If you read this series, prepare to be swept up into an incredible world: layered, emotional, beautiful, and terrifying. Another must-read.

*******There may be slight spoilers ahead for The Glass Sentence (book 1) if you haven’t read it*******

To Elaborate…

Sophie returns for another adventure in The Golden Specific, sequel to the Glass Sentence. This time, a year has passed since the last book’s events, and she is still on the search for her parents. When a clue about her mother leads her on a dangerous journey, she finds a new land, new friends and enemies, and a mystery must bigger than she ever imagined.

I could tell in The Glass Sentence that as deep as Sophie traveled, this incredible world of different Ages was still just being scratched, and The Golden Specific takes everything you think you know and flips it all around. This story ventures to a different region, and thus different ages, and the complexity of this world and the interconnecting plot line is phenomenal. Time after time, I thought the ‘wow’ moments were over, only to be doubly shocked yet again. The pieces of this plot puzzle are intricate and masterfully woven.

While I normally don’t favor the two primary characters being separated in sequels, I truly enjoyed the different adventures of Theo and Sophie, who are apart for the majority of the book. There is far too much happening on both ends that the story couldn’t have possibly stayed the same and packed as much information and clues if they been together the whole time. Even apart, their bonds of friendship and the evidence that the two, Shadrack, Miles, and Mrs. Clay have indeed formed a heartwarming family still shine through. There are many important themes to this series, but what I love most are the powerful bonds between the characters that form in the most desperate of situations and between the most unlikely people. Readers meet several new characters in this book, and they, already richly complex and distinctive, fit right into this excellent cast.

There are some books where you can discuss their great qualities all day and still not feel like you’ve communicated the utter brilliance of them. The Golden Specific is one of those for me. Where I thought I couldn’t enjoy this one more than the first, I found my love for this series is indeed fully capable of expansion, much like the ages within the story. I highly, highly recommend.
Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/