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greylandreviews's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
This book was a little slow in the beginning but, got more interesting at the end. How Ms. DeStefano writes is magical and has such a 1920s era to it. A review will come later.
This book was a little slow in the beginning but, got more interesting at the end. How Ms. DeStefano writes is magical and has such a 1920s era to it. A review will come later.
sleepygirlreads_'s review against another edition
5.0
Loved it!! I'll say more closer to the release date.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
"How is it that there are two worlds - one in the sky and one on the ground - and I forever feel that I have nowhere to go?"
This was an amazing sequel. I read it in just a few hours and could not put it down. I stayed up way to late and hung on every written word.
There is a feel of the author's other series here, but just barely. This story definitely stands well on it's own. I don't know what it is, but I absolutely love Morgan and Basil. Pen and Thomas equally make me angry and everyone else is a little fuzzy, the names seemed to come and go. I have barely any memory other than the basics from book 1, but I loved jumping right back in.
I can't wait to read the next one!
This was an amazing sequel. I read it in just a few hours and could not put it down. I stayed up way to late and hung on every written word.
There is a feel of the author's other series here, but just barely. This story definitely stands well on it's own. I don't know what it is, but I absolutely love Morgan and Basil. Pen and Thomas equally make me angry and everyone else is a little fuzzy, the names seemed to come and go. I have barely any memory other than the basics from book 1, but I loved jumping right back in.
I can't wait to read the next one!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
3.0
Burning Kingdoms is the second book of The Internment Chronicles and I was very excited to dive back into this world. Not only did book one leave me wondering what was in store for these characters personally but also as they navigate this new world below Internment.
Morgan and her group are in a new world and surrounded by people they don’t know. As they become introduced to this world, they are finding out what really is important to them and what dangers they have opened their families up to.
I loved the addition of the Piper kids – the older ones, Nimble and Birdie, added another layer to the story and I thought they helped move things along. Their father was definitely not my favorite. It was tough to feel anything but annoyance/anger for him because of the things he did.
I found myself struggling with the friendship between Morgan and Pen as well as the relationship between Morgan and Basil. First, Basil deserved better from Morgan and I think I was mostly frustrated with her on his behalf. She needed to figure out what she wanted now that she wasn’t tied to the rules of Internment and I felt like she just kept going back to what she thought was comfortable…which isn’t necessarily fair to Basil.
As for the friendship between Morgan and Pen, I don’t know. They clearly love each other and they want to protect each other but Pen is pretty self-destructive and Thomas holds everything she does wrong, against Morgan which isn’t necessarily fair. In the end, everything Morgan did was to protect her friends and family and I get it.
I thought DeStefano did a great job of moving the story along. We get to see what is really going on in this world and why they really want access to Internment. I did find the world they were in a bit confusing as there wasn’t a lot of explanation. There were brass clubs and movies and the King also has access to airplanes and bombs but things seemed a bit limited in terms of technology.
I’m not completely sure where book three will take this story and I look forward to diving into it when it comes out as I am curious to see where DeStefano goes not only with the overall story but also with the characters. Some interesting things happened and/or were revealed in this book that will make the next part of this story one that I want to dive into as soon as I can get my hands on it.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the review copy!
Morgan and her group are in a new world and surrounded by people they don’t know. As they become introduced to this world, they are finding out what really is important to them and what dangers they have opened their families up to.
I loved the addition of the Piper kids – the older ones, Nimble and Birdie, added another layer to the story and I thought they helped move things along. Their father was definitely not my favorite. It was tough to feel anything but annoyance/anger for him because of the things he did.
I found myself struggling with the friendship between Morgan and Pen as well as the relationship between Morgan and Basil. First, Basil deserved better from Morgan and I think I was mostly frustrated with her on his behalf. She needed to figure out what she wanted now that she wasn’t tied to the rules of Internment and I felt like she just kept going back to what she thought was comfortable…which isn’t necessarily fair to Basil.
As for the friendship between Morgan and Pen, I don’t know. They clearly love each other and they want to protect each other but Pen is pretty self-destructive and Thomas holds everything she does wrong, against Morgan which isn’t necessarily fair. In the end, everything Morgan did was to protect her friends and family and I get it.
I thought DeStefano did a great job of moving the story along. We get to see what is really going on in this world and why they really want access to Internment. I did find the world they were in a bit confusing as there wasn’t a lot of explanation. There were brass clubs and movies and the King also has access to airplanes and bombs but things seemed a bit limited in terms of technology.
I’m not completely sure where book three will take this story and I look forward to diving into it when it comes out as I am curious to see where DeStefano goes not only with the overall story but also with the characters. Some interesting things happened and/or were revealed in this book that will make the next part of this story one that I want to dive into as soon as I can get my hands on it.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the review copy!
bookish_coven's review
4.0
"We are witnessing something beyond what we've been taught to imagine."
I will gladly admit that this second installment was better than the first book. I really enjoyed reading on with the story of Morgan and her friends, as they try to find their place on the ground. It was really funny reading about their reactions to things we all consider normal, like rain. Living in a floating piece of earth had its privileges after all!
