What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hunted #2
Crystal Fire
Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.
A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.
While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese--the obsessed leader of the Believers--the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They're silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.
When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He'll need to confront his past--and the man who made him--before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.
A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.
While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese--the obsessed leader of the Believers--the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They're silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.
When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He'll need to confront his past--and the man who made him--before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
1021 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Dane
43 books389 followersBestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. Dane is multi-published in crime fiction thrillers and young adult novels and has books in over seven countries. Jordan shares her Texas residence with three lucky rescue dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 15, 2013
After somehow making it to the halfway point I must put an end to this madness.
Because honestly, why did I even bother with this one? The beginning once again starts off interesting but that quickly goes down the toilet because of Rayne and her idiocy.She annoys the crap out of me. And so does Gabe with his "oh I love you. I know I can't boss you around but I worry about you even though I barely know you. Did I mention how much I love ya?" bullshit. I'm done with this series and it's uncreative boringness.
Because honestly, why did I even bother with this one? The beginning once again starts off interesting but that quickly goes down the toilet because of Rayne and her idiocy.She annoys the crap out of me. And so does Gabe with his "oh I love you. I know I can't boss you around but I worry about you even though I barely know you. Did I mention how much I love ya?" bullshit. I'm done with this series and it's uncreative boringness.
October 21, 2013
Absolutely thrilling and a brilliant sequel, Crystal Fire was a wonderful read. It twists and turns that I never saw coming and I enjoyed every bit of it. Loved this book!
This book has a lot of characters, all of whom we get the POV of, so I want to mention them all. Quick note, though, in the first book, my only problem was the jarring transition between different characters' points of view. In this book, that wasn't a problem. Not only was the transition seamless and easy to follow, but I was engaged in every single character, which is difficult to do. Normally, with so many characters, I would only really care about a couple and, when a point of view from another character came, I would just skim. But, in this book, I was drawn to each characters' story and I thought that was really well done.
Rayne definitely proved herself in this book. She might be the only person without supernatural powers in the group, but don't let that fool you. She holds her own and becomes an even stronger character. I really liked her in book 1, and I like her even more in this book.
Gabriel went through a lot in this book, not the least of which was being possessed by a desperate spirit. And, with so many indigos around, he had to prove himself as a leader and train them all to use their powers. You can bet that he did all of that. He was a true leader. He took care of all the other indigos and found a way to strike a blow against the Believers. He was awesome in this book.
The romance between Rayne and Gabriel grew. It was really sweet to see how, even in such a chaotic situation, their devotion to each other was constant. They were just lovely together.
Lucas does a lot of growing in this book. Despite what he went through, he still clings to ideals and hesitates to use his powers to fight. But, he learns quickly that he has no choice if he wants to save his loved ones. But, that gentleness of his character remained and I really loved that. He was a sweetheart and I really liked him.
Caila and Oliver are two new characters we meet in this book, who have their own problems going on and a tentative romance growing. Caila was a great character. She will do whatever she needs to do in order to survive and to keep her loved ones safe. She might not have a mean bone in her body, but she was a force to be reckoned with. I felt so bad for Oliver. He was tortured and brainwashed and made into a weapon against his will. But, despite that, he was still a good person. He had to battle between his own morals and what he was told was right by the brainwashing psycho scientist. How does that battle turn out? I won't say, but I will tell you that it was pretty epic. The romance with these two had more obstacles than I can count, but their feelings for each other still remained, as deeply buried as they might be. I really liked both of them.
Raphael and Kendra's relationship grows in this book. Raphael gets himself into a bad situation, but, because of that, he chills out. By that I mean that he doesn't have such a huge chip in his shoulder anymore. He becomes more accepting of his situation. Kendra proves that she can hold her own and she becomes a strong character. The romance between these two was very sweet. I thought they were great together.
And, last, but not least, is the psycho scientist, Fiona. This woman is off her rocker, messed up in the head, psycho crazy. The things she does "in the name of science" are truly horrifying. I was so happy with how things ended for her. All I have to say about that is: karma is a bitch, isn't it, Fiona?
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. The thrills were constant and had me on the edge of my seat. It was totally unpredictable. I was never sure what was going to happen next. There were definitely tons of surprises that I never saw coming. I'm not sure if there will be another book, because the way the book ended made it seem like the end of the battle, not the war, if that makes any sense. I certainly hope there will be more because I am loving this series.
Crystal Fire was a brilliant YA paranormal romance. The romance was sweet, the thrills had me on the edge of my seat, and I completely loved this book! Lovers of YA, if you want something to keep you hooked, this is definitely a series you'll want to read. And, to fans of the first book, you will not be disappointed by this fantastic sequel.
*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book has a lot of characters, all of whom we get the POV of, so I want to mention them all. Quick note, though, in the first book, my only problem was the jarring transition between different characters' points of view. In this book, that wasn't a problem. Not only was the transition seamless and easy to follow, but I was engaged in every single character, which is difficult to do. Normally, with so many characters, I would only really care about a couple and, when a point of view from another character came, I would just skim. But, in this book, I was drawn to each characters' story and I thought that was really well done.
Rayne definitely proved herself in this book. She might be the only person without supernatural powers in the group, but don't let that fool you. She holds her own and becomes an even stronger character. I really liked her in book 1, and I like her even more in this book.
Gabriel went through a lot in this book, not the least of which was being possessed by a desperate spirit. And, with so many indigos around, he had to prove himself as a leader and train them all to use their powers. You can bet that he did all of that. He was a true leader. He took care of all the other indigos and found a way to strike a blow against the Believers. He was awesome in this book.
The romance between Rayne and Gabriel grew. It was really sweet to see how, even in such a chaotic situation, their devotion to each other was constant. They were just lovely together.
Lucas does a lot of growing in this book. Despite what he went through, he still clings to ideals and hesitates to use his powers to fight. But, he learns quickly that he has no choice if he wants to save his loved ones. But, that gentleness of his character remained and I really loved that. He was a sweetheart and I really liked him.
Caila and Oliver are two new characters we meet in this book, who have their own problems going on and a tentative romance growing. Caila was a great character. She will do whatever she needs to do in order to survive and to keep her loved ones safe. She might not have a mean bone in her body, but she was a force to be reckoned with. I felt so bad for Oliver. He was tortured and brainwashed and made into a weapon against his will. But, despite that, he was still a good person. He had to battle between his own morals and what he was told was right by the brainwashing psycho scientist. How does that battle turn out? I won't say, but I will tell you that it was pretty epic. The romance with these two had more obstacles than I can count, but their feelings for each other still remained, as deeply buried as they might be. I really liked both of them.
Raphael and Kendra's relationship grows in this book. Raphael gets himself into a bad situation, but, because of that, he chills out. By that I mean that he doesn't have such a huge chip in his shoulder anymore. He becomes more accepting of his situation. Kendra proves that she can hold her own and she becomes a strong character. The romance between these two was very sweet. I thought they were great together.
And, last, but not least, is the psycho scientist, Fiona. This woman is off her rocker, messed up in the head, psycho crazy. The things she does "in the name of science" are truly horrifying. I was so happy with how things ended for her. All I have to say about that is: karma is a bitch, isn't it, Fiona?
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. The thrills were constant and had me on the edge of my seat. It was totally unpredictable. I was never sure what was going to happen next. There were definitely tons of surprises that I never saw coming. I'm not sure if there will be another book, because the way the book ended made it seem like the end of the battle, not the war, if that makes any sense. I certainly hope there will be more because I am loving this series.
Crystal Fire was a brilliant YA paranormal romance. The romance was sweet, the thrills had me on the edge of my seat, and I completely loved this book! Lovers of YA, if you want something to keep you hooked, this is definitely a series you'll want to read. And, to fans of the first book, you will not be disappointed by this fantastic sequel.
*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
December 22, 2013
Original Link to the review at my blog Le' Grande Codex - here
A gorgeous conclusion... Presenting The Hunted #2 Crystal Fire by Jordan Dane.
Here is the summary of the book:
Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down.
A storm is brewing on the streets of LA, one that has intensified since a tragic and deadly confrontation claimed an innocent life.
While Gabriel Stewart trains his army of teen psychics to stop Alexander Reese--the obsessed leader of the Believers--the fanatical church becomes more bent on the annihilation of all Indigo and Crystal children. They're silencing the voices of the telepathic hive, one soul at a time, with frightening experiments cruelly executed on vulnerable minds.
When the Believers torture a mysterious homeless boy, Oliver Blue, they brainwash him into betraying his own. The boy becomes a deadly pawn to take Gabriel down. As the fires of chaos burn around him, Gabe is running out of time. He'll need to confront his past--and the man who made him--before the hope of peace for the future is silenced forever.
