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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
5.0
Even though I missed out on the box with "the Fandom", the first book in this series, that was a Dystopia that I just really truly loved, was the reason I really wanted to get the Book Box Club each month. Books that seemed out of my comfort zone and then ended up being straight up my alley. I was therefore very excited to start the second book!
And the second book truly doesn't disappoint. The book starts almost a year after the previous one ended. Alice and Violet are bestseller authors now, but Violet's brother Nate is still in a coma. And then they discover that someone has started to write a third book, a book that messes everything up and mostly a book that ruins the chance for Nate to ever return back to our world. And then a race against the clock starts.
It's from start to finish a fantastic race and I love that this time we get two perspectives. Violet's, stuck in the fictive world trying to change the tide to get her brother back. And Allison's, doing whatever she can to give Violet the best chance she can get by writing her own fanfiction. The two storylines intertwine perfectly and everything that happens in one world has a direct influence on the other, something I really love.
I do have to admit that maybe there's not that much depth added to the characters. They lean heavily on the foundation built in the previous book and not that much background or extra information is added, but I personally didn't miss it that much. I had way too much adrenaline rushing through my vein to even notice.
Because this book is a rollercoaster from start to finish and even a little beyond that. And writing fanfic will never be the same again.
And the second book truly doesn't disappoint. The book starts almost a year after the previous one ended. Alice and Violet are bestseller authors now, but Violet's brother Nate is still in a coma. And then they discover that someone has started to write a third book, a book that messes everything up and mostly a book that ruins the chance for Nate to ever return back to our world. And then a race against the clock starts.
It's from start to finish a fantastic race and I love that this time we get two perspectives. Violet's, stuck in the fictive world trying to change the tide to get her brother back. And Allison's, doing whatever she can to give Violet the best chance she can get by writing her own fanfiction. The two storylines intertwine perfectly and everything that happens in one world has a direct influence on the other, something I really love.
I do have to admit that maybe there's not that much depth added to the characters. They lean heavily on the foundation built in the previous book and not that much background or extra information is added, but I personally didn't miss it that much. I had way too much adrenaline rushing through my vein to even notice.
Because this book is a rollercoaster from start to finish and even a little beyond that. And writing fanfic will never be the same again.
_sarah_s's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alongreader's review
4.0
[b:The Fandom|34866434|The Fandom (The Fandom, #1)|Anna Day|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502374749s/34866434.jpg|56112305] was Anna Day's love letter to dystopian fiction and the fervour of the fans. The Fandom Rising is, rather more specifically, about fanfiction and the wars they can engender. Rising picks up a year after the end of Fandom. In the interim, Alice and Violet have published the official sequel to Gallows' Dance. However, Nate is still trapped in his coma and the girls have forgotten their adventures. Violet's been dreaming, though, and things are moving in the Gallows fandom. A new fanfic writer is turning everything on its head, and if the girls don't stop him they'll lose any chance of bringing Nate back...
I'm going to start with the only problem I had with this novel, and it's the same problem I have with almost all series; it's been more than a year since the first one was published, and there's no recap or memory jogger beyond a few bits of dialogue and exposition. I am honestly not too sure who a couple of the characters were and what the relationships were in the first novel. But almost all series have this, and I realise that putting in a recap at the start can affect the flow.
This is my only problem. Other than that, the story is brilliant. Shifting POVs mean that we're aware of what's happening on both sides of the divide, and a certain character reveal took me by surprise. Another I was expecting didn't materialise, which is good because it would have been upsetting. The settings were great and the action didn't stop at any point.
This sits beautifully as a duology, but I'll be watching out for whatever Anna does next. I'm sure it'll be great.
I need to contact this Fanboy and convince him to stop posting. And I'm Alice Childs, author of The Gallows Song. That must mean something. And if it doesn't, if he won't stop, well, I'll hunt him down and grind his bloody keyboard to dust with my Jimmy Choos.
I go straight to the Fandalism site on my phone. The barbed wire motif suddenly seems all the more jagged, all the more dangerous. I scroll with urgent fingers. There isn't a contact page. I do a bit more snooping, but he isn't on social media or the internet more generally. The guy's a cyber ghost. How on earth did he get so popular?
