What do you think?
Rate this book
Disharmony #2
The Laeduin
Love, death, war and betrayal . . .
The psychopath, the empath and the genius are finally together – and not everyone is happy about their reunion. As their powers grow stronger they are forced to seek out an unexpected ally. But as war between the worlds threatens to erupt, it becomes apparent that no one can be trusted . . . not even family.
The second book in this gripping new series about a collision of worlds, the power of destiny, and the darkness in us all.
The psychopath, the empath and the genius are finally together – and not everyone is happy about their reunion. As their powers grow stronger they are forced to seek out an unexpected ally. But as war between the worlds threatens to erupt, it becomes apparent that no one can be trusted . . . not even family.
The second book in this gripping new series about a collision of worlds, the power of destiny, and the darkness in us all.
- GenresYoung Adult
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2013
127 people want to read
About the author
Leah Giarratano
10 books74 followersDr Leah Giarratano has had a long career as a clinical psychologist. Her professional background offers a unique selling point in this genre and gives an authenticity to her writing. Leah is an expert in psychological trauma, sex offences and psychopathology and has had many years assessing psychopaths and treating their victims.
She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, with the defence force, and in the corrections system with offenders who suffer severe personality disorders. She has assessed and treated survivors of just about every imaginable psychological trauma, including: hostages; war veterans; rape, assault and accident victims; and has worked with police, fire and ambulance officers.
In 2009 Leah began her television career, presenting Channel 7’s top rating Beyond the Darklands program, on which Leah was the expert psychologist who delved into the psyche of Australia’s most fearsome criminals.
She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, with the defence force, and in the corrections system with offenders who suffer severe personality disorders. She has assessed and treated survivors of just about every imaginable psychological trauma, including: hostages; war veterans; rape, assault and accident victims; and has worked with police, fire and ambulance officers.
In 2009 Leah began her television career, presenting Channel 7’s top rating Beyond the Darklands program, on which Leah was the expert psychologist who delved into the psyche of Australia’s most fearsome criminals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 17, 2014
This book is essentially How Not to Raise a Child of the Prophecy 101.
February 9, 2013
Finally the psychopath, the empath and the genius are all together. Together they are stronger than they are apart. But not everyone is happy about their reunion, especially their own mother. Not allowed to approach them directly, she is forced to use others to do her bidding in order to seek to gain access to each of them. She wants them to come into their powers, to understand what they are capable of, but more than that she wants to control them.
From Jake’s castle in Lake Geneva, they are taken somewhere unbelievable, somewhere that will change the way in which all of them view the world. Luke, the psychopath doesn’t adapt well to their new surroundings. Samantha is worried about the people she left behind. Of all of them, Jake adapts the best. He’s eager to learn – he is the genius after all. And where they are is possessed of a depth of knowledge and technology that he couldn’t even dream about. It is he who seeks to discover the truth about the Telling. Written are their three destines – the powers of the psychopath, the empath and the genius. The powers that they will come into and that which they will control. As the three scatter across to world to become pawns for those that would abuse their power for evil, it is Jake who discovers that they must come back together.
The Laeduin is the second novel in the Disharmony trilogy and things pick up almost where we left off, in the castle in Switzerland. The psychopath and the empath have come together with the genius, the three parts of the prophecy. Jake is 14 and working on the sort of research that most people would barely be able to comprehend. He deals in science and math, things that make sense and have logical answers. The people that explode into his life and claim to be his siblings turn all of that upside down. It isn’t long until Jake is seeing things he wouldn’t ever have believed possible. He’s finding out that people aren’t who he thought they were. Aren’t even what he thought they were.
But Jake has to get over his sense of betrayal because he quickly realises that he’s going to need all of his superior intelligence where they are. He doesn’t take things personally, like Luke, who struggles to connect to others and can’t really feel much in the way of emotion and he doesn’t spend a great deal of time thinking about those in his previous ‘normal’ life like Samantha, because he really doesn’t have anyone to think about. Only his uncle, and he’s a busy man often traveling and away from home. Jake uses his intelligence to learn more about their situation – he’s the only one of the three who actually wants to find out about the prophecy and what their destinies are. You get a lot of answers in this book (thankfully!) especially towards the end. Jake’s dedication is the reader’s reward.