'Indigo Awakening' awed me with its brilliance of a genetically advanced species, the next step in human evolution. Exhibiting almost X-men like powers. And it does share a likeness to the CW show 'The Tomorrow People' (I don't know much about the original story). So you can guarantee it is as awesome as that one is and 'Crystal Fire' delivers it.
Things are coming at a headway. With the addition of new characters and the return of the old, all the pieces are finally adding up. The dominos are finally lining up and ready to be toppled over. And the epic fight is just enough to send you to the edge of the your seats with excitable anticipation of the coming events.
Rayne and Gabriel...... Oh I loved her alright. She was the only one non-Indigo among the troop but that didn't do anything to hammer her down. Instead she compensates for it and learns to defend herself instead of staying behind the lines. Gabriel..... Ohhhhh *swoons* my list of book boyfriends sure keep growing every day. One of the crystal child among them and the leader. He exudes charisma, a sense of loyalty and his desire to help every Indigo or crystal child out there is sure to win hearts.
Rayne and Gabriel's chemistry sure was sizzling. Thank God for small mercies I liked the fact that there were no triangles anywhere in this book. And these two not only establish their importance with one another but also grow stronger together throughout the events of the book, in a blissfully and romantically happy sort of way.... *squeal*
With Kendra and Rafe. Much like Rayne and Gabe, these two too cement their presence throughout the book. All the while training for the concluding battle and finding out about their past.
It is now turn to talk about Lucas and the two new characters Oliver and Caila and the good Dr. Fiona. Lucas little by little finds his purpose and trains, he knows he is important and this time around her soon realizes he needs to fight for his own rights if he needs to survive. The new characters Oliver and Caila..... well I have nothing more to say but that I felt sorry for them. For having gone through what they do at the hands of the believers and the doctor, they surprisingly remain resilient and fight for the right side when the time comes for them to. But most of all I liked what they did to Dr. Fiona, for the atrocities she committed towards innocent children in the name of science.... well she deserved what she got.
Jordan Dane definitely did not disappoint. While I do not like two book series I loved how things progressed in Crystal Fire. in the way every loose end ties up and every character gets to play a role...... And those supernatural powers of their's ..... well suffice it to say this is one exciting book you don't wanna miss out on.
"The much awaited sequel and just as dark & exciting and gritty as the first"
November 20, 2013
These covers are so pretty, and the synopses always sound so good. However, the books always disappoint. The lack of character development, the boring writing, and the tedious plot made this book pure torture for me to read. I'm done with this series and this author. I gave it one more try for the simple reason that sometimes first books aren't the best representations of authors' work. In this case, the first book represented the awful writing perfectly. I'm sorry I even requested this one in the first place.
Rayne is obnoxious and stupid. I really can't stand her character, and she hasn't grown in the least over the past two books. She just gets in the way and does dumb stuff all the time. I really hated reading from her perspective. Gabriel doesn't have much personality, so he bored me to death. I really didn't care what happened to him or the other people as long as the dullness stopped. Lucas is a pansy, in my opinion, and he needs to toughen up. He also annoyed me. Raphael's character changes drastically, and I just didn't buy it. Honestly, I just didn't like any of the characters.
The pacing is slow-as-molasses, and the plot is dull. Things jump around a lot and don't connect well. The writing is pretty awful, and the romances are just ridiculous. The most annoying romance to me is Rayne and Gabriel. Just yuck. Also, the alternating points of view gave me a headache. The voices of the characters were similar enough that I couldn't really tell one from the other. Therefore I had to stop and make a conscious effort to remember whose POV I was reading several times. There were 5+ points of view, and that is just too many.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I did not enjoy it at all, nor did I enjoy the first book in the series. I know a lot of people liked this book, but it's obviously not for me.
Rayne is obnoxious and stupid. I really can't stand her character, and she hasn't grown in the least over the past two books. She just gets in the way and does dumb stuff all the time. I really hated reading from her perspective. Gabriel doesn't have much personality, so he bored me to death. I really didn't care what happened to him or the other people as long as the dullness stopped. Lucas is a pansy, in my opinion, and he needs to toughen up. He also annoyed me. Raphael's character changes drastically, and I just didn't buy it. Honestly, I just didn't like any of the characters.
The pacing is slow-as-molasses, and the plot is dull. Things jump around a lot and don't connect well. The writing is pretty awful, and the romances are just ridiculous. The most annoying romance to me is Rayne and Gabriel. Just yuck. Also, the alternating points of view gave me a headache. The voices of the characters were similar enough that I couldn't really tell one from the other. Therefore I had to stop and make a conscious effort to remember whose POV I was reading several times. There were 5+ points of view, and that is just too many.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I did not enjoy it at all, nor did I enjoy the first book in the series. I know a lot of people liked this book, but it's obviously not for me.
January 2, 2014
I was trying to make it to at least 25% of Crystal Fire, but I just couldn't do it anymore at 13%. I was hopeful for a bit there since we start off with new characters, but things quickly went down hill. The couples from the previous book show up a couple of chapters in and immediately manage to annoy me with their cheesy interactions. There was a section of at least 5 paragraphs of info dumping to remind us of the previous book that masqueraded as reminiscing. There is a secondary character that dies in the previous book and said character very clearly only existed to die and make us sad and hate the bad guys. That being said, I still don't have strong feelings about the villains because I know nearly nothing about them! How did their organization come about? What is its actual goal? What does it pretend to be to the outside world? How does it have all this money? I can't hate something I know nothing about D:. Finally, despite the info dumps, I still know very little about the structure and rules of the magic powers in this series and it drives me nuts. There are Indigo children and Crystals apparently? Crystals are more peaceful and Indigos more warriorlike? Except the characters that are supposed to belong to each group don't reflect that AT ALL?? Everything feels so arbitrary and I just can't finish this one unfortunately.
January 19, 2014
This is the second installment to the Haunted series for paranormal children/teens. Jordan Dane really delivers once again.
I liked the idea of the new characters, they brought on some great new auras, which are likeable.
Just as to be excepted, the story had changing POV's so you can see what is going on with each person, which is simply a great idea to help you gather more information.
It's fast-paced with lots of action.
I can't wait 'til the next one.
I liked the idea of the new characters, they brought on some great new auras, which are likeable.
Just as to be excepted, the story had changing POV's so you can see what is going on with each person, which is simply a great idea to help you gather more information.
It's fast-paced with lots of action.
I can't wait 'til the next one.
February 25, 2024
"Because of what you are, the Believers will hunt you down "
That first line in the synopsis is what made me want to read this book, and I'm glad I did. Full disclosure: I didn't read the first book of this series, but I was able to follow along very easily. A group of teen psychics are being hunted by a fanatical church (cult) called The Believers, whose sole goal is to kill all of them because they consider them unnatural and dangerous. They don't just kill them though - they kidnap them and torture them to try to understand their powers so they can use that knowledge to fight fire with fire. They are about to find out, though, what happens when a group of very angry psychics decide to fight back.
This book had a lot of characters to try to remember but they were each well written and unique, so I didn't really have a problem with it. The powers the kids had were very interesting and again, very unique to each person. It was a very quick read because the pace moved along swiftly, and the ending was satisfying.
4/5 stars.
That first line in the synopsis is what made me want to read this book, and I'm glad I did. Full disclosure: I didn't read the first book of this series, but I was able to follow along very easily. A group of teen psychics are being hunted by a fanatical church (cult) called The Believers, whose sole goal is to kill all of them because they consider them unnatural and dangerous. They don't just kill them though - they kidnap them and torture them to try to understand their powers so they can use that knowledge to fight fire with fire. They are about to find out, though, what happens when a group of very angry psychics decide to fight back.
This book had a lot of characters to try to remember but they were each well written and unique, so I didn't really have a problem with it. The powers the kids had were very interesting and again, very unique to each person. It was a very quick read because the pace moved along swiftly, and the ending was satisfying.
4/5 stars.
February 10, 2015
DEUTSCHE ERSTVERÖFFENTLICHUNG
Verraten, verfolgt und gejagt - wem können die Indigo Kids noch vertrauen?
Gabe und seine Freunde werden erbarmungslos gejagt. Religiöse Fanatiker fürchten sie und haben nur ein Ziel: Los Angeles von den Indigo-Kids zu befreien. Für immer.
