Reviews

Return Fire by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

sallyavena's review against another edition

4.0

Kind of a DaVinci Code for kids...fast paced mystery with tons of action. You have to read the first to understand this one though.

yapha's review against another edition

4.0

In this sequel to [b:Moving Target|24612558|Moving Target (Moving Target, #1)|Christina Diaz Gonzalez|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441217025s/24612558.jpg|43346532], Cassie is searching for the Spear of Destiny that she bonded with and then had stolen from her. She and Asher are following a series of clues across Italy again, never knowing who they can trust or who might betray them. An excellent continuation of their adventure. I highly recommend reading Moving Target first. For grades 4 & up.

samantha_randolph's review against another edition

5.0

"In the sequel to MOVING TARGET, Cassie Arroyo, an American going to school in Italy, has finally found the Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately, just when she had it, she lost it in a betrayal she never expected. Now, Cassie must find it again and fix the dark destiny she may have set for the world. As Cassie starts to feel the pull of the power she could have, she faces a major choice of trust that will change everything." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=61904

wordnerd153's review against another edition

3.0

A satisfying sequel, but not as riveting as Moving Target. I wasn't motivated to keep reading until about a third of the way through when the action picked up.

labraden's review against another edition

3.0

Now that Cassie has used the Spear of Destiny, she is bound to it and Asher is bound to her as her protector. Simone betrayed both of them when she gave the spear to her mother who only wants it for its power. Cassie and Asher have escaped and are on the run. Cassie now realizes that when she used the spear to save her father, she actually saved Tobias. Cassie's visions of the future return to her in what her grandmother calls echo tracing. The images she sees make her believe that she must use the spear again to fix the future she created, but more of the evidence they are collecting points to ending the power of the spear and releasing destiny, giving everyone free will to make choices and live with the consequences.
Return Fire isn't quite as good as Moving Target. While the kids do continue to use clues to search for the spear, there are philosophical questions raised that have value in the story, but slow the action and make the pacing of the story uneven. The theme of choosing one's destiny and the importance of free will is pushed extremely hard in this book and almost overwhelms the actual story. As a second book out of two, this story does answer the questions left at the end of Moving Target and ties up all of the loose ends, but overall, the story just isn't as entertaining.

maya_raghuraman's review against another edition

2.0

I really enjoyed the first book but I felt that Return Fire was nowhere near as good as Moving Target

wryanjoy's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

kendallbridgete's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars. This one didn't grab me as much as the original, but sometimes that's the fate of sequels. Still enjoyed the continuation of Cassie's story and looking forward to sharing this with my students.