
So maybe the whole plotline could have been a bit richer,
but as far as the technical side goes, Shelley is still a fantastic author. I
love the easy style of her writing and how each character has their own unique
presence in the story, just as they each have their own unique “superpowers.” I
became invested in the lives of each character in Solid, and I’ve only added more investment in book two.
Most notably, Clio is changing in book two. She’s accepting
the things she faced in Solid, but
now she is having to reexamine quite a bit. Even her genes appear to be
changing (or at least new traits are emerging), so this probably accounts for
some of the differences between the Clio in book one compared to the more
troubled girl we find in Settling. We
understand other characters better, and we even get to add a couple new faces
to the gang, which added a lot to the mystery aspect of the story—why did they
show up late and could they be involved in the mayhem on campus?
Well, I guess you’ll just have to read to find out… ;-)
Be on the lookout for a feature with Shelley coming later this month!