Gabe weiß, dass er handeln muss. Denn er ist ein Kristallkin, und seine übernatürlichen Kräfte sind noch größer als die der Indigos. Eine spirituelle Macht umgibt in, die er gegen die Verfolger einsetzen will: Sie haben bereits einige Indigos gefangen genommen und führen furchtbare Experimente an ihnen durch! Doch dafür muss Gabe sich dem grausamen Anführer Alexander Reese stellen - mit dem ihn unendlich mehr verbindet, als seine Freunde ahnen.
kurze Einbicke:
Wer auch immer für die Disney-Playlist in ihrem Kopf verantwortlich war, schien es superwitzig zu finden, sie immer dann damit zu quälen, wenn sie es am wenigsten erwartete. Sie hatte keine Ahnung was die Ursache für Ihren Tick war, vermutete aber, dass er auf ein Erlebnis zurückging, das so weit zurücklag, dass sie sich nicht mehr daran erinnern konnte.
- Seite 11
Für Luke war der Mord an einem anderen Menschen - ganz gleich, wie gut die Gründe dafür sein mochten - der Punkt, an dem das Fundament seiner Menschlichkeit ins Wanken geriet. Doch war es nicht fast dasselbe, am Rand zu sitzen und zuzusehen, wie die Menschen um ihn herum starben, ohne das er eingriff? Die Zweifel fraßen ihn fast auf.
- Seite 51
"Wir verstecken uns nicht mehr. Wenn sie wegen uns hier sind, dann können sie haben, was sie wollen."
Der Augenblick war gekommen. Kein Training, keine Übungen mehr. Jetzt würden sie sich dem Feind von Angesicht zu Angesicht stellen.
- Seite 144
Kendra war die Einzige, die den Anblick ein wenig amüsant zu finden schien. Dr. Haugstad lag mit Isolierband gefesselt im Kofferraum wie eine Zuchtsau, der vor Panik die Augen aus dem Kopf quollen. Ihr Haar hing wild ins Gesicht, was ihr das Aussehen einer Irren verlieh.
Passend.
- Seite 290
Der Gedanke fühlte sich einfach richtig an. Seinen Vater nach all den Jahren weiterzusehen, in dem Wissen, dass er seine Mutter ermordet hatte, würde schwer genug werden. Er wusste noch immer nicht, ob er ihn für seine Taten töten konnte. Doch das war nicht sein größtes Problem.
Denn was auch immer er tat - vielleicht würde seine Mutter ihm dabei zusehen. Sie würde sehen, was aus ihm geworden war.
- Seite 314
meine Meinung:
Reyne ist hier, leider eine Randfigur geworden. Sie lebt zwar weiterhin bei den Indigo- Kids und liebt Gabe nach wie vor, aber aufgrund ihrer Menschlichkeit hat sie in diesem buch so gut wie keinen Platz außer dem Rand gefunden.
Das ist sehr schade, war es doch sie die im ersten Teil alle Steine ins Rollen gebracht hat und gekämpft hat bis zum bitteren Ende!
Sie hat mir total gefehlt.
Lukas hat an Stärke gewonnen und kommt so langsam über die Geschehnisse hinweg. Er versucht mit Hilfe der anderen Indigos seine Kräfte zu fördern und gezielt mit ihnen umgehen zu können.
In Gabe hat er nicht nur einen Anführer und einen Verbündeten gefunden, sondern auch einen wahren Freund.
Gabe ist die Hauptfigur, dreht es sich hier doch um seine Geschichte die aber leider auch etwas an den Rand rutscht und gelegentlich aber gut integriert wird.
Seine Kräfte werden immer größer und selbst er, weiß mittlerweile nicht mehr wie weit sein potenzial als Kristallkind wirklich ist. Aber er schafft es sich seinen neuen Kräften und seinen persönlichen Dämonen zu stellen. Seine Liebe zu Reyne ist schier grenzenlos und gibt ihm immer wieder die nötige Kraft, die er braucht.
Oliver & Cailla sind neu in der Geschichte und füllen den Hauptteil aus, da sie in die Fänge der Believers geraten und Ziel ist, sie zu retten. Mit neuen Kräften, geben sie der Geschichte ein wenig Pepp und frischen unser Gedächtnis auf, zu was alles ein Indigo in der Lage sein kann. Man darf hier nur nicht vergessen, dass wir hier wirklich nur Kids haben, sonst bekommt man es selbst mir der Angst zu tun.
So wahnsinnig gut wie mir Band 1 gefallen hat, bin doch nun hier etwas enttäuscht wie sehr diese Geschichte an Spannung verloren hat.
Meiner Meinung nach hat die Autorin hier einfach zu viel gewollt, wirkt es doch sehr verworren und viel zu viel in diesem einen Buch, wo man doch durchaus mehr draus hätte machen können.
Wir bekommen hier eigentlich zwei Geschichten erzählt die man hätte locker voneinander trennen und intensiver gestalten können. So war der Input einfach viel zu überschwänglich und manchmal auch unübersichtlich.
Wir bekommen hier die Geschichte von Oliver & Cailla erzählt, die sehr interessant und spannend gestaltet ist, aber doch sehr wenig mit Gabe´s Gemein hat.
Die Beiden neuen können nichts dafür und drängen doch unsere bekannten Charakter in den Hintergrund und so kommt eine Entführung von Rafe oder eine Gegenüberstellung zu Gabe´s Dad doch sehr zweitrangig hier rüber. Klar, hat ja auch wie bereits erwähnt mit Oliver und Cailla nichts zu tun.
Deshalb hätte ich es gut gefunden, nach der Rettungsaktion der Beiden einen Cut zu machen und alles andere in einen weiteren Band zu packen.
Schade, das mich nun die Fortsetzung nun nicht mehr so vom Hocker reissen konnte und deshalb ganz klar an Punkte verloren hat.
Auf Jordan Danes Homepage heißt es die Kristall- Serie, aber auch hier gibt es bisher nur die beiden Bände!
Ich denke, aufgrund des Endes dieses Buches wird es auch schwer, einen weiteren anzuknüpfen, es sein den die Geschichte bekommt einen anderen Aufhänger als die Believers.
Verraten, verfolgt und gejagt - wem können die Indigo Kids noch vertrauen?
Gabe und seine Freunde werden erbarmungslos gejagt. Religiöse Fanatiker fürchten sie und haben nur ein Ziel: Los Angeles von den Indigo-Kids zu befreien. Für immer.
Gabe weiß, dass er handeln muss. Denn er ist ein Kristallkin, und seine übernatürlichen Kräfte sind noch größer als die der Indigos. Eine spirituelle Macht umgibt in, die er gegen die Verfolger einsetzen will: Sie haben bereits einige Indigos gefangen genommen und führen furchtbare Experimente an ihnen durch! Doch dafür muss Gabe sich dem grausamen Anführer Alexander Reese stellen - mit dem ihn unendlich mehr verbindet, als seine Freunde ahnen.
kurze Einbicke:
Wer auch immer für die Disney-Playlist in ihrem Kopf verantwortlich war, schien es superwitzig zu finden, sie immer dann damit zu quälen, wenn sie es am wenigsten erwartete. Sie hatte keine Ahnung was die Ursache für Ihren Tick war, vermutete aber, dass er auf ein Erlebnis zurückging, das so weit zurücklag, dass sie sich nicht mehr daran erinnern konnte.
- Seite 11
Für Luke war der Mord an einem anderen Menschen - ganz gleich, wie gut die Gründe dafür sein mochten - der Punkt, an dem das Fundament seiner Menschlichkeit ins Wanken geriet. Doch war es nicht fast dasselbe, am Rand zu sitzen und zuzusehen, wie die Menschen um ihn herum starben, ohne das er eingriff? Die Zweifel fraßen ihn fast auf.
- Seite 51
"Wir verstecken uns nicht mehr. Wenn sie wegen uns hier sind, dann können sie haben, was sie wollen."
Der Augenblick war gekommen. Kein Training, keine Übungen mehr. Jetzt würden sie sich dem Feind von Angesicht zu Angesicht stellen.
- Seite 144
Kendra war die Einzige, die den Anblick ein wenig amüsant zu finden schien. Dr. Haugstad lag mit Isolierband gefesselt im Kofferraum wie eine Zuchtsau, der vor Panik die Augen aus dem Kopf quollen. Ihr Haar hing wild ins Gesicht, was ihr das Aussehen einer Irren verlieh.
Passend.
- Seite 290
Der Gedanke fühlte sich einfach richtig an. Seinen Vater nach all den Jahren weiterzusehen, in dem Wissen, dass er seine Mutter ermordet hatte, würde schwer genug werden. Er wusste noch immer nicht, ob er ihn für seine Taten töten konnte. Doch das war nicht sein größtes Problem.
Denn was auch immer er tat - vielleicht würde seine Mutter ihm dabei zusehen. Sie würde sehen, was aus ihm geworden war.
