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raineonjupiter's review against another edition
4.0
The cliffhanger at the end had me in shock, idk if I was just blind cuz I kinda shipped them in the first book but lord I was shocked when he popped up at the end. The thorns in the hair is genius. I will definitely re-read this at some point.
elmie1998's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ameserole's review against another edition
5.0
Received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was amazeballs!
I'm so happy and honored that I got to read this book before it even comes out! Even though I read it out of order I'm not even mad. Because I honestly had no idea there was a book before this until after I read it. If that doesn't scream how amazing this book is then I don't know what else will. And now I really want to read Children of Icarus. I also secretly hope there will be another book added to this series because you cannot leave me hanging like that.
Other than that I loved the main character. I get that I didn't read the first book and if I did I would assume that I would fall even more in love with the MC but since I didn't.. I will have no idea until I read it.
Children of Daedala will give you adventure, monsters, and even more than you can imagine. It was an epic read. It will blow your freaking mind. You will love it. Go read it.
This book was amazeballs!
I'm so happy and honored that I got to read this book before it even comes out! Even though I read it out of order I'm not even mad. Because I honestly had no idea there was a book before this until after I read it. If that doesn't scream how amazing this book is then I don't know what else will. And now I really want to read Children of Icarus. I also secretly hope there will be another book added to this series because you cannot leave me hanging like that.
Other than that I loved the main character. I get that I didn't read the first book and if I did I would assume that I would fall even more in love with the MC but since I didn't.. I will have no idea until I read it.
Children of Daedala will give you adventure, monsters, and even more than you can imagine. It was an epic read. It will blow your freaking mind. You will love it. Go read it.
smittenforfiction's review against another edition
4.0
I haven’t read the first book in this series. I searched for the e-book high and low, but couldn’t find it. I didn’t want to shell out $20 for the first book at Chapters without knowing if I would like it. My local library did not have a copy, there was no ebook available on Amazon.ca or KOBO. If the publisher or author somehow see this review – please consider making the first book more readily available. I ALMOST didn’t read Children of Daedala because I didn’t read Children of Icarus. Now that I have read the book, and know that I LOVED it, I will go purchase the first book.
When I reached the final page of the Children of Daedala e-book, I discovered the author was born and raised in the same province as me, and is attending the same University that I did! I had no idea Caighlan Smith was from Newfoundland, but now that I do, I will most certainly purchase and read everything she writes. Be assured, my opinion of this book was formed well before I knew the author was a fellow Newfoundlander. As I was reading, I kept raving to my husband about how much I was enjoying the story, characters, and monsters.
Children of Daedala, inspired by Greek mythology (Icarus and Daedalus), takes place in a labyrinth filled with deadly creatures. The story begins six months after our female main character was kicked out of Fates and entered the soul-crushing maze. She has not given us her birth name, but we know she has been called Clara, and Fey Bell, by other Icaari. Fey’s mentor, the Executioner, has died, and she’s been surviving on her own. Within this giant labyrinth there are other groups of Icaari: Kleos, a group of male Icaari led by Gammon; and Harmonia, a group of female Icaari, led by Polina.
While hunting, she comes across a group of Icaari from Fates. Members of this group have treated her badly in the past. She tackles Ryan and holds him hostage. She wants to trade him for another Fates member named Addie. They make an agreement to meet for the exchange. Fey arrives hours early, without Ryan, to spy on them when they arrive. Collin comes with a few others, but no Addie. She overhears them say they were never going to do the trade, and Collin made the deal so he could try to capture Fey.
Fey returns to her secret underground base where she left Ryan bound and drugged. As she opens the door he knocks her down. After a struggle, Fey manages to get his arms and legs bound. She confesses that she wanted Addie to decipher a journal she found. Ryan says he knows some Ancient Daedalic and thinks he can decipher it. They make a pact to help each other escape the labyrinth. The war between Harmonia, Kleos, and Fates complicates Ryan and Fey’s plan to decipher the map and escape the labyrinth.