I found the first novel very interesting, laying the groundwork and I was very much looking forward to this one to see where the story went. The Laeduin is a bit of an up and down ride – at times it’s quite slow and gets a bit bogged down in conversations and events that seem mundane and unimportant and merely filler. And then there’ll be a reveal that accelerates the plot forward greatly and I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next. Almost immediately after the three come together, Giarratano seeks to separate them. At first this seems merely like added drama but the reasoning behind it makes a lot of sense and also gives further insight into the three characters. The way in which they react to their situation is telling and doesn’t feel at all contrived. However the pacing of the novel is a little slow at times and a bit misleading. There’s more happening than you realise until you finish the novel and have time to reflect on it and bring all of the pieces of information together that you’ve been given. I think that it’s a particularly cleverly written book (and series) because the information is given out in ways so that at times you’re not even aware of it. But the downside of this is that sections of the book can feel like filler, like you’re plodding through certain scenes that have no real place. A lot of the first part of the book felt like this – it wasn’t until Jake began to put things together later in the book and revealed his findings that I began to think about things a little more and reflect on the earlier portion of the book. I wish I’d re-read the first book before I read this one – the long gaps between them made my memory patchy and it took a while for my brain to kick in to gear and remember who everyone was and what had happened in the first book. This would probably be a series where it’d be beneficial to read them all together, rather than spaced a year apart!
What I like about this series is that I can’t really tell where it’s going to go next. Most final novels in a trilogy, everything has been set up and you know you’re going in for a battle of some description. I know all (or most) of the players in this one but I don’t know how it’s going to unfold and in what way. The created world here is so rich and diverse and expansive that it’s almost impossible to guess what might be coming. But I do think that some people might be alienated by the way in which the information is delivered, amid much other less important scenes and filler. It’s not a book that keeps you utterly gripped from beginning to end. But if you can get through the first part, the second half is more than worth it.
From Jake’s castle in Lake Geneva, they are taken somewhere unbelievable, somewhere that will change the way in which all of them view the world. Luke, the psychopath doesn’t adapt well to their new surroundings. Samantha is worried about the people she left behind. Of all of them, Jake adapts the best. He’s eager to learn – he is the genius after all. And where they are is possessed of a depth of knowledge and technology that he couldn’t even dream about. It is he who seeks to discover the truth about the Telling. Written are their three destines – the powers of the psychopath, the empath and the genius. The powers that they will come into and that which they will control. As the three scatter across to world to become pawns for those that would abuse their power for evil, it is Jake who discovers that they must come back together.
The Laeduin is the second novel in the Disharmony trilogy and things pick up almost where we left off, in the castle in Switzerland. The psychopath and the empath have come together with the genius, the three parts of the prophecy. Jake is 14 and working on the sort of research that most people would barely be able to comprehend. He deals in science and math, things that make sense and have logical answers. The people that explode into his life and claim to be his siblings turn all of that upside down. It isn’t long until Jake is seeing things he wouldn’t ever have believed possible. He’s finding out that people aren’t who he thought they were. Aren’t even what he thought they were.
But Jake has to get over his sense of betrayal because he quickly realises that he’s going to need all of his superior intelligence where they are. He doesn’t take things personally, like Luke, who struggles to connect to others and can’t really feel much in the way of emotion and he doesn’t spend a great deal of time thinking about those in his previous ‘normal’ life like Samantha, because he really doesn’t have anyone to think about. Only his uncle, and he’s a busy man often traveling and away from home. Jake uses his intelligence to learn more about their situation – he’s the only one of the three who actually wants to find out about the prophecy and what their destinies are. You get a lot of answers in this book (thankfully!) especially towards the end. Jake’s dedication is the reader’s reward.
I found the first novel very interesting, laying the groundwork and I was very much looking forward to this one to see where the story went. The Laeduin is a bit of an up and down ride – at times it’s quite slow and gets a bit bogged down in conversations and events that seem mundane and unimportant and merely filler. And then there’ll be a reveal that accelerates the plot forward greatly and I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next. Almost immediately after the three come together, Giarratano seeks to separate them. At first this seems merely like added drama but the reasoning behind it makes a lot of sense and also gives further insight into the three characters. The way in which they react to their situation is telling and doesn’t feel at all contrived. However the pacing of the novel is a little slow at times and a bit misleading. There’s more happening than you realise until you finish the novel and have time to reflect on it and bring all of the pieces of information together that you’ve been given. I think that it’s a particularly cleverly written book (and series) because the information is given out in ways so that at times you’re not even aware of it. But the downside of this is that sections of the book can feel like filler, like you’re plodding through certain scenes that have no real place. A lot of the first part of the book felt like this – it wasn’t until Jake began to put things together later in the book and revealed his findings that I began to think about things a little more and reflect on the earlier portion of the book. I wish I’d re-read the first book before I read this one – the long gaps between them made my memory patchy and it took a while for my brain to kick in to gear and remember who everyone was and what had happened in the first book. This would probably be a series where it’d be beneficial to read them all together, rather than spaced a year apart!