- Seite 314
meine Meinung:
Reyne ist hier, leider eine Randfigur geworden. Sie lebt zwar weiterhin bei den Indigo- Kids und liebt Gabe nach wie vor, aber aufgrund ihrer Menschlichkeit hat sie in diesem buch so gut wie keinen Platz außer dem Rand gefunden.
Das ist sehr schade, war es doch sie die im ersten Teil alle Steine ins Rollen gebracht hat und gekämpft hat bis zum bitteren Ende!
Sie hat mir total gefehlt.
Lukas hat an Stärke gewonnen und kommt so langsam über die Geschehnisse hinweg. Er versucht mit Hilfe der anderen Indigos seine Kräfte zu fördern und gezielt mit ihnen umgehen zu können.
In Gabe hat er nicht nur einen Anführer und einen Verbündeten gefunden, sondern auch einen wahren Freund.
Gabe ist die Hauptfigur, dreht es sich hier doch um seine Geschichte die aber leider auch etwas an den Rand rutscht und gelegentlich aber gut integriert wird.
Seine Kräfte werden immer größer und selbst er, weiß mittlerweile nicht mehr wie weit sein potenzial als Kristallkind wirklich ist. Aber er schafft es sich seinen neuen Kräften und seinen persönlichen Dämonen zu stellen. Seine Liebe zu Reyne ist schier grenzenlos und gibt ihm immer wieder die nötige Kraft, die er braucht.
Oliver & Cailla sind neu in der Geschichte und füllen den Hauptteil aus, da sie in die Fänge der Believers geraten und Ziel ist, sie zu retten. Mit neuen Kräften, geben sie der Geschichte ein wenig Pepp und frischen unser Gedächtnis auf, zu was alles ein Indigo in der Lage sein kann. Man darf hier nur nicht vergessen, dass wir hier wirklich nur Kids haben, sonst bekommt man es selbst mir der Angst zu tun.
So wahnsinnig gut wie mir Band 1 gefallen hat, bin doch nun hier etwas enttäuscht wie sehr diese Geschichte an Spannung verloren hat.
Meiner Meinung nach hat die Autorin hier einfach zu viel gewollt, wirkt es doch sehr verworren und viel zu viel in diesem einen Buch, wo man doch durchaus mehr draus hätte machen können.
Wir bekommen hier eigentlich zwei Geschichten erzählt die man hätte locker voneinander trennen und intensiver gestalten können. So war der Input einfach viel zu überschwänglich und manchmal auch unübersichtlich.
Wir bekommen hier die Geschichte von Oliver & Cailla erzählt, die sehr interessant und spannend gestaltet ist, aber doch sehr wenig mit Gabe´s Gemein hat.
Die Beiden neuen können nichts dafür und drängen doch unsere bekannten Charakter in den Hintergrund und so kommt eine Entführung von Rafe oder eine Gegenüberstellung zu Gabe´s Dad doch sehr zweitrangig hier rüber. Klar, hat ja auch wie bereits erwähnt mit Oliver und Cailla nichts zu tun.
Deshalb hätte ich es gut gefunden, nach der Rettungsaktion der Beiden einen Cut zu machen und alles andere in einen weiteren Band zu packen.
Schade, das mich nun die Fortsetzung nun nicht mehr so vom Hocker reissen konnte und deshalb ganz klar an Punkte verloren hat.
Auf Jordan Danes Homepage heißt es die Kristall- Serie, aber auch hier gibt es bisher nur die beiden Bände!
Ich denke, aufgrund des Endes dieses Buches wird es auch schwer, einen weiteren anzuknüpfen, es sein den die Geschichte bekommt einen anderen Aufhänger als die Believers.
February 8, 2021
Much like the first, I remember it from my adolescence and enjoyed every page.
July 20, 2018
This is a sequel and for at least 150 pages does not progress beyond the setup in the first volume. I found it boring.
October 15, 2022
I received an e-copy of this book from the blog tour host in exchange for participation in the tour and an honest review.
To be fair, I may have decided to read this book mainly on cover appeal. I saw the wispy fire-like cover and was intrigued to say the least. Then I learned it was the sequel to a book I had long been wanting to read. Despite the fact I would need to read two books to participate in the tour. I accepted the challenge happily. I dug into the first book in the series straight away and quickly hopped in the sequel eager to find out what happened next.
In the first book the series, we are introduced to a motley crowd of children and teenagers alike who present with psychic abilities. They are believed to be the makings of evolution and seen as not quite human by the non-Indigo people known as the Believers. Rayne searches for her brother and comes face-to-face with a powerful psychic boy named Gabriel in the first book. They are seen preparing for war against the Believers and Ward 8 of a mental hospital in which experiments and torture is performed on these unusual children.
Gabriel has gone from loner to leader of the pack of Indigo children in the matter of a few short months. He knows that he is to do battle with a organization that has more advantages than he could ever imagine. He must prepare his Indigo family for a battle that will surely come at any moment. All the while, he starts sensing the presence of another strong psychic child who is in desperate need of his help.
Oliver Blue has only ever known how to run. When he is captured with a young girl who sought him out to find her long lost friend, he was subjected to sensory deprivation torture in hopes of weakening him enough to be manipulated by his captors. When the Believers ask him to find Gabriel he does so, but finds himself conflicted with turning the boy who he feels an unusual connection to in to the people who have been the source of his living hell.
Soon enough the battle is on and Gabriel must decide whether he is to trust the mysterious Oliver or leave him to the people who will surely be his undoing.
I was kind of on the fence about the first book. I think it was because the other book was all about discovering what Indigo children are and how to avoid being captured and this one is about those same scared children standing up for themselves and waging war on the adults that want to end their existences. I like strong characters and them running around petrified and cowering from the Believers irked me a bit. This was definitely better.
I like the introduction of Oliver and Caila (awesome spelling of the name). It was nice to see a few new faces. I absolutely loved Oliver's wit. Especially when he started saying he was not going to die in pastel hospital pajamas that make him look like the Easter Bunny. I wouldn't want to die in pastels either. Well put, Oliver. Caila started out as a strong main character and then somewhere along the way she dropped off and became insignificant. I don't know if the author got tired of her or just didn't want to keep her in the series. I was a big disappointed in that. I liked Oliver and Caila's interactions.
All-in-all, a fun read. Better than the first and hopefully not as good as the next (if there is a next).
Crystal Fire is a riveting sequel that will show the devastation of discrimination in a world where all the Indigo children want is to live in peace.
December 3, 2013
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 3 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: NetGalley/Blog Tour
Reviewer: Ariel
Crystal Fire, the second novel in The Hunted series by Jordan Dane was a fairly quick read with a slow beginning that got better as the story went on.
The novel opens with Caila Ferrie trying to find her friend Zach who has gone missing, and in order to find him she is enlisting the help of a boy named Oliver Blue. Both Caila and Oliver are Indigo children, kids who have psychic abilities. Indigo children are being hunted down by members of the Church of Spiritual Freedom, called the Believers, and Caila is afraid they may have gotten her friend Zach. Oliver agrees to help and things seem to be going fine until the two are kidnapped and taken to Ward 8, a section of the mental hospital Haven Hills. No one really knows what goes on in Ward 8, but kids go there and they never get released.
Now, Crystal Fire is multiperspectival which is great, I love being in the heads of different characters and following multiple plot lines. However, you don’t hear from Caila again until you’re a good chunk of the way through the novel. Maybe halfway, maybe a little further? It was frustrating to me, because I feel like if you open a novel with a specific character, they should play a significant role, but Caila doesn’t really. She does maybe one important thing towards the end, but all in all we don’t get a lot from her.
The story mainly focuses on Gabriel, Rayne, Lucas, Rafe, and Kendra, the gang from the first book, Indigo Awakening. Rafe is having a difficult time dealing with the death of Benny, a child he had grown really close to, caring for him like a younger brother. While the rest of the group is trying to prepare themselves for going up against the Believers, Rafe comes up missing and they have to search for him, hoping to find him before the Believers do. This part of the novel was the part that interested me most, it was interesting seeing the dynamic between all of the kids as they start to band together and really become a family. The romantic relationships between Rayne and Gabe as well as Kendra and Rafe are also highlighted, giving each of the kids something extremely important to them that they don’t want to lose.
The writing style of the book was ok, other than Caila, the perspectives were pretty evenly spread out between the characters, and the scenes were usually pretty well placed. Another thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that it would switch perspectives within chapters. I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve come to expect that with multiperspectival novels each perspective usually gets it’s own chapter, but it really bothered me. The passage of time was also pretty weird. A scene would end and then it would say minutes later instead of just saying, a few minutes later, blah blah blah. I dunno, it’s just a preference in writing styles, it might not bother others as much as it bothered me.