This complicates things.
Deep breaths. New plan.
I need someone to help me. I'm hopeless with computers. Which sounds daft coming from a girl who spends most of her spare time glued to one. But that's different, that's writing. I know diddly about how to track down another user.
What I need is an IT nerd.
I open Facebook and follow a friends of friends trail until I find the perfect geek. A nerd who I really owe a drink and who, historically, owes me a favour.
I'm going to start with the only problem I had with this novel, and it's the same problem I have with almost all series; it's been more than a year since the first one was published, and there's no recap or memory jogger beyond a few bits of dialogue and exposition. I am honestly not too sure who a couple of the characters were and what the relationships were in the first novel. But almost all series have this, and I realise that putting in a recap at the start can affect the flow.
This is my only problem. Other than that, the story is brilliant. Shifting POVs mean that we're aware of what's happening on both sides of the divide, and a certain character reveal took me by surprise. Another I was expecting didn't materialise, which is good because it would have been upsetting. The settings were great and the action didn't stop at any point.
This sits beautifully as a duology, but I'll be watching out for whatever Anna does next. I'm sure it'll be great.
I need to contact this Fanboy and convince him to stop posting. And I'm Alice Childs, author of The Gallows Song. That must mean something. And if it doesn't, if he won't stop, well, I'll hunt him down and grind his bloody keyboard to dust with my Jimmy Choos.
I go straight to the Fandalism site on my phone. The barbed wire motif suddenly seems all the more jagged, all the more dangerous. I scroll with urgent fingers. There isn't a contact page. I do a bit more snooping, but he isn't on social media or the internet more generally. The guy's a cyber ghost. How on earth did he get so popular?
This complicates things.
Deep breaths. New plan.
I need someone to help me. I'm hopeless with computers. Which sounds daft coming from a girl who spends most of her spare time glued to one. But that's different, that's writing. I know diddly about how to track down another user.
What I need is an IT nerd.
I open Facebook and follow a friends of friends trail until I find the perfect geek. A nerd who I really owe a drink and who, historically, owes me a favour.
obsessivebooklover's review
4.0
4 stars
This is going to be a brief review as there is no way I can say all the things I want to say without spoiling the first book.
The book picks up 1 year after The Fandom finishes and in that time Alice and Violet have co-written and published 'The Gallows Song', a sequel to the original story 'The Gallows Dance'. Now Violet and Katie go back into the world created by the collective consciousness of the fandom, leaving Alice to protect them from the normal world.
I felt like there wasn't as much character development, violence or romance in this book compared to the first one but I liked this lack of violence as it makes the story a lot more relaxing to read. I would've liked more romance between Violet and he who shall not be named but I also like how this story wasn't told entirely from Violet's point of view. This book gave us an insight into Alice's mind and allowed the story to be fully told from both the 'normal' world and the fandom.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and although I haven't found anything about a potential third book, I definitely believe that cliffhanger leaves potential for another book.
This is going to be a brief review as there is no way I can say all the things I want to say without spoiling the first book.
The book picks up 1 year after The Fandom finishes and in that time Alice and Violet have co-written and published 'The Gallows Song', a sequel to the original story 'The Gallows Dance'. Now Violet and Katie go back into the world created by the collective consciousness of the fandom, leaving Alice to protect them from the normal world.
I felt like there wasn't as much character development, violence or romance in this book compared to the first one but I liked this lack of violence as it makes the story a lot more relaxing to read. I would've liked more romance between Violet and he who shall not be named but I also like how this story wasn't told entirely from Violet's point of view. This book gave us an insight into Alice's mind and allowed the story to be fully told from both the 'normal' world and the fandom.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and although I haven't found anything about a potential third book, I definitely believe that cliffhanger leaves potential for another book.
denisepx's review
4.0
4/5⭐️
This book was an enjoyable read. The anonymous text messages gave me a Pretty Little Liars vibe, which I really liked. The story itself was fast-paced, but there was still enough depth in the story. The character development was OK. of course the characters overcome their fears by going to Comic-Con again, but there wasn't as much growth as in the first installment.
