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boekensteeg's review against another edition
4.0
The Challenger is the dazzling sequel to The Chosen and is also the second part in the Contender series.
Now that Cade and his friends have survived the qualifying round, they are given three months to recover. Abaddon, one of the ancient rulers, has said that only Cade and the other rivals can save Earth from destruction. There is tremendous pressure on their shoulders, and to make matters worse, they don't know who their opponents are going to be.
Fortunately, Codex is still there to clarify the next round. He knows who the enemy is and has some general information about them for the friends. The friends decide they will need weapons for the fight and retreat into the jungle. What will they encounter on this tour? What consequences will this have? Will they be able to make it to the next round alive?
The Challenger is a story full of adventure, combat, historical characters and gear.
It is a lot of fun to encounter multiple eras and important events in history, as a coherent whole in the story.
The Challenger can be read separately from The Chosen, although I personally would advise against this. The story features many aspects of The Chosen that you may not immediately understand if you start right away in The Challenger.
Cade is the main character and we get to know him even better in this second part. In addition, you will learn more about the origins and past of the friends in the story. Codex is perhaps the most elaborated in the story, and also plays a crucial role. Without Codex, the friends wouldn't know about the remains and their enemies.
I think it is a shame that the “living” characters remain rather superficial, while a drone like Codex plays a crucial role in this second part. However, this should not spoil the fun, because the story is full of adventure and excitement. During their journey through the jungle, the friends come across a very unpleasant surprise. This is a nice and enjoyable turn. It ensures that there is a lot of adventure and excitement in the story and that the whole can be read easily and quickly.
The fights in the story were very exciting and realistically described. I find it especially special to be able to really experience history in these battles. I therefore find it a real disappointment that the final battle is elaborated in a short chapter. I would have liked to see more excitement and action in this. All in all, The Challenger is a worthy successor to The Chosen.
The story only has one round of the game in this second part. This makes my curiosity about the third part quite high. What will the next rounds bring? and what's going to happen to the friends in the next part?
For those who love a story full of adventure, history and action, the Contender series is a fun series and highly recommended to read.
4.5 stars
"The first fight is over, but the games have only just begun."
Now that Cade and his friends have survived the qualifying round, they are given three months to recover. Abaddon, one of the ancient rulers, has said that only Cade and the other rivals can save Earth from destruction. There is tremendous pressure on their shoulders, and to make matters worse, they don't know who their opponents are going to be.
Fortunately, Codex is still there to clarify the next round. He knows who the enemy is and has some general information about them for the friends. The friends decide they will need weapons for the fight and retreat into the jungle. What will they encounter on this tour? What consequences will this have? Will they be able to make it to the next round alive?
The Challenger is a story full of adventure, combat, historical characters and gear.
It is a lot of fun to encounter multiple eras and important events in history, as a coherent whole in the story.
The Challenger can be read separately from The Chosen, although I personally would advise against this. The story features many aspects of The Chosen that you may not immediately understand if you start right away in The Challenger.
Cade is the main character and we get to know him even better in this second part. In addition, you will learn more about the origins and past of the friends in the story. Codex is perhaps the most elaborated in the story, and also plays a crucial role. Without Codex, the friends wouldn't know about the remains and their enemies.
I think it is a shame that the “living” characters remain rather superficial, while a drone like Codex plays a crucial role in this second part. However, this should not spoil the fun, because the story is full of adventure and excitement. During their journey through the jungle, the friends come across a very unpleasant surprise. This is a nice and enjoyable turn. It ensures that there is a lot of adventure and excitement in the story and that the whole can be read easily and quickly.
The fights in the story were very exciting and realistically described. I find it especially special to be able to really experience history in these battles. I therefore find it a real disappointment that the final battle is elaborated in a short chapter. I would have liked to see more excitement and action in this. All in all, The Challenger is a worthy successor to The Chosen.
The story only has one round of the game in this second part. This makes my curiosity about the third part quite high. What will the next rounds bring? and what's going to happen to the friends in the next part?
For those who love a story full of adventure, history and action, the Contender series is a fun series and highly recommended to read.
4.5 stars
iriswindmeijer's review against another edition
3.0
In de eerste ronde van het dodelijke spel dat de opperheren spelen, moeten Cade en de andere mededingers opnieuw het oerwoud in. In De uitdager moeten ze een nieuw gevecht aan gaan, waarvoor ze eerst de benodigde uitrusting moeten gaan halen in de gevaarlijke jungle. Zullen alle vrienden de tocht naar de jungle overleven? En wat is de rol van de zoon van Cleopatra en Julias Caesar?
