Scan barcode
abetterjulie's review against another edition
3.0
The characters were a little flat, and the magic wasn't as thrilling as the first book. I am hopeful that the third book will have more of the clever magic of the first.
dandelionfluff's review against another edition
4.0
Hm. I still love the series so far, but I'm worried about Petra and where her character is going. Things just happen a bit too easily for her. She's now very well-trained in swordsmanship (a desirable trait in many YA heroines), is magically unique, and has- what's it up to now- 3 young men who adore her? Place all that into a character who is physically small and follows the cliche of having (what can be) a very difficult personality to make up for it. The story is still good, and I can't wait to read the last book... I'm just worried that Petra is going to become something very typical very fast.
libmeh's review against another edition
4.0
I'm about 1/3 into the book and absolutely enjoying it! Rutkoski writes original, fun fantasy with strong, original young characters. Woo!
mantovi's review against another edition
4.0
Spotted the final twist a little too early but that didn't keep me from enjoying the book.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this second book in the trilogy better than the first! In the first book, there was a lot of explanations and random minor characters, but in this book we have a more solid story and better pacing, I think.
Petra is on the run again from the evil Prince of Bohemia, and her friends, Neel and Tomik, are swept into her adventures. The mysterious spy/ambassador John Dee is back, and he tries to train Petra to use her magic, but she is an unruly student.
My favorite character by far is Astrophil, the metal spider with an encyclopedic brain. He's so wise and intelligent and loyal! I just love his snappy dialogue.
Petra is courageous to the point of stupidity, but I love her for it. I think she has trouble seeing things as they really are. She assumes that things will turn out well if you just do your best, or that you can trust people to keep your secrets, and that just isn't the case. She tends to run headlong into danger with all kinds of good intentions, so it's a good thing Astrophil is there to hold her back sometimes. He's that voice in her head giving a word of caution.
I loved seeing Neel and Tomik hating each other, and fighting, and then slowly becoming friends. Those two are such different characters, but they both love Petra.
The plot really surprised me! I was fascinated with the weird characters and their magical abilities. The plot twist hit me out of nowhere, and I loved how the different story threads all came together. Murder, betrayal, animals made of metal, elemental spirits, gypsy folklore, espionage, politics, and especially magic- this book has it all!
Petra is on the run again from the evil Prince of Bohemia, and her friends, Neel and Tomik, are swept into her adventures. The mysterious spy/ambassador John Dee is back, and he tries to train Petra to use her magic, but she is an unruly student.
My favorite character by far is Astrophil, the metal spider with an encyclopedic brain. He's so wise and intelligent and loyal! I just love his snappy dialogue.
Petra is courageous to the point of stupidity, but I love her for it. I think she has trouble seeing things as they really are. She assumes that things will turn out well if you just do your best, or that you can trust people to keep your secrets, and that just isn't the case. She tends to run headlong into danger with all kinds of good intentions, so it's a good thing Astrophil is there to hold her back sometimes. He's that voice in her head giving a word of caution.
I loved seeing Neel and Tomik hating each other, and fighting, and then slowly becoming friends. Those two are such different characters, but they both love Petra.
The plot really surprised me! I was fascinated with the weird characters and their magical abilities. The plot twist hit me out of nowhere, and I loved how the different story threads all came together. Murder, betrayal, animals made of metal, elemental spirits, gypsy folklore, espionage, politics, and especially magic- this book has it all!
madmadammim's review against another edition
4.0
My only comments as of right now: I liked John Dee, though I know Petra didn't; and I hated Kit, though Petra didn't.
keu482's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but I think it's definitely a kids book and not YA. Still it's a smart kids book, and the characters are interesting and the world well built.
booksandbosox's review against another edition
4.0
Petra Kronos has escaped from Prince Rudolfo but that doesn't mean he's finished with her. When he sends his men after her, she finds herself whisked away by John Dee to London and soon, she is in the middle of a murder mystery...
I think I would agree with most of the other reviews and say that I liked this better than the first. The very short chapters helped keep the pace fast and the action interesting. I still find Petra a terribly annoying character but my love for Astrophil has grown exponentially. I also liked the dual storylines and the alternation between Petra's action and Tomik and Neel. I liked the twist with Petra's father at the end and it definitely makes me more eager for the next book.
I think I would agree with most of the other reviews and say that I liked this better than the first. The very short chapters helped keep the pace fast and the action interesting. I still find Petra a terribly annoying character but my love for Astrophil has grown exponentially. I also liked the dual storylines and the alternation between Petra's action and Tomik and Neel. I liked the twist with Petra's father at the end and it definitely makes me more eager for the next book.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
3.0
The characters were a little flat, and the magic wasn't as thrilling as the first book. I am hopeful that the third book will have more of the clever magic of the first.