Can we talk about the cover? WOW! Isn’t it fantastic? I absolutely love it. The story is told from Fey Bell’s first person perspective, which effectively leaves the reader out of the loop. Fey Bell is a badass female protagonist who has become hard, calculating, cunning, and extremely skilled thanks to her training from the Executioner and Fey’s time alone in the labyrinth. There are a lot of characters introduced early on in the story from both the Kleos and Harmonia groups. Ryan is one of my favorite characters, but my absolutely most favorite is the Mud Maid. The short chapters and suspenseful writing worked together to create a thrilling page-turning story. I will warn you – you may end up staying well past your bedtime wanting to read “just one more”. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
There are only a couple of small things that hindered me from giving Children of Daedala 5 Stars. I don’t like Elle at all. I found her terribly annoying, and I couldn’t care less if she was kidnapped or killed. Which is problematic because I think I was supposed to care about her. I would have loved a map at the beginning of the book to help visualize the labyrinth. Some of the dialogue was a little clunky and didn’t feel authentic.
Children of Daedala is a dark tale filled with conflict that reminds me of Lord of the Flies, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games, all rolled into one.
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.
When I reached the final page of the Children of Daedala e-book, I discovered the author was born and raised in the same province as me, and is attending the same University that I did! I had no idea Caighlan Smith was from Newfoundland, but now that I do, I will most certainly purchase and read everything she writes. Be assured, my opinion of this book was formed well before I knew the author was a fellow Newfoundlander. As I was reading, I kept raving to my husband about how much I was enjoying the story, characters, and monsters.
Children of Daedala, inspired by Greek mythology (Icarus and Daedalus), takes place in a labyrinth filled with deadly creatures. The story begins six months after our female main character was kicked out of Fates and entered the soul-crushing maze. She has not given us her birth name, but we know she has been called Clara, and Fey Bell, by other Icaari. Fey’s mentor, the Executioner, has died, and she’s been surviving on her own. Within this giant labyrinth there are other groups of Icaari: Kleos, a group of male Icaari led by Gammon; and Harmonia, a group of female Icaari, led by Polina.
While hunting, she comes across a group of Icaari from Fates. Members of this group have treated her badly in the past. She tackles Ryan and holds him hostage. She wants to trade him for another Fates member named Addie. They make an agreement to meet for the exchange. Fey arrives hours early, without Ryan, to spy on them when they arrive. Collin comes with a few others, but no Addie. She overhears them say they were never going to do the trade, and Collin made the deal so he could try to capture Fey.
Fey returns to her secret underground base where she left Ryan bound and drugged. As she opens the door he knocks her down. After a struggle, Fey manages to get his arms and legs bound. She confesses that she wanted Addie to decipher a journal she found. Ryan says he knows some Ancient Daedalic and thinks he can decipher it. They make a pact to help each other escape the labyrinth. The war between Harmonia, Kleos, and Fates complicates Ryan and Fey’s plan to decipher the map and escape the labyrinth.
Can we talk about the cover? WOW! Isn’t it fantastic? I absolutely love it. The story is told from Fey Bell’s first person perspective, which effectively leaves the reader out of the loop. Fey Bell is a badass female protagonist who has become hard, calculating, cunning, and extremely skilled thanks to her training from the Executioner and Fey’s time alone in the labyrinth. There are a lot of characters introduced early on in the story from both the Kleos and Harmonia groups. Ryan is one of my favorite characters, but my absolutely most favorite is the Mud Maid. The short chapters and suspenseful writing worked together to create a thrilling page-turning story. I will warn you – you may end up staying well past your bedtime wanting to read “just one more”. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
There are only a couple of small things that hindered me from giving Children of Daedala 5 Stars. I don’t like Elle at all. I found her terribly annoying, and I couldn’t care less if she was kidnapped or killed. Which is problematic because I think I was supposed to care about her. I would have loved a map at the beginning of the book to help visualize the labyrinth. Some of the dialogue was a little clunky and didn’t feel authentic.