I will say it was an interesting plot, you don’t see many novels about a group of psychic kids who are just trying to survive in this world (or maybe you do and I just haven’t read them?) and you really do sympathize with the kids. Their ages range from about 6-17 and there are groups of grown adults trying to experiment on them because they think they’re monsters. They’re just a group of kids who happen to be a little different, but they still deserve to live like everyone else.
From me, Crystal Fire gets 3 out of 5 controllers. The plot was interesting, but Caila felt really out of place to me, and the writing style just didn’t do it for me. I still think it’s worth picking up and reading, if it sounds like your cup of tea.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: NetGalley/Blog Tour
Reviewer: Ariel
Crystal Fire, the second novel in The Hunted series by Jordan Dane was a fairly quick read with a slow beginning that got better as the story went on.
The novel opens with Caila Ferrie trying to find her friend Zach who has gone missing, and in order to find him she is enlisting the help of a boy named Oliver Blue. Both Caila and Oliver are Indigo children, kids who have psychic abilities. Indigo children are being hunted down by members of the Church of Spiritual Freedom, called the Believers, and Caila is afraid they may have gotten her friend Zach. Oliver agrees to help and things seem to be going fine until the two are kidnapped and taken to Ward 8, a section of the mental hospital Haven Hills. No one really knows what goes on in Ward 8, but kids go there and they never get released.
Now, Crystal Fire is multiperspectival which is great, I love being in the heads of different characters and following multiple plot lines. However, you don’t hear from Caila again until you’re a good chunk of the way through the novel. Maybe halfway, maybe a little further? It was frustrating to me, because I feel like if you open a novel with a specific character, they should play a significant role, but Caila doesn’t really. She does maybe one important thing towards the end, but all in all we don’t get a lot from her.
The story mainly focuses on Gabriel, Rayne, Lucas, Rafe, and Kendra, the gang from the first book, Indigo Awakening. Rafe is having a difficult time dealing with the death of Benny, a child he had grown really close to, caring for him like a younger brother. While the rest of the group is trying to prepare themselves for going up against the Believers, Rafe comes up missing and they have to search for him, hoping to find him before the Believers do. This part of the novel was the part that interested me most, it was interesting seeing the dynamic between all of the kids as they start to band together and really become a family. The romantic relationships between Rayne and Gabe as well as Kendra and Rafe are also highlighted, giving each of the kids something extremely important to them that they don’t want to lose.
The writing style of the book was ok, other than Caila, the perspectives were pretty evenly spread out between the characters, and the scenes were usually pretty well placed. Another thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that it would switch perspectives within chapters. I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve come to expect that with multiperspectival novels each perspective usually gets it’s own chapter, but it really bothered me. The passage of time was also pretty weird. A scene would end and then it would say minutes later instead of just saying, a few minutes later, blah blah blah. I dunno, it’s just a preference in writing styles, it might not bother others as much as it bothered me.
I will say it was an interesting plot, you don’t see many novels about a group of psychic kids who are just trying to survive in this world (or maybe you do and I just haven’t read them?) and you really do sympathize with the kids. Their ages range from about 6-17 and there are groups of grown adults trying to experiment on them because they think they’re monsters. They’re just a group of kids who happen to be a little different, but they still deserve to live like everyone else.
From me, Crystal Fire gets 3 out of 5 controllers. The plot was interesting, but Caila felt really out of place to me, and the writing style just didn’t do it for me. I still think it’s worth picking up and reading, if it sounds like your cup of tea.
December 5, 2013
'Crystal Fire' is the second installment in a young adult fantasy series that follows a group of special kids and teens known as Indigo's. These kids are the next step in human evolution - they all possess unique psychic gifts that set them apart from the rest of the world. Not everyone believes that they are harmless though. The Believers - a church determined to destroy the Indigo kids - will stop at nothing to rid the world of these "abominations." Gabriel Stewart is back as both leader and teacher for the Indigo kids, along with training Lucas - a young teen who is becoming a Crystal. Things are getting worse for the Indigo kids that Gabe hasn't found yet - he's seeing them being held and tortured in his dreams - and he refuses to let any more kids be destroyed for being different. One of the kids, Oliver Blue, has been handpicked as an experiment to determine just how far an Indigo's mind can be broken, and they successfully turn him against the others - especially Gabe. Will Gabe be able to face the Believers in a final attempt to stop them - including the head of the church, who just happens to be his own father? Will Gabe and the other Indigo kids ever be safe?
I read and reviewed the first book in this series - and really loved it. The premise and concept behind the series is completely fascinating. I loved learning about the history and the story behind the Indigo and Crystal kids. The story was really detailed and I think the level of description added a lot of depth to the storyline. The characters continued to be interesting with their own personalities and flaws. I liked coming back to the characters from the first book along with meeting new ones and learning about their lives too. The plot was very well written with a realistic dialogue that really helps pull the reader into the story. The writing itself was fantastic and the book flowed effortless with a fast pace. The story is told from varying points of view - different characters in the book - so we get to see into the minds of all the various characters and their views on what was happening. It gives the reader a bit of inside access to the story that you wouldn't normally get with just one defined narrator POV. Overall, this was a really thrilling second book in a series that will have readers begging for more. I'm already eagerly awaiting the next book to see what will happen next. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy!
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I read and reviewed the first book in this series - and really loved it. The premise and concept behind the series is completely fascinating. I loved learning about the history and the story behind the Indigo and Crystal kids. The story was really detailed and I think the level of description added a lot of depth to the storyline. The characters continued to be interesting with their own personalities and flaws. I liked coming back to the characters from the first book along with meeting new ones and learning about their lives too. The plot was very well written with a realistic dialogue that really helps pull the reader into the story. The writing itself was fantastic and the book flowed effortless with a fast pace. The story is told from varying points of view - different characters in the book - so we get to see into the minds of all the various characters and their views on what was happening. It gives the reader a bit of inside access to the story that you wouldn't normally get with just one defined narrator POV. Overall, this was a really thrilling second book in a series that will have readers begging for more. I'm already eagerly awaiting the next book to see what will happen next. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy!
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
December 11, 2013
(View this review on My Library in the Making.)
If you follow my Multimedia Monday features, you'd know that I watch The Tomorrow People, a new-ish TV show. That show is so eerily similar to The Hunted series that they had almost become one entity in my mind, but after reading the first few pages of this sequel, I was reminded that these books are something entirely their own.
Crystal Fire was hard to get into. The Indigos and two known Crystals, Gabe and Luke, are gearing up for an inevitable battle against the Believers who are also upping their game, resorting to harsher, more inhumane experiments for the sake of faith and science. The first half of the book just dragged and it was a struggle to get past—as in 'I fell asleep while reading it' level of difficulty. But once the action kicked in, it couldn't have been any easier to read through and devour.
The romance between Rayne and Gabe felt insubstantial, much like it had in the first book. Because of all the crazy shenanigans that were ensuing, they had little to no time together and I just couldn't bring myself to believe that their love could have deepened that much. Their relationship actually felt... unnecessary, or, dare I say it, a hindrance to speeding up the plot—something this book definitely needed. They were good for each other, yes, but their chemistry didn't seep out of the pages and their moments together just felt flat.
Another problem I had with Crystal Fire was my overall emotional detachment from the characters. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really care about them to worry if they would get hurt or anything. I only kept reading for the sake of knowing what would happen next, but I think that says a lot considering I finished the book. Anyway, I also couldn't fathom why the hell they couldn't bring themselves to hurt their enemies physically. Considering they were being dissected like lab rats and then disposed of like trash or kept in jars like alien specimen, I know revenge would have come easily for me. I know they were good kids, but their goodness ended up feeling unrealistic.
If nothing else, this book was unpredictable and hilarious when it wanted to be. Oh yes, it made me laugh more than once, and most of them were during intense scenes, which made them even funnier. Crystal Fire didn't outdo its predecessor by much, but I'm sure I'll still check out the third book.
MY FAVORITE PART was their revenge on Dr. Fiona =))
If you follow my Multimedia Monday features, you'd know that I watch The Tomorrow People, a new-ish TV show. That show is so eerily similar to The Hunted series that they had almost become one entity in my mind, but after reading the first few pages of this sequel, I was reminded that these books are something entirely their own.
Crystal Fire was hard to get into. The Indigos and two known Crystals, Gabe and Luke, are gearing up for an inevitable battle against the Believers who are also upping their game, resorting to harsher, more inhumane experiments for the sake of faith and science. The first half of the book just dragged and it was a struggle to get past—as in 'I fell asleep while reading it' level of difficulty. But once the action kicked in, it couldn't have been any easier to read through and devour.