Eerder schreef ik al een recensie over het eerste deel uit deze serie, De uitverkorene. Toen was ik kritisch over de hoeveelheid informatie, wat soms chaotisch overkwam. Maar de sterke worldbuilding komt in het tweede deel De uitdager wel helemaal uit de verf. We gaan verder in de tijd, en ook hier heeft Matharu oog voor de historische details. Cade en zijn vrienden worden gevangen genomen en gaan naar het oude Rome, waar ze de zoon van Cleopatra en Julias Caesar ontmoeten. De achtergronden van historische personages worden goed geschetst, waardoor het boek ook informatief overkomt.
Maar dan moeten ze de arena in, om weer te vechten. De uitdager bevat meer actie dan het eerste deel van de Contender. De vrienden moeten gaan vechten in de arena, maar dit loopt anders dan verwacht. Matharu neemt veel onverwachte beslissingen in zijn verhaal, waardoor de vrienden van de ene in de andere spannende situatie vallen. In het nieuwe Rome moeten de vrienden vechten met andere gladiatoren én monsters. Dit zorgt voor spannende momenten, want niet iedereen komt ongeschonden uit de strijd…
De uitdager heeft wat meer diepgang dan het eerste deel. De relaties tussen de personen worden uitgediept, en er ontstaat zelfs een voorzichtige romance. De mix tussen de personages is leuk, maar Matharu zou de verschillen tussen de landen en tijdperken meer kunnen uitdiepen om het nog verrassender te maken.
Wanneer het laatste gevecht begint, zijn er nog zó weinig pagina’s over dat je weet dat je meer wil. De uitdager maakt me nieuwsgierig naar het volgende deel. Matharu heeft in dit tweede deel een veel betere spanningsboog neergezet en de worldbuilding uit het eerste deel heeft nu z’n uitwerking.
Deze recensie is eerst verschenen op
https://www.readalicious.nl/recensies/de-uitdager-contender-2-taran-matharu/
Eerder schreef ik al een recensie over het eerste deel uit deze serie, De uitverkorene. Toen was ik kritisch over de hoeveelheid informatie, wat soms chaotisch overkwam. Maar de sterke worldbuilding komt in het tweede deel De uitdager wel helemaal uit de verf. We gaan verder in de tijd, en ook hier heeft Matharu oog voor de historische details. Cade en zijn vrienden worden gevangen genomen en gaan naar het oude Rome, waar ze de zoon van Cleopatra en Julias Caesar ontmoeten. De achtergronden van historische personages worden goed geschetst, waardoor het boek ook informatief overkomt.
Maar dan moeten ze de arena in, om weer te vechten. De uitdager bevat meer actie dan het eerste deel van de Contender. De vrienden moeten gaan vechten in de arena, maar dit loopt anders dan verwacht. Matharu neemt veel onverwachte beslissingen in zijn verhaal, waardoor de vrienden van de ene in de andere spannende situatie vallen. In het nieuwe Rome moeten de vrienden vechten met andere gladiatoren én monsters. Dit zorgt voor spannende momenten, want niet iedereen komt ongeschonden uit de strijd…
De uitdager heeft wat meer diepgang dan het eerste deel. De relaties tussen de personen worden uitgediept, en er ontstaat zelfs een voorzichtige romance. De mix tussen de personages is leuk, maar Matharu zou de verschillen tussen de landen en tijdperken meer kunnen uitdiepen om het nog verrassender te maken.
Wanneer het laatste gevecht begint, zijn er nog zó weinig pagina’s over dat je weet dat je meer wil. De uitdager maakt me nieuwsgierig naar het volgende deel. Matharu heeft in dit tweede deel een veel betere spanningsboog neergezet en de worldbuilding uit het eerste deel heeft nu z’n uitwerking.
Deze recensie is eerst verschenen op
https://www.readalicious.nl/recensies/de-uitdager-contender-2-taran-matharu/
gottheart's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Challenger
Author: Taran Matharu
Book Series: Contender book 2
Diversity: Middle Eastern main character and deaf/hard of hearing side character
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Adventure, male lead, History facts
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 400
Recommended Age: 16+ (slavery tw, death, violence, gore)
Synopsis: Cade Carter and his friends have survived the qualifying round of the mysterious overlords' twisted games, decimated by the loss of so many of their comrades during the fight. But they have no time to mourn, for the next round of trials is about to begin.
When the group discovers that their next foe will be even more ferocious than the last, Cade leads them on a quest out into their strange new world to find anything that might give them an edge. But what they find in the wilds could prove to be even more dangerous than the impending battle...