Children of Daedala is a dark tale filled with conflict that reminds me of Lord of the Flies, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games, all rolled into one.
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.
becandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I want it to be noted that I read this book not realizing it was a sequel. At the time of this review, I have not yet read [b:Children of Icarus|29065483|Children of Icarus|Caighlan Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455707804s/29065483.jpg|49294293] which I have 400% intentions of doing because this book was freaking AWESOME.
This book has monsters, a big ass maze, warring teenagers, Greek mythology, and characters that I have real and very raw emotions for!
The MC is a hardened, quiet, self-determined, and intelligent young woman who the reader is given no name for. Instead we know her as 'Fey Bell'. The strength is ridiculously admirable but her adolescent musings and emotions all pore through the cracks as well and holy cow I want her to be my best friend.
She's not the only character I have intense feelings though - Ryan, my gorgeous, scowling gem and Risa -but seriously I also want a Risa for myself, because she is precious and darling and dear me, have my children?
There will be monster slaying, there will be human slaying, there will be feuds and peril and serious serious trust issues (wouldn't you if EVERYONE HAD A SWORD OR SPEAR OR ARROW???).
My only gripe was that the world building - the stories of Icarus and why the Icarii, the characters backgrounds in Daedala, the losses that my beloved characters endured but I didn't - these are things that I wanted MORE of. But now, in hindsight and with the understanding that this was a sequel (I have NO IDEA how I missed this because it's the second thing mentioned on the book's NetGallery page? I am 130% assuming that I was distracted by the SO-SCRUMPTIOUS-I-WANNA-BITE-IT cover), I have faith that this has already been established in the first book of the series.
And so, I will be back with an update. CoI has already been ordered (at 3am this morning upon finishing CoD) and I will return with my update and hopefully so much further applause for Smith. Because honestly I am in love.
To see my Twitter ramblings for this book, click here.
A HUGE thank you for my ARC from NetGallery, Caighlan Smith, and Capstone!
"We feed traitors to the monsters"
This book has monsters, a big ass maze, warring teenagers, Greek mythology, and characters that I have real and very raw emotions for!
The MC is a hardened, quiet, self-determined, and intelligent young woman who the reader is given no name for. Instead we know her as 'Fey Bell'. The strength is ridiculously admirable but her adolescent musings and emotions all pore through the cracks as well and holy cow I want her to be my best friend.
She's not the only character I have intense feelings though - Ryan, my gorgeous, scowling gem and Risa -but seriously I also want a Risa for myself, because she is precious and darling and dear me, have my children?
There will be monster slaying, there will be human slaying, there will be feuds and peril and serious serious trust issues (wouldn't you if EVERYONE HAD A SWORD OR SPEAR OR ARROW???).
My only gripe was that the world building - the stories of Icarus and why the Icarii, the characters backgrounds in Daedala, the losses that my beloved characters endured but I didn't - these are things that I wanted MORE of. But now, in hindsight and with the understanding that this was a sequel (I have NO IDEA how I missed this because it's the second thing mentioned on the book's NetGallery page? I am 130% assuming that I was distracted by the SO-SCRUMPTIOUS-I-WANNA-BITE-IT cover), I have faith that this has already been established in the first book of the series.
And so, I will be back with an update. CoI has already been ordered (at 3am this morning upon finishing CoD) and I will return with my update and hopefully so much further applause for Smith. Because honestly I am in love.
To see my Twitter ramblings for this book, click here.
A HUGE thank you for my ARC from NetGallery, Caighlan Smith, and Capstone!
sarahrita's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book free from the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Please see my full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
For requesting arcs and books to review, please visit www.netgalley.com.
Please see my full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
For requesting arcs and books to review, please visit www.netgalley.com.
bookboss85's review against another edition
5.0
Original post can be found at: http://www.nerdprobs.com/books/book-review-children-of-daedala-by-caighlan-smith/
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I am pretty sure when I saw that this book was available for request you could hear me screeching from about three states away. I LOVED the first book, staying up way past when I should just so I could find out what would happen with our main character. Now I have my tablet charged and ready for me to read the second installment in the Children of Icarus series. I am absolutely giddy with excitement.