Overall it was a great story and I definitely see myself rereading this duology.
This book was an enjoyable read. The anonymous text messages gave me a Pretty Little Liars vibe, which I really liked. The story itself was fast-paced, but there was still enough depth in the story. The character development was OK. of course the characters overcome their fears by going to Comic-Con again, but there wasn't as much growth as in the first installment.
Overall it was a great story and I definitely see myself rereading this duology.
linassassin's review
2.0
J'ai beaucoup hésité à mettre 3 étoiles mais au vue de tous les petits détails m'ayant fait grincer des dents et les protagonistes que j'ai trouvée insupportable je ne me voyais pas mettre plus. Pour autant je n'ai pas passée un moment horrible, c'était assez sympathique pour être franche et l'écriture de l'auteure était très agréable à lire mais pour les points positifs ça s'arrête là.
e_d_ivey's review
3.0
This book was a bit of a yikes for me. I just felt like it couldn't decide if it wanted to fully engage with the heavy topics so well-known to the dystopian genre or not. Part of it felt like it wanted to poke fun at the genre. Part of it felt like it still wanted to hold on to the tropes. One moment, a character's falling head over heels; the next, she's contemplating her impending doom, and that of an entire population of people.
The thing is, this half-hearted attempt at parody (if parody is an accurate way to put it) just didn't sit right with me. The consequences were dire, but the tone was light and fluffy. By the time truly awful things were happening, I was so confused that the events just glanced off me. There was no impact, no acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation. Teens might seem silly for charging off into romance in the middle of conflict, but they certainly feel things a bit deeper than Anna Day has given them credit for. I wanted to be sad, to be upset, to experience the emotions that seemed appropriate to the situation. But the characters never got there.
The thing is, this half-hearted attempt at parody (if parody is an accurate way to put it) just didn't sit right with me. The consequences were dire, but the tone was light and fluffy. By the time truly awful things were happening, I was so confused that the events just glanced off me. There was no impact, no acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation. Teens might seem silly for charging off into romance in the middle of conflict, but they certainly feel things a bit deeper than Anna Day has given them credit for. I wanted to be sad, to be upset, to experience the emotions that seemed appropriate to the situation. But the characters never got there.
camilef's review
3.0
Fue una lectura hasta cierto punto decepcionante, creo que esperaba algo más y sin duda alguna las pérdidas que hubo fueron simplemente un daño colateral; es decir sin las muertes que hay en el libro bien pido haber seguido la trama.
Primero que nada hay que admitir que engancha lo suficiente la historia; es la continuación a "El Baile del Ahorcado" y transcurre un año después justo cuando los padres de Vio deciden que es tiempo de dejar descansar a Nate y desconectarlo. Es ahí donde Baba (la abuela gema que tenía poderes mentales) le recuerda a Vio y lo que pasó esa vez cuando estuvo en "coma" y la insta a que vaya a salvar a Nate. Por cierto el editor que las ayudó con "El Baile del Rebelde quiere un siguiente libro y eso sin duda no debe suceder para que los impes puedan tener un futuro libre.
Debido al miedo inhumano que siente Alice por lo que pasó durante el coma llega demasiado tarde a sus amigas cuando logran entrar a EBDA siendo que no le queda de otra más que intentar ayudar desde este lado junto a Danny.
Como persona Alice se me hizo muy hueca, se que ese era el punto, pero pese a la buena historia no me gustó del todo. Se que ella se siente atrapada en un pedestal en el que se que no quisiera estar, pero hay frases que son ridículas.
«Por supuesto que está bien. Lleva ropa de Gucci y no cabe duda de que está exfoliada».
Vio se mantiene siendo quien es, eso sí es más valiente e intrépida que en el libro pasado, pero sigue siendo ella. Y Katie es todo lo bueno del mundo como en la entrega pasada. Hasta que la matan.