What I like about this series is that I can’t really tell where it’s going to go next. Most final novels in a trilogy, everything has been set up and you know you’re going in for a battle of some description. I know all (or most) of the players in this one but I don’t know how it’s going to unfold and in what way. The created world here is so rich and diverse and expansive that it’s almost impossible to guess what might be coming. But I do think that some people might be alienated by the way in which the information is delivered, amid much other less important scenes and filler. It’s not a book that keeps you utterly gripped from beginning to end. But if you can get through the first part, the second half is more than worth it.
October 18, 2023
realistically for me 1 and a half stars. I thought book 1 was good, I endured 2 but 3 is just going too far for me
February 5, 2013
I'm always wary of five star reviews, because it's difficult to explain the intricacies of how much I've enjoyed (or not enjoyed a book) using just five stars.
For this, two stars looks harsh, it seems like I've enjoyed the book much less than I have. That's not actually the case, I enjoyed reading this sequel to Disharmony: The Telling quite a lot, but there were things that disappointed me and kept me from pushing it up to a three.
I mentioned in my review of the first title in this series (here) that I was disappointed in the negative reviews, and that I'd enjoyed the difference of this new fantasy series. That's still true in the second book, which manages to carve its own way through the well worn paths of supernatural YA. However, the things that irritated me in the first book were more pronounced in the second - that interrupting narrator User:Intellicide, is back and still quite patronising. Luckily these segments are quite short, but it was hard not to feel as though the plot was just being regurgitated back in simple speak, unnecessary given that the rest of the book gives the reader credit for being quite clever. There are also moments where the pace drops a bit, but I'd say bear with these, because overall, the pace of the book is quite good.
It's not a bad sequel, but like many second-in-a-series, there's that sag between what's been and what's coming - the necessary bridge between the greater excitement of the beginning and the end. I stand by my review of the first title - that this is an original and generally well written new fantasy, and despite the minor irritations, I'll look forward to reading the next installation.
For this, two stars looks harsh, it seems like I've enjoyed the book much less than I have. That's not actually the case, I enjoyed reading this sequel to Disharmony: The Telling quite a lot, but there were things that disappointed me and kept me from pushing it up to a three.
I mentioned in my review of the first title in this series (here) that I was disappointed in the negative reviews, and that I'd enjoyed the difference of this new fantasy series. That's still true in the second book, which manages to carve its own way through the well worn paths of supernatural YA. However, the things that irritated me in the first book were more pronounced in the second - that interrupting narrator User:Intellicide, is back and still quite patronising. Luckily these segments are quite short, but it was hard not to feel as though the plot was just being regurgitated back in simple speak, unnecessary given that the rest of the book gives the reader credit for being quite clever. There are also moments where the pace drops a bit, but I'd say bear with these, because overall, the pace of the book is quite good.
It's not a bad sequel, but like many second-in-a-series, there's that sag between what's been and what's coming - the necessary bridge between the greater excitement of the beginning and the end. I stand by my review of the first title - that this is an original and generally well written new fantasy, and despite the minor irritations, I'll look forward to reading the next installation.
April 11, 2013
AMAZING. no other word can describe how beautifully written this book is. I just have one question. Whoever has read this series will understand when i ask about another book? will there be one? it didnt really end end. so there should be. The war basically just started so there HAS to be another book. Though Goodreads doesnt say so. Hopefully there will be. Absolutely loved this book and the whole series so far!!
Read
August 2, 2015Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
Read
September 13, 2016Read till the page where Jake mentions he preferred sports like swimming. That's it.
I think this book starts off too slow, so I kinda lost interest and decided to flip to the end. (Or it was just that I haven't visited their world since March 2015)
I've also flip-to-the-end the third book. But maybe I'll read them again in the holidays.
I think this book starts off too slow, so I kinda lost interest and decided to flip to the end. (Or it was just that I haven't visited their world since March 2015)
I've also flip-to-the-end the third book. But maybe I'll read them again in the holidays.
June 23, 2014
This series is definitely getting more interesting! It's been a while since I've read the first one but this one referred to it so much that it was easy to fill in the gaps and remember all or most of the first one.
November 11, 2014
Whilst still a captivating book, I found myself trying to rush this book to get to the next one.
Hand up, I'm pretty sure I skipped a lot in this book.
I still found it interesting but less so than the first book.
Bex
Hand up, I'm pretty sure I skipped a lot in this book.
I still found it interesting but less so than the first book.
Bex
March 13, 2013
I cannot wait to read this!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews