ARC Review: Sparks of Light (Into the Dim #2) by Janet B. Taylor
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Series: Into the Dim #2
Author: Janet B. Taylor
Published August 1st 2017 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Synopsis
For the first time in her life, Hope Walton has friends . . . and a (maybe) boyfriend. She’s a Viator, a member of a long line of time-traveling ancestors. When the Viators learn of a plan to steal a dangerous device from the inventor Nikola Tesla, only a race into the past can save the natural timeline from utter destruction. Navigating the glitterati of The Gilded Age in 1895 New York City, Hope and her crew will discover that high society can be as deadly as it is beautiful.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Books about time travelling seem to be in right now, and this series is as good as all the others, if not better. Into the Dim was a fantastic debut, and it's sequel just built on that, and grew into perfection.
In Sparks of Light, Hope is getting used to being back in the present time, in Scotland, complete with her previously lost mother, and new baby sister. She has a new family and friends, and a kind of boyfriend, but he's stuck in the enemy camp, so it's difficult. As a Viator, she is doing good in the world, ensuring that the enemy doesn't do anything to jeopardise the future. However, when she has to go back to 19th century New York, and meet with the legendary Nikola Tesla himself, she finds herself in danger of never being able to return home.
Hope is a character who grows more and more every time we meet. Now that she has people around her that understand her, and she has reunited with Bran, she has come into her own, and I wish I was her. Obviously, she is feeling stressed, that her mother is back home, though she is still not herself, complete with a baby sister - which leads to her parents marriage breaking down. When she has the opportunity to go on another adventure, and protect the future, she immediately jumps at the chance.
One thing I didn't enjoy was the New York setting, to be honest. Modern history is not a thing I really enjoy, and I found Victorian New York to be a bit boring. I did appreciate how much that Taylor had researched the period, and included real life people in the plot. Parts of the story line were unnecessary here, but I did enjoy the asylum arc.
Bran and Hope's relationship was better than ever, and I find myself wishing they were together more and more! It's unfair that they are forced apart so much, but that's life in a YA Fantasy. Hopefully in book 3, their relationship won't be as chaotic and separate as it has been so far.
I feel as though this book may have fallen in the sophomore slump category. Yes, I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I am looking forward to the next instalment, though, and hope that historical era they are sent into is as enjoyable as in Into the Dim.
Dates Read:
Rating
4 Stars
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