Our story picks up basically right where it left off. The main heroine is still unnamed. Throughout the book, she is called still Clara and the new nickname of Fey Bell. She is living alone in the labyrinth now that the Executioner is dead. She has basically become a bad-ass. With what the Executioner taught her she is able to down screechers by herself and kill diggers. She likes being alone. She carries a ton of weapons: a chain, ax, arrows and a bow, and a spiked ball and chain to name a few. She also weaves spikes into her braids so anyone who attacks and grabs her hair with slice their hands. All of that changes when one day she runs across her old Fates family. The people who rescued her when she was dumped into the labyrinth on that fateful day. One thing leads to another and she takes Ryan captive. She specifically picks him because she wants to use him as collateral to get the person she really wants, Cassie. Cassie can read an ancient language so she can translate a journal that Clara has. Ryan admits that he can also read the ancient language. Will they ever get out of the labyrinth? Will she use Ryan as a hostage to get Cassie?
OH.MY.WORD. This book ended on such a cliffhanger. I am chomping at the bit to read the next book in the series. Why do I have to wait so long?! Again the author delivers a well-rounded book. The author finally gives the main character a slight romance. Hopefully, more will come of that during book three. The author creates a world that you can see in your mind’s eye. The horrifying creatures, especially in this book the lion that the main character fights, leap to life. The descriptions that she provides are amazing. The small romance that is written in is so cute. She is awkward when it comes to romance and you can totally feel her anxiety over it and her internal “What do I do?”. I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Hopefully, I don’t have to wait too long to find out.
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I am pretty sure when I saw that this book was available for request you could hear me screeching from about three states away. I LOVED the first book, staying up way past when I should just so I could find out what would happen with our main character. Now I have my tablet charged and ready for me to read the second installment in the Children of Icarus series. I am absolutely giddy with excitement.
Our story picks up basically right where it left off. The main heroine is still unnamed. Throughout the book, she is called still Clara and the new nickname of Fey Bell. She is living alone in the labyrinth now that the Executioner is dead. She has basically become a bad-ass. With what the Executioner taught her she is able to down screechers by herself and kill diggers. She likes being alone. She carries a ton of weapons: a chain, ax, arrows and a bow, and a spiked ball and chain to name a few. She also weaves spikes into her braids so anyone who attacks and grabs her hair with slice their hands. All of that changes when one day she runs across her old Fates family. The people who rescued her when she was dumped into the labyrinth on that fateful day. One thing leads to another and she takes Ryan captive. She specifically picks him because she wants to use him as collateral to get the person she really wants, Cassie. Cassie can read an ancient language so she can translate a journal that Clara has. Ryan admits that he can also read the ancient language. Will they ever get out of the labyrinth? Will she use Ryan as a hostage to get Cassie?
OH.MY.WORD. This book ended on such a cliffhanger. I am chomping at the bit to read the next book in the series. Why do I have to wait so long?! Again the author delivers a well-rounded book. The author finally gives the main character a slight romance. Hopefully, more will come of that during book three. The author creates a world that you can see in your mind’s eye. The horrifying creatures, especially in this book the lion that the main character fights, leap to life. The descriptions that she provides are amazing. The small romance that is written in is so cute. She is awkward when it comes to romance and you can totally feel her anxiety over it and her internal “What do I do?”. I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Hopefully, I don’t have to wait too long to find out.
fixatedonfiction's review against another edition
4.0
I really did enjoy this book, and have been putting it off for ages as I had to read it on my phone. I love the aspect of the labyrinth, it sort of reminded me of the Maze Runner series, but to be honest, this idea was better. What I didn't enjoy was how these people came to be in the labyrinth, like what sort of person does that?
I would like to thank net Galley, the Publisher and definitely the Author for giving me a chance to read this book, was amazing!!!
