Series: The Brilliance Saga #2
Format Read: E-Book
Source: ARC from the publisher for an honest review
Release Date: June 17,2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:
The brilliants changed everything.
Since 1980, 1% of the world has been born with gifts we’d only dreamed of. The ability to sense a person’s most intimate secrets, or predict the stock market, or move virtually unseen. For thirty years the world has struggled with a growing divide between the exceptional...and the rest of us.
Now a terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Supermarket shelves stand empty. 911 calls go unanswered. Fanatics are burning people alive.
Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he’s against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose—because his opponents have their own vision of a better world.
And to reach it, they’re willing to burn this one down.
Steph's first review for the Nook! I hope you enjoy it.
Steph's Thoughts:
When the review request for this book popped up in my inbox, I got excited. I am a huge X-men fan and this sounded like something I could really enjoy. I did not read the first book in the series and maybe that was the downfall for me. While 1% of the population has developed abnormal powers (using that turn loosely), most of them are all mental. Hence, the reason they are called Brilliants. I was expecting Cyclops and Wolverine and got a world of non-blue Beasts.
Over-all, this was not a bad read. There are a few too many view points for my personal taste and, sometimes, it is hard to tell where one leaves off and another one starts. A few times, I had to go back a few sentences and see where I had missed characters changing. Overall, the story was not very confusing, just where some of the characters changed. I did like some of the view points of "every day people" trying to survive as the world breaks down. I really felt for a character named, Ethan and his struggle to keep his baby daughter in formula/milk as the stores lost their supply. His inclusion in the story becomes apparent later in the book but initially, he is just a guy trying to survive. The terrorist managed to shut down the supply chain to several cities. While this a believable event, I am not sure the way it happened would actually happen. Later, I felt the author was stretching the chain of power of the President for the rest of the events. Putting this aside, the story had enough mystery and intrigue to keep me occupied, even if some of the characters were not my personal favorites. Cooper, the hero, could not keep my attention. Instead, I kept hoping for the story to move back to Ethan, who I found far more interesting.
I really liked some of the blurbs between chapters. Some were of news articles and press conferences but the personal ads cracked me up. Overall, this was not a book I would read again but you might like it, especially if you read and enjoyed the first book.
Hmm, I've been on a superhero kick since S.A. Huchton's sexy superheroes books. But this sounds a bit different with the "hero" idea and something I might want to check out. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great concept with so-so execution? I was intrigued by the blurb, but I think, given your reservations, I'll hold off on adding these to my already overflowing TBR lists.
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