Looking For a Good Book

It’s been four years since I read the first book in this series (and twelve years since the book was published – which is an indicator as to how long ago the ARCs in my Kindle were sent to me). I really liked the first book (The Holders) but this one didn’t excite me quite as much.

Becca Ingle is feeling drained from her recent encounters and she’s still reeling from the knowledge that she was betrayed by a man her own father trusted – the power-mad Darragh.

There’s rumor that one man might be able to help. All she has is a name, Ciaran Shea, and that he might associate with a group of pure blood Holders known as Bhunaidh. Becca and her friends, Alex, Jocelyn, and Cormac head out to look for the Bhunaidh with hopes of finding Ciaran and convincing him to use his power to help. But Becca and friends aren’t the only one looking for Ciaran and they uncover hints that perhaps the Bhunaidh would prefer to help Darragh, rather than stop him.

What worked best in the first book was the relationship between Becca and her brother Ryland.  Through the course of that book she met Alex, who is now the prime love interest and his presence replaces that of her brother. This means the book becomes much more predictable and stereotypical.

Becca and Alex are moderately well defined characters. Becca more-so, which is as it should be, but it would have been nice if Alex was a little more unique somehow instead of just someone for Becca to be interested in and to be present for her. Of course every time they are about to make a more intimate move (such as a kiss) they get interrupted. Maybe the universe is trying to tell her something!

What looked like it might be a story of power dynamics that could lead to a battle of two people with awesome abilities (ensuring a great story climax) missed a beat. Instead of storytelling excitement, they get a little more real and discover they can work together to accomplish things.  Yeah … that’s a nice lesson, but a little dull.

Overall, I didn’t feel like this book took off from where the last one ended, to become more exciting and dramatic. Instead, it felt pale – less exciting even than the first book. I still like author Julianna Scott’s writing – the prose is good and this will definitely speak well to some YA readers – but the plotting could have been more intricate.

Looking for a good book? The Seers, by Julianna Scott, is a follow-up to The Holders. There’s some nice, YA fantasy elements, but the book tends to be a bit bland.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

The Seers

author: Julianna Scott

series: The Holders #2

publisher: Strange Chemistry

ISBN: 9781908844460

paperback, 384 pages