The romance between Rayne and Gabe felt insubstantial, much like it had in the first book. Because of all the crazy shenanigans that were ensuing, they had little to no time together and I just couldn't bring myself to believe that their love could have deepened that much. Their relationship actually felt... unnecessary, or, dare I say it, a hindrance to speeding up the plot—something this book definitely needed. They were good for each other, yes, but their chemistry didn't seep out of the pages and their moments together just felt flat.
Another problem I had with Crystal Fire was my overall emotional detachment from the characters. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really care about them to worry if they would get hurt or anything. I only kept reading for the sake of knowing what would happen next, but I think that says a lot considering I finished the book. Anyway, I also couldn't fathom why the hell they couldn't bring themselves to hurt their enemies physically. Considering they were being dissected like lab rats and then disposed of like trash or kept in jars like alien specimen, I know revenge would have come easily for me. I know they were good kids, but their goodness ended up feeling unrealistic.
If nothing else, this book was unpredictable and hilarious when it wanted to be. Oh yes, it made me laugh more than once, and most of them were during intense scenes, which made them even funnier. Crystal Fire didn't outdo its predecessor by much, but I'm sure I'll still check out the third book.
MY FAVORITE PART was their revenge on Dr. Fiona =))
December 2, 2013
"Crystal Fire" is the second action-packed,science fiction-fantasy novel in Jordan Dane's Hunted Series. As the story opens Oliver Blue, and Caila Ferris have been abducted by the Believers, the sinister covert faction from the Church of Spiritual Freedom who want to stop the evolution of humanity by destroying those with abnormal abilities. In Ward 8 Oliver is tortured, his power altered, while Caila under threat of death continues to try and discover the whereabouts of their missing friend Zack.
As Oliver and Caila struggle to survive and escape their torment, Gabriel Stewart, the leader of a hive of Indigos trains his army of teen psychics to fight against the tyranny of the Believers which his father Alexander Reese leads. Determined to release all the Indigos held in Ward 8 and to find his missing friend,Raphael Santana, Gabriel will have to confront his past and the man who wants him dead if there is any hope for a peaceful future. This is a story of conflict, struggle and death, but also one filled with hope, love, friendship, determination and deliverance.
This well-written plot is suspense-filled, fast-moving and absorbing as the Indigos move from one danger to the next. The characters are realistic and complex, each one trying to overcome the nightmares of their past. I loved the development of each one's personality as the story progressed;like Oliver Blue a loner, temperamental and cautious who becomes a trustworthy and caring friend. Caila Ferris, afraid and desperate at first becomes selfless in her determination to thwart the doctor's evil. Gabriel, haunted by the past and fearsome in a rage is a strong, conscientious leader who cares deeply for the hive. Rafael Santana who also tries to mask the terrors from his past has a strong inner strength and is loyal and honest. All the characters, who seem to be on a journey of self-discovery as they struggle to overcome their inner demons, are memorable and add a unique dimension to the story. Even the heartless and cruel antagonists like Alexander Reese and Dr. Fiona Haugstad are notable and chilling with their sinister plans.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend to read the first in this series.
As Oliver and Caila struggle to survive and escape their torment, Gabriel Stewart, the leader of a hive of Indigos trains his army of teen psychics to fight against the tyranny of the Believers which his father Alexander Reese leads. Determined to release all the Indigos held in Ward 8 and to find his missing friend,Raphael Santana, Gabriel will have to confront his past and the man who wants him dead if there is any hope for a peaceful future. This is a story of conflict, struggle and death, but also one filled with hope, love, friendship, determination and deliverance.
This well-written plot is suspense-filled, fast-moving and absorbing as the Indigos move from one danger to the next. The characters are realistic and complex, each one trying to overcome the nightmares of their past. I loved the development of each one's personality as the story progressed;like Oliver Blue a loner, temperamental and cautious who becomes a trustworthy and caring friend. Caila Ferris, afraid and desperate at first becomes selfless in her determination to thwart the doctor's evil. Gabriel, haunted by the past and fearsome in a rage is a strong, conscientious leader who cares deeply for the hive. Rafael Santana who also tries to mask the terrors from his past has a strong inner strength and is loyal and honest. All the characters, who seem to be on a journey of self-discovery as they struggle to overcome their inner demons, are memorable and add a unique dimension to the story. Even the heartless and cruel antagonists like Alexander Reese and Dr. Fiona Haugstad are notable and chilling with their sinister plans.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend to read the first in this series.
July 26, 2016
This review first appeared on Books i View. I recieved an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Crystal Fire is the second book in The Hunted series by Jordan Dane. This book starts off with a tense action filled scene introducing us to two new characters, Caila and Oliver, as they are being captured by the church. Just like book one we get a look at each side of the story with multiple third person POVs.
After the thrilling opening to the book the action simmers down a little. The Indigo kids escaped capture with a devastating loss, they had no choice but to seek shelter at Gabriel’s home in order to regroup. What kept me interested was that we got to delve deeper into the characters backgrounds which helps us connect with them on a deeper level.
My favorite character ended up being one of the new ones — Caila! The book opens up with her quirky perspective and I was expecting her to be a bigger character and be in the book more than she was but we only really got to see her a few times. I also thought that her power was really cool and would have loved to see more of it.
My second favorite character was Gabriel. In the first book he was a loner and was reluctant to help Rayne, in Crystal Fire he has taken on a leadership role. After finding out about that twist at the end of book one, you can only imagine what kind of stress he’s going through. He has some major character growth and is one really strong character.
The romantic relationships for me weren’t that believable. After reading Indigo Awakening and being introduced to all these characters, relationships and the possibility of new relationships I was kind of let down in Crystal Fire. Nothing substantial happened for the relationships to grow or to make you care for them. In a way they just got in the way of the real story. So if you’re looking for a romance-paranormal/sci-fi type of book look somewhere else.
However if you’re looking for a thrilling supernatural series with a great cast of characters look no further! The Hunted series by Jordan Dane is your book!
Crystal Fire is the second book in The Hunted series by Jordan Dane. This book starts off with a tense action filled scene introducing us to two new characters, Caila and Oliver, as they are being captured by the church. Just like book one we get a look at each side of the story with multiple third person POVs.
After the thrilling opening to the book the action simmers down a little. The Indigo kids escaped capture with a devastating loss, they had no choice but to seek shelter at Gabriel’s home in order to regroup. What kept me interested was that we got to delve deeper into the characters backgrounds which helps us connect with them on a deeper level.
My favorite character ended up being one of the new ones — Caila! The book opens up with her quirky perspective and I was expecting her to be a bigger character and be in the book more than she was but we only really got to see her a few times. I also thought that her power was really cool and would have loved to see more of it.
My second favorite character was Gabriel. In the first book he was a loner and was reluctant to help Rayne, in Crystal Fire he has taken on a leadership role. After finding out about that twist at the end of book one, you can only imagine what kind of stress he’s going through. He has some major character growth and is one really strong character.
The romantic relationships for me weren’t that believable. After reading Indigo Awakening and being introduced to all these characters, relationships and the possibility of new relationships I was kind of let down in Crystal Fire. Nothing substantial happened for the relationships to grow or to make you care for them. In a way they just got in the way of the real story. So if you’re looking for a romance-paranormal/sci-fi type of book look somewhere else.
However if you’re looking for a thrilling supernatural series with a great cast of characters look no further! The Hunted series by Jordan Dane is your book!
March 2, 2014
Gabriel is trying to teach all the kids he liberated about using their Indigo powers to better the world and help them in the battle against the Church trying to kill or experiment on them. When one of their own goes missing in his grief, the Indigo kids gear up for the coming war.
This is the second book in the series, and it does not stand alone. The story picks up a very short time from when the second book ends, and not a ton of back story is provided. I recommend that the first book be read first before attempting this one.
There was a lot of death, destruction and torture in this book. I was surprised at how much really, but this book mainly focuses on the war between the teens and the Church, and the church will not give them up.
I grew up hearing about the indigo kids, so I really enjoy a fictional story using those same mystical properties associated with them. I like this series, there are just so many characters to keep track of sometimes, and the book switches between perspectives of all the characters, be it good or bad.
I like Gabriel and his pet Hellboy. He is a really strong character, and now that he faced his past demons and embraced who he is. I was afraid that him being psychic would cause his and Rainne's relationship to fall apart, but the two of them are able to make it work.
The new character Oliver I found to be very intriguing. I thought he was a shady character at first, but he has great potential. He and Gabriel formed a very strange relationship, but I would like to see them be partners in the war.
I enjoyed the revenge on the scientist, but instead of Cruella, they should have done a nice sweet princess, but oh well.
It felt like the story wrapped up in this book, but maybe there will be more to come. If there is more books in the series, I will read on to see what happens.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second book in the series, and it does not stand alone. The story picks up a very short time from when the second book ends, and not a ton of back story is provided. I recommend that the first book be read first before attempting this one.