I would like to thank net Galley, the Publisher and definitely the Author for giving me a chance to read this book, was amazing!!!
krys_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
This book is not for everyone, I had some reservations after reading the first one (I was taken by surprise the violence in that book) but I was also dying to know more. This book is definitely not as violent (in many different ways) as the first one but it still has its fair share of violence and death. Our nameless MC is on her own now since the death of her mentor when thrown out of Fates so violently and we find her exploring the labyrinth and also aware of more groups other than Fates. Unfortunately these two groups are at odds and Nameless finds herself in the center of the dispute with no way of knowing who is lying to her and who is telling her the truth.
Stronger and more wise than she was in book one our MC still has a lot to learn just how much the labyrinth can change a person and still makes some pretty frustrating decisions. Still a huge improvement to who she was in book one, that being said. I still have absolutely no answers to anything from book one and only more questions due to book two and my heart really can’t handle cliffhanger endings the likes of which this one stopped at. Seriously, I’ll be haunted by this because I have to wait for book three to find out what’s going to happen after that ending. It’s not fair.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, just not to everyone. Like my review says at the start, it’s not a book for everyone. At least not something I’d give without warning as to what to expect at least.
Thanks for giving me this chance to read.
***
This book is not for everyone, I had some reservations after reading the first one (I was taken by surprise the violence in that book) but I was also dying to know more. This book is definitely not as violent (in many different ways) as the first one but it still has its fair share of violence and death. Our nameless MC is on her own now since the death of her mentor when thrown out of Fates so violently and we find her exploring the labyrinth and also aware of more groups other than Fates. Unfortunately these two groups are at odds and Nameless finds herself in the center of the dispute with no way of knowing who is lying to her and who is telling her the truth.
Stronger and more wise than she was in book one our MC still has a lot to learn just how much the labyrinth can change a person and still makes some pretty frustrating decisions. Still a huge improvement to who she was in book one, that being said. I still have absolutely no answers to anything from book one and only more questions due to book two and my heart really can’t handle cliffhanger endings the likes of which this one stopped at. Seriously, I’ll be haunted by this because I have to wait for book three to find out what’s going to happen after that ending. It’s not fair.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, just not to everyone. Like my review says at the start, it’s not a book for everyone. At least not something I’d give without warning as to what to expect at least.
Thanks for giving me this chance to read.
troystory's review against another edition
3.0
I was really excited for this book because I loved the first one so much, and I'm glad this wasn't disappointing! It took me a while to get used to the writing style again (which actually helps with the characterization of the MC, as simple as it is), so at first I didn't like it, but the more I read, the more I found myself caught up in the story.
The MC is an interesting character, and I really loved learning more about her, and her relationship with other people. I also loved the plot twists and reveals and the conflicts. Generally, the book was evenly paced, and nothing felt too rushed or like it dragged on.
The one thing I would've changed is the MC's relationship with Elle (or Risa even). Look, she talks about dating boys and kissing boys like it's a chore, and doesn't really feel anything towards a certain boy when he kisses her, so the conclusion I came to was that she's gay. At first I thought gay for Elle, because of the way she talked about her, but I would've been fine with the MC in a relationship with any other girl. Hopefully that gets addressed in the next book!
But otherwise, I enjoyed reading this book, and I hope the sequel gets released soon!
The MC is an interesting character, and I really loved learning more about her, and her relationship with other people. I also loved the plot twists and reveals and the conflicts. Generally, the book was evenly paced, and nothing felt too rushed or like it dragged on.
The one thing I would've changed is the MC's relationship with Elle (or Risa even). Look, she talks about dating boys and kissing boys like it's a chore, and doesn't really feel anything towards a certain boy when he kisses her, so the conclusion I came to was that she's gay. At first I thought gay for Elle, because of the way she talked about her, but I would've been fine with the MC in a relationship with any other girl. Hopefully that gets addressed in the next book!
But otherwise, I enjoyed reading this book, and I hope the sequel gets released soon!