I already picked the last book of the series and I don't like the foreshadowing break of the china couple on the cover..
I will gladly admit that this second installment was better than the first book. I really enjoyed reading on with the story of Morgan and her friends, as they try to find their place on the ground. It was really funny reading about their reactions to things we all consider normal, like rain. Living in a floating piece of earth had its privileges after all!
So, "Burning Kingdoms" picks the story from the end of book one, with our survivors landing safely into the strange world of "the ground". However, they are soon disappointed, when they find out that the people there are no less cruel and oppressive than their own. That world felt relatively close to our modern society with cars and planes, cinemas, hotels and amusement parks, with the exception of royalty. The people from "the floating island" were welcomed on the ground, even though they arrived in the middle of a war. New relationships are formed and we find out more about the now familiar characters of Morgan, Lex, Pen and Celeste. The friendship between Pen and Morgan is one of my favorites on these series and I like the way DeStefano plays the romance card: it's subtle and not annoying. The hinting of a potential love triangle is a bit worrying but I trust it will work itself out in the end.There is no train framing this city. There is no limit. It could well go on forever, to a horizon it would take ten lifetimes to run to.
I already picked the last book of the series and I don't like the foreshadowing break of the china couple on the cover..
emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
5.0
What I Liked
Lauren DeStefano is an incredible author. There were a few times I read to my friend from her pages, just so she could hear the lyrical writing and the beauty DeStefano can put into words.
What also intrigues me about this series is that the second book had just as much potential (and did well) at being strong. It's not a "second book" that is done exploring a unique new world, because it begins with the experience of a different world from the first book, and it's just as - or at least almost as - interesting.
DeStefano is a creator of characters. Pen will always be my favorite secondary character now. She's nuanced and likable and unlikable all at the same time, just as a human should be. I love Nimble, Basil, Thomas, and Birdie - and while I was baffled by the existence of Celeste at all in Perfect Ruin, I grew to like her character too in Burning Kingdoms.
The world developments are also interesting in contrast with each other. Medically and socially, the ground is leagues ahead - but in terms of technology, Internment is far more advanced. I enjoyed reading about the kingdoms' different religions, different terminology, and even their different diets. DeStefano has put so much work into creating two very realistic worlds that are much different than this one, and I love reading about them. I want her to create hundreds of books about Internment and the ground.
What I Didn't Like
This book has a slower start than ending. In this regard, it's backwards from the first in the series. The first mesmerized me from page one and became a little slower and nonsensical around the last third. This book had a first half paced pretty slowly - and with a literal explosion, everything changed and left me captivated.
At times, Morgan seems a little too perfect. Everything she does is reasoned and sympathetic - and while some things she does seem dumb, it's still because she has empathy and compassion and selfless love. Sometimes I want to see her crack up a little bit and do something for herself. Truly, selfishly for herself.
Lauren DeStefano is an incredible author. There were a few times I read to my friend from her pages, just so she could hear the lyrical writing and the beauty DeStefano can put into words.
What also intrigues me about this series is that the second book had just as much potential (and did well) at being strong. It's not a "second book" that is done exploring a unique new world, because it begins with the experience of a different world from the first book, and it's just as - or at least almost as - interesting.
DeStefano is a creator of characters. Pen will always be my favorite secondary character now. She's nuanced and likable and unlikable all at the same time, just as a human should be. I love Nimble, Basil, Thomas, and Birdie - and while I was baffled by the existence of Celeste at all in Perfect Ruin, I grew to like her character too in Burning Kingdoms.
The world developments are also interesting in contrast with each other. Medically and socially, the ground is leagues ahead - but in terms of technology, Internment is far more advanced. I enjoyed reading about the kingdoms' different religions, different terminology, and even their different diets. DeStefano has put so much work into creating two very realistic worlds that are much different than this one, and I love reading about them. I want her to create hundreds of books about Internment and the ground.
What I Didn't Like
This book has a slower start than ending. In this regard, it's backwards from the first in the series. The first mesmerized me from page one and became a little slower and nonsensical around the last third. This book had a first half paced pretty slowly - and with a literal explosion, everything changed and left me captivated.
At times, Morgan seems a little too perfect. Everything she does is reasoned and sympathetic - and while some things she does seem dumb, it's still because she has empathy and compassion and selfless love. Sometimes I want to see her crack up a little bit and do something for herself. Truly, selfishly for herself.
trin_ney18's review against another edition
4.0
This book definitely took me on an emotional rollercoaster. There were moments I was throwing my arms up in anger and then the next page I was sobbing like a big baby.
The only problem I really had was the world-building. I didn't understand what kind of place the author was trying to create. It was like she was trying to mix the 1950's and a kingdom. The two just weren't elaborated on well enough and it can leave you a little disoriented.
I'm still excited for the next one.
The only problem I really had was the world-building. I didn't understand what kind of place the author was trying to create. It was like she was trying to mix the 1950's and a kingdom. The two just weren't elaborated on well enough and it can leave you a little disoriented.
I'm still excited for the next one.
uwaeish's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0