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steffiraquel's review against another edition
3.0
This isn't really my cup of tea as I don't really have a strong interest in history, however I really love the diversity! Honestly, I think my husband would love this more than me because he loves history!
libraryofreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
martinew's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Nei bare nei
anaisdunne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The dreadful totally artificial romance with NO chemistry or any attraction or ANYTHING before it was thrown in the reader's face has almost ruined the series for me.
I love this series the writing, worldbuilding, characters and plot are all WONDERFUL!!
I love this series the writing, worldbuilding, characters and plot are all WONDERFUL!!
clarowe's review against another edition
5.0
I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Challenger is the second book in Matharu's The Contender series and it does not disappoint. Cade finds his precarious situation quickly becoming even more tenuous, The challenges the characters face become even more complex and deadly with increasingly higher stakes. The characters themselves continue to evolve and mature, in an impressively realistic manner. The ever evolving relationships between the characters is what drew me in the most however. As the characters figure out how to face new challenges, it is their relationships with one another that help determine their success or failure. You find yourself emotionally invested in these characters and the decisions they make.
The Challenger is the second book in Matharu's The Contender series and it does not disappoint. Cade finds his precarious situation quickly becoming even more tenuous, The challenges the characters face become even more complex and deadly with increasingly higher stakes. The characters themselves continue to evolve and mature, in an impressively realistic manner. The ever evolving relationships between the characters is what drew me in the most however. As the characters figure out how to face new challenges, it is their relationships with one another that help determine their success or failure. You find yourself emotionally invested in these characters and the decisions they make.
shamrockf91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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? No
5.0
dianabrito's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
nickle4books's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
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/