Review: For the most part I thought this was a well done book! I loved the concept and the plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. The world building was marvelous and I felt that the action scenes were well scripted. Overall, I loved this sequel.
However, I don't think the author did as well for character development as he did in the first book. The book also had a little less history than the first book.
Verdict: Solid sequel.
Book: The Challenger
Author: Taran Matharu
Book Series: Contender book 2
Diversity: Middle Eastern main character and deaf/hard of hearing side character
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: Adventure, male lead, History facts
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 400
Recommended Age: 16+ (slavery tw, death, violence, gore)
Synopsis: Cade Carter and his friends have survived the qualifying round of the mysterious overlords' twisted games, decimated by the loss of so many of their comrades during the fight. But they have no time to mourn, for the next round of trials is about to begin.
When the group discovers that their next foe will be even more ferocious than the last, Cade leads them on a quest out into their strange new world to find anything that might give them an edge. But what they find in the wilds could prove to be even more dangerous than the impending battle...
Review: For the most part I thought this was a well done book! I loved the concept and the plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. The world building was marvelous and I felt that the action scenes were well scripted. Overall, I loved this sequel.
However, I don't think the author did as well for character development as he did in the first book. The book also had a little less history than the first book.
Verdict: Solid sequel.
acascadeofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
dreximgirl's review against another edition
4.0
I didnt love this as much as the first one. I think it struggled a bit being the middle book. The characters were still good and some of the new ones were amazing but the plot was a bit messy and too much time spent in one area and not enough in others. Also that ending was a massive cliffhanger!
curtis's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first book, since it felt a little rushed - the writing felt a little... stilted? and the story didn’t progress as much as I’d have liked it to (and the ending also felt pretty rushed), and I preferred the dual timeline in book 1, with Cade talking about his time spent in Reform School interspersed with the main storyline, but I am definitely loving reading more about this world and these characters, and I cannot wait for the next instalment in this series!
scarlettskyes's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
3.0
While I adore the Summoner series from Taran Matharu, and in fact gave each book 5 Stars, I am sort of left wanting with this new series. The premise is sort of unique, if you don't think about GameMaster things from Marvel Comics, with the characters being sort of unique as well. I especially love Quintis as he is very loyal and has worked very hard to learn English despite being hard of hearing and only speaking Latin. Cade as the protaginist is okay, if a little generic, though it is great to see him be fiercely loyal to his friends and recieve the training he would realistically need in the battles he finds himself in. The development of friendship between Quintis and Cade is great, adding more depth to both characters as they are both unused to friendship. However, I found that before he was suddenly interested in her, there wasn't much that distinguished Amber to the other girls and as such there isn't too much development between Cade and Amber, apart from that she helps him a little with training, something that Quintis is already doing. In fact, when something happened later on in the book to another character, I assumed it was the girl he was interested in instead of somebody different. While it is great to see the gradual training Cade receives, giving him a chance in the upcoming games, the ultimate battle that the book is leading to is somewhat disappointing, culminating in just a single chapter. It's understandable, as actual battles don't often last more than a few seconds/minutes, but as an action story it was a bit of a let down. I will still be looking forward to and buying the final book in the series when it comes out, though I will not be raving to all my friends about how good it is compared to the Summoner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Gore and Trafficking
Minor: Ableism
aoife26935's review
4.0
Trapped on an alien world, Cade and his friends have been waiting for the next round of the life or death Contest to begin. When they leave their safe haven to train for it, their paths diverge wildly...
I'll be honest; I went into this expecting more of what we had in the first book. I'd have been perfectly happy with that! It was good, exciting fun. This one has a completely different type of story line and adds several layers to what's going on, though.
I still think these are a shade below Taran's Summoner books, but only a shade below. This one is more complex than the first, with a lot of things going on on various levels. Taran is able to keep a lot of things going while only following one character, which is very clever.
I was expecting things to stop a couple of chapters before they did, and now I'm really worried about what might happen in the third book! I don't know where things can go from here, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
I'll be honest; I went into this expecting more of what we had in the first book. I'd have been perfectly happy with that! It was good, exciting fun. This one has a completely different type of story line and adds several layers to what's going on, though.
I still think these are a shade below Taran's Summoner books, but only a shade below. This one is more complex than the first, with a lot of things going on on various levels. Taran is able to keep a lot of things going while only following one character, which is very clever.
I was expecting things to stop a couple of chapters before they did, and now I'm really worried about what might happen in the third book! I don't know where things can go from here, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
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