Quiero decir que más que dolor por su muerte llegué a sentir rabia, fue estúpida la manera en que sucedió y al llegar al final te das cuenta de que en realidad daba igual si moría en ese momento o no por que para je Nate regresara al mundo real era necesario que el muriera, tremenda basura. Katie debió ser la que viviera y no Alice, debió tener un lindo romance mientras las otras dos peleaban por sus vidas, pero no ella era tan buena amiga que se obligó a superar sus miedos con tal de apoyar a Vio.
"—No pasa nada por disgustarse —dice Katie—. Acepta la emoción; atraviésala, no la rodees."
Un punto bueno es que los sentimientos entre Ash y Vio se conservaron, bueno Ash tiene el sentimiento inexplicable de amor por Vio como si ella fuera "The One" (la única o si lo prefieren ver cómo el amor de su vida/ su alma gemela).
"—Afrontémoslo, Vi: nadie podría competir con una buena historia de amor de bucle temporal. Chica conoce a chico. Cuelgan a la chica. Al chico le borran la memoria. La chica vuelve con el chico. El chico se siente atraído de forma misteriosa por la chica. La chica se tira al chico. Es un clásico. Esa pobre idiota no tenía ni la más mínima oportunidad."
Una vez hablado de esto creo que lo principal ha sido mencionado. Pero dejo un trocito de desesperanza.
"La iglesia no responde. Dios no responde."
Primero que nada hay que admitir que engancha lo suficiente la historia; es la continuación a "El Baile del Ahorcado" y transcurre un año después justo cuando los padres de Vio deciden que es tiempo de dejar descansar a Nate y desconectarlo. Es ahí donde Baba (la abuela gema que tenía poderes mentales) le recuerda a Vio y lo que pasó esa vez cuando estuvo en "coma" y la insta a que vaya a salvar a Nate. Por cierto el editor que las ayudó con "El Baile del Rebelde quiere un siguiente libro y eso sin duda no debe suceder para que los impes puedan tener un futuro libre.
Debido al miedo inhumano que siente Alice por lo que pasó durante el coma llega demasiado tarde a sus amigas cuando logran entrar a EBDA siendo que no le queda de otra más que intentar ayudar desde este lado junto a Danny.
Como persona Alice se me hizo muy hueca, se que ese era el punto, pero pese a la buena historia no me gustó del todo. Se que ella se siente atrapada en un pedestal en el que se que no quisiera estar, pero hay frases que son ridículas.
«Por supuesto que está bien. Lleva ropa de Gucci y no cabe duda de que está exfoliada».
Vio se mantiene siendo quien es, eso sí es más valiente e intrépida que en el libro pasado, pero sigue siendo ella. Y Katie es todo lo bueno del mundo como en la entrega pasada. Hasta que la matan.
Quiero decir que más que dolor por su muerte llegué a sentir rabia, fue estúpida la manera en que sucedió y al llegar al final te das cuenta de que en realidad daba igual si moría en ese momento o no por que para je Nate regresara al mundo real era necesario que el muriera, tremenda basura. Katie debió ser la que viviera y no Alice, debió tener un lindo romance mientras las otras dos peleaban por sus vidas, pero no ella era tan buena amiga que se obligó a superar sus miedos con tal de apoyar a Vio.
"—No pasa nada por disgustarse —dice Katie—. Acepta la emoción; atraviésala, no la rodees."
Un punto bueno es que los sentimientos entre Ash y Vio se conservaron, bueno Ash tiene el sentimiento inexplicable de amor por Vio como si ella fuera "The One" (la única o si lo prefieren ver cómo el amor de su vida/ su alma gemela).
"—Afrontémoslo, Vi: nadie podría competir con una buena historia de amor de bucle temporal. Chica conoce a chico. Cuelgan a la chica. Al chico le borran la memoria. La chica vuelve con el chico. El chico se siente atraído de forma misteriosa por la chica. La chica se tira al chico. Es un clásico. Esa pobre idiota no tenía ni la más mínima oportunidad."
Una vez hablado de esto creo que lo principal ha sido mencionado. Pero dejo un trocito de desesperanza.
"La iglesia no responde. Dios no responde."
bingereadingandtea's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0