There was a lot of death, destruction and torture in this book. I was surprised at how much really, but this book mainly focuses on the war between the teens and the Church, and the church will not give them up.
I grew up hearing about the indigo kids, so I really enjoy a fictional story using those same mystical properties associated with them. I like this series, there are just so many characters to keep track of sometimes, and the book switches between perspectives of all the characters, be it good or bad.
I like Gabriel and his pet Hellboy. He is a really strong character, and now that he faced his past demons and embraced who he is. I was afraid that him being psychic would cause his and Rainne's relationship to fall apart, but the two of them are able to make it work.
The new character Oliver I found to be very intriguing. I thought he was a shady character at first, but he has great potential. He and Gabriel formed a very strange relationship, but I would like to see them be partners in the war.
I enjoyed the revenge on the scientist, but instead of Cruella, they should have done a nice sweet princess, but oh well.
It felt like the story wrapped up in this book, but maybe there will be more to come. If there is more books in the series, I will read on to see what happens.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
December 10, 2013
*Thank you for the ARC copy NetGalley and YA Bound! :)*
This is a huge step up for me. I rated the first one 3 stars but for this I gave it a 4 stars. I quite liked it. It makes me feel on edge. Wanting to know what will happen next, I need to keep on reading it. I need to understand why they did what they did.
I started to like the multiple POV. I got glimpse of each main characters. I see Oliver Blue, Calia, Gabe, Rayne, Lucas, Rafe and Kendra. They each got their own baggage. We know that being an Indigo kid, they faced hardship, from their own parents and from the Church who doesn't stop hunting them. I was introduced to that hardship they have experienced.
The story actually continue where it left off. Maybe some weeks after or so. Gabe was training the Indigo kids for the soon-to-be battle with the Church. I love that one lesson they got. It's like in Harry Potter where he needs to defend his mind from Voldemort and therefore Dumbledore had Snape teach him Occlumency/Legilimency. The difference is that the defender wouldn't know what memory did the attacker see. We all know that if Legilimens was used against you, you'll see the memory the attacker saw. I liked that part in Crystal Fire too. Especially for Lucas and Gabe's training.
I also liked the new characters the author, Jordan Dane, introduced to us. Like the first book, in Crystal Fire, Gabe and the others crossed paths with Oliver Blue. And that the ending for Caila was liked that. I do think she deserved it too and it was the right thing to do.
I spilled a bit of tears too. When it was time for Rafe's POV and he met someone. You'll know what I was talking about if you read the book too. It's just heartbreaking. And the ending? I honestly thought that it this will be a two book series. But I guess the root of the cause is not yet eradicated. So yes, it is not yet over. But I liked the ending. More are coming.
This is a huge step up for me. I rated the first one 3 stars but for this I gave it a 4 stars. I quite liked it. It makes me feel on edge. Wanting to know what will happen next, I need to keep on reading it. I need to understand why they did what they did.
I started to like the multiple POV. I got glimpse of each main characters. I see Oliver Blue, Calia, Gabe, Rayne, Lucas, Rafe and Kendra. They each got their own baggage. We know that being an Indigo kid, they faced hardship, from their own parents and from the Church who doesn't stop hunting them. I was introduced to that hardship they have experienced.
The story actually continue where it left off. Maybe some weeks after or so. Gabe was training the Indigo kids for the soon-to-be battle with the Church. I love that one lesson they got. It's like in Harry Potter where he needs to defend his mind from Voldemort and therefore Dumbledore had Snape teach him Occlumency/Legilimency. The difference is that the defender wouldn't know what memory did the attacker see. We all know that if Legilimens was used against you, you'll see the memory the attacker saw. I liked that part in Crystal Fire too. Especially for Lucas and Gabe's training.
I also liked the new characters the author, Jordan Dane, introduced to us. Like the first book, in Crystal Fire, Gabe and the others crossed paths with Oliver Blue. And that the ending for Caila was liked that. I do think she deserved it too and it was the right thing to do.
I spilled a bit of tears too. When it was time for Rafe's POV and he met someone. You'll know what I was talking about if you read the book too. It's just heartbreaking. And the ending? I honestly thought that it this will be a two book series. But I guess the root of the cause is not yet eradicated. So yes, it is not yet over. But I liked the ending. More are coming.
January 26, 2014
Crystal Fire is the second in a series, and you really do need to read them in order. Fortunately I was kindly given access to both ARCs, so I didn’t miss out on essential plot points.
I’ve not read much YA recently and I must admit that I found myself missing the innocence and teen angst that it usually brings. Crystal Fire does cover both of these facets nicely but, unfortunately does fall into the harsh female teen stereotype all too quickly. Rayne gets a bit annoying in book 1, but does bounce back somewhat in book 2. I guess it starts the whole ‘Bella’ debate off again. Twilight was hugely popular – there’s no denying it. I actually really enjoyed the books, but I hated Bella as the protagonist. She was just so annoyingly wet! And Rayne does echo that.
From a writer’s perspective, the POV jumped around a lot. I actually don’t like this in books (just my personal opinion) I have a massively small attention span and if I have to concentrate too hard on keeping up with too many character stories, I tend to get bored. A good book should focus on what needs to be said and scenes that move the characters and themes forward without the reader being conscious of the push. I felt it might have been better to limit the POV to just two characters and tell it first person – thus making you feel more for them and their situation.
The front covers are very pretty – I was instantly drawn to them. However they don’t say much about the inside of the books and so let down the overall storyline, which I thought was actually very inventive.
Overall I’d give Crystal Fire 3 out of 5 stars. A decent teen read that ticks all the boxes.
I’ve not read much YA recently and I must admit that I found myself missing the innocence and teen angst that it usually brings. Crystal Fire does cover both of these facets nicely but, unfortunately does fall into the harsh female teen stereotype all too quickly. Rayne gets a bit annoying in book 1, but does bounce back somewhat in book 2. I guess it starts the whole ‘Bella’ debate off again. Twilight was hugely popular – there’s no denying it. I actually really enjoyed the books, but I hated Bella as the protagonist. She was just so annoyingly wet! And Rayne does echo that.
From a writer’s perspective, the POV jumped around a lot. I actually don’t like this in books (just my personal opinion) I have a massively small attention span and if I have to concentrate too hard on keeping up with too many character stories, I tend to get bored. A good book should focus on what needs to be said and scenes that move the characters and themes forward without the reader being conscious of the push. I felt it might have been better to limit the POV to just two characters and tell it first person – thus making you feel more for them and their situation.
The front covers are very pretty – I was instantly drawn to them. However they don’t say much about the inside of the books and so let down the overall storyline, which I thought was actually very inventive.
Overall I’d give Crystal Fire 3 out of 5 stars. A decent teen read that ticks all the boxes.
June 7, 2014
Sorry that it has taken so long since I posted my last review. I actually read a couple books just for enjoyment and don't plan on writing up any review on them other then my quick notes on GoodReads. I know so wrong but there are times when I just want to totally lose myself in a book.
Anyways to get back to this book.. CRYSTAL FIRE is the second book in The Hunted series and is a longer book which I find to be rather satisfying as I am able to become closer to the characters. I didn't read the first book so there were a few cases where I felt kind of lost but Ms. Dane did a great job of filling in the back story without overloading me with information.
I liked the character of Gabriel but Oliver is the one that had me coming back for more. Such a tortured soul who would have been an loyal friend if he hadn't been captured and experimented on. I found the other characters to be well written and the pacing fast enough to be enjoyable.
As much as I enjoyed Oliver and the other kids however this book was lacking that spark that sets it apart from other books in this genre. I will recommend it to readers of the young adult genre that are looking for a book involving danger, religion gone haywire and kids that might very well be the next step in evolution.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
Anyways to get back to this book.. CRYSTAL FIRE is the second book in The Hunted series and is a longer book which I find to be rather satisfying as I am able to become closer to the characters. I didn't read the first book so there were a few cases where I felt kind of lost but Ms. Dane did a great job of filling in the back story without overloading me with information.
I liked the character of Gabriel but Oliver is the one that had me coming back for more. Such a tortured soul who would have been an loyal friend if he hadn't been captured and experimented on. I found the other characters to be well written and the pacing fast enough to be enjoyable.
As much as I enjoyed Oliver and the other kids however this book was lacking that spark that sets it apart from other books in this genre. I will recommend it to readers of the young adult genre that are looking for a book involving danger, religion gone haywire and kids that might very well be the next step in evolution.
