With the local vampire coven decimated, Julia and Nicholas try to begin a somewhat normal life together. Bound by secrecy from a shape shifter determined to see Julia’s world-saving prediction come to fruition, Julia isn’t allowed to tell Nicholas the leader survived, ransacking her happiness with guilt. When Alora returns, bent on revenge, the reunion forces Nicholas and Julia to choose what they are willing to live and die for.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads.)
Title: The Sapphire Talisman
Author: Brenda Pandos
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Publication Date: December 15, 2010
Source: Received from author. Many thanks goes to Brenda Pandos for sending me a copy of her book for review, as well as Kari from Teen Book Scene. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for The Sapphire Talisman.
My rating: 4/5
Things heat up for Julia and Nicholas in the second installment in the Talisman series, The Sapphire Talisman. Julia is hoping that things will return back to normal, but with Alora's inevitable return, she doesn't think they will any time soon. When things escalate for both Julia and Nicholas, they are left with a choice.
The Sapphire Talisman starts off several months after the conclusion of The Emerald Talisman. Things seem to be going well for Julia and Nicholas, until a monkey wrench is thrown into the works. Now, the two must make a choice. With new circumstances comes the re-emergence of some surprising characters from the prior book. Certain characters return with a vengeance, while others make cameo appearances. The friction between several of the characters adds to the intensity, which enhances the plot.
Julia is ever empathic to her friends and family. I loved her character progression in this installment as well, as I found that she was quite genuine, and warmhearted, though she did what needed to be done.
The action starts relatively early on in this installment and doesn't let up until the very end. We get some answers to certain questions from the previous novel. Things start to fall into place, making this an enjoyable read. I love the world that Pandos has created, and I really enjoyed the world-building that she incorporated in The Sapphire Talisman. It pushed the envelope in unexpected, yet good, ways, creating an even more intriguing read. I also loved the aspect of Dirty Harry, and loved the humour infused in the plot.
All in all, Pandos has created an outstanding, and worthy, successor to The Emerald Talisman. Second books sometimes don't live up to the standards set by the first book, but I'm happy to say that this book surpassed the standards set for it. It is an engaging and deliciously vampiric read.
1 comment:
I've definitely not read this book, and vampires usually aren't my thing, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Excellent review, Corrine :)
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