*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2016
Summary:
The Indigo's, a group of teens that have psychic gifts, is set out into the world. A radical church, the Believers, are set at destroying the Indigo's as an abomination and not meant to be out in the world. Gabe has his work cut out for him for teaching, protecting, and leading the group of Indigo children. He vows not to have any more children killed for being unlike others. Unfortunately, one of the Indigo children, Oliver Blue, has been brainwashed to turn against Gabe and ultimately take over the minds of all Indigos.
My thoughts:
While the first book was interesting because of the novelty of the experiment, this book didn't continue that theory. I did enjoy the over zealot church as the bad guy. It feels a lot like a cult, but since there are some fanatical churches that do more harm than good, it's nice to have that acknowledged in a young adult book instead of just adult literature. While I generally enjoyed this book, there was not anything about it that really stood out. It does a lot of history because Gabe has to go through things that have happened within his past. This is good for the story building. We get to know about all of the characters and the world they are in a little better than we did before. As a building book, this works. It does happen to suffer from not a lot else happening though. Unfortunately, it is fitting the "middle book" stereotype.
The Indigo's, a group of teens that have psychic gifts, is set out into the world. A radical church, the Believers, are set at destroying the Indigo's as an abomination and not meant to be out in the world. Gabe has his work cut out for him for teaching, protecting, and leading the group of Indigo children. He vows not to have any more children killed for being unlike others. Unfortunately, one of the Indigo children, Oliver Blue, has been brainwashed to turn against Gabe and ultimately take over the minds of all Indigos.
My thoughts:
While the first book was interesting because of the novelty of the experiment, this book didn't continue that theory. I did enjoy the over zealot church as the bad guy. It feels a lot like a cult, but since there are some fanatical churches that do more harm than good, it's nice to have that acknowledged in a young adult book instead of just adult literature. While I generally enjoyed this book, there was not anything about it that really stood out. It does a lot of history because Gabe has to go through things that have happened within his past. This is good for the story building. We get to know about all of the characters and the world they are in a little better than we did before. As a building book, this works. It does happen to suffer from not a lot else happening though. Unfortunately, it is fitting the "middle book" stereotype.
January 4, 2015
Der erste Teil „Das Erwachen“ hat mir ja schon gut gefallen, aber Teil zwei hat mich total überrollt mit Emotionen. Es ist ein dauerhaftes auf und ab zwischen Liebe und Hass, Wut und Verzweiflung, Freundschaft und Trauer. An einigen Stellen hatte ich wirklich Mühe dem Geschehen zu folgen, da das Buch sehr schnelllebig ist und so gut wie keine Verschnaufpausen bietet. Man muss auch damit zurechtkommen, dass es nicht nur eine Mission gibt, sondern gleich mehrere, um die sich die Indigo-Kinder kümmern müssen.
Auch wenn der Schreibstil der Autorin gleichbleibend gut war, fand ich das Buch an einigen Stellen schon ziemlich gruselig. Teilweise habe ich mich gefragt, ob die Passagen wirklich für Jugendliche Leser geeignet sind. Rayne, die Hauptprotagonistin, hat in meinen Augen eine deutliche Wandlung vollzogen. Sie wirkt nun sehr erwachsen und ist unglaublich mutig.
Das letzte Kapitel von diesem Buch hat mich wirklich sehr berührt. Zwar war auch das zunächst ganz spannend gehalten, doch wurde mir dann als Leserin doch noch die Möglichkeit gegeben, wieder ein paar Gänge auf „normal“ runterzuschalten. Nach dem Beenden der letzten Seite hatte ich sogar eine Gänsehaut.
Wer mal Lust auf die etwas andere Art von Fantasy Roman hat, sollte sich unbedingt mal an die Romanen von Jordan Dane ranwagen.
Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca H.
Auch wenn der Schreibstil der Autorin gleichbleibend gut war, fand ich das Buch an einigen Stellen schon ziemlich gruselig. Teilweise habe ich mich gefragt, ob die Passagen wirklich für Jugendliche Leser geeignet sind. Rayne, die Hauptprotagonistin, hat in meinen Augen eine deutliche Wandlung vollzogen. Sie wirkt nun sehr erwachsen und ist unglaublich mutig.
Das letzte Kapitel von diesem Buch hat mich wirklich sehr berührt. Zwar war auch das zunächst ganz spannend gehalten, doch wurde mir dann als Leserin doch noch die Möglichkeit gegeben, wieder ein paar Gänge auf „normal“ runterzuschalten. Nach dem Beenden der letzten Seite hatte ich sogar eine Gänsehaut.
Wer mal Lust auf die etwas andere Art von Fantasy Roman hat, sollte sich unbedingt mal an die Romanen von Jordan Dane ranwagen.
Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca H.
August 29, 2014
Book two of The Hunted picks up after the disastrous firefight in the abandoned tunnels. The indigo kids have taken refuge with Gabe's family and are training to protect themselves. But there is a new kid with some really strange new powers to contend with. No one is quite sure who he is or what he can do right now.
This new kid is Oliver Blue and the Believers have him. They have a handful of others as well that will also play an important role in this story. While I didn't get into this storyline as well as the first book in a general sense, there were some very big scenes that I really loved. Many of these revolved around Oliver and how he learns to control his abilities and use them.
The ending of the story was one of the best I'd read in a long time. There was a lot of happiness, but the story was left slightly unresolved. This is definitely not a cliffhanger, but I wonder if at some point there will be a spin-off series or third book.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...
This new kid is Oliver Blue and the Believers have him. They have a handful of others as well that will also play an important role in this story. While I didn't get into this storyline as well as the first book in a general sense, there were some very big scenes that I really loved. Many of these revolved around Oliver and how he learns to control his abilities and use them.
The ending of the story was one of the best I'd read in a long time. There was a lot of happiness, but the story was left slightly unresolved. This is definitely not a cliffhanger, but I wonder if at some point there will be a spin-off series or third book.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...
December 10, 2013
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
Firstly I would like to thank the author, publisher and the tour company for giving me this opportunity for reading and reviewing this book.
Well, this sequel is much better than book 1 and the fast-pace was really enjoyable for me after I felt that the pace was very slow in book 1. The story takes many twists and turns that made it really unpredictable for me, well that's another plus point because book 1 was quite predictable for me as well.
As usual I loved the writing style of the author and the execution was much more detailed in this sequel which gave an amazing feeling while I could play out the scenes while reading it.
The action scenes are great and the mystery is thick in here compared to book 1 and I really enjoyed that a lot. A truly great read that I would recommend the readers and hope that you guys will love it as well. Happy reading!!!
Firstly I would like to thank the author, publisher and the tour company for giving me this opportunity for reading and reviewing this book.
Well, this sequel is much better than book 1 and the fast-pace was really enjoyable for me after I felt that the pace was very slow in book 1. The story takes many twists and turns that made it really unpredictable for me, well that's another plus point because book 1 was quite predictable for me as well.
As usual I loved the writing style of the author and the execution was much more detailed in this sequel which gave an amazing feeling while I could play out the scenes while reading it.
The action scenes are great and the mystery is thick in here compared to book 1 and I really enjoyed that a lot. A truly great read that I would recommend the readers and hope that you guys will love it as well. Happy reading!!!
January 17, 2014
I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. I really loved the first one. It brought an excitement with reading it where i just wanted to know more, so i was really excited to start the second one. I wasn't disappointing, the development of the characters and their relationship to each other grew in a way that was very bonding to both the characters and for me (the reader). Jordan Dane did a wonderful job bringing this reader into an original world of mystery, love, and adventure. The reason i gave this book four stars is i really feel as though it could have been spread out more. Things happened and ended so quickly, but the author did a wonderful job in closure of the characters and where things would go next, though i would love to see a third book! I very much enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone!
May 12, 2015
This unusual book was made my Jordan Dane. The plot is filled with future-tellers, bionics, and more monsters. They are faced with a difficult task: to survive. You may think having powers are easy? WRONG. Everyone has a hater and along with monsters come monster hunters. The group of teenagers with newly found powers are supposed to escape prison after prison, only relying on their wit....and each other. Will some crack from pressure? Too much drama to handle? Or just not enough strength to fight their enemies?
For me, i didn't like this book as much as others because the plot was too slow and it took 2-3 chapters just to get the point across.
For me, i didn't like this book as much as others because the plot was too slow and it took 2-3 chapters just to get the point across.
November 26, 2013
I like the variety of points of view, its gives a broader picture of the plot, and I like knowing what everyone is thinking. The premise for this series is creative and interesting- the various psychic powers the children possess has really intrigued me! Action-packed, a little romance and a lot of mystery and suspense made this a very enjoyable read! I can't wait to see what happens next!
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2013
My issues with this title were it was kind of slow. The premise of the series is great but the execution left something to be desired. The title was a tad to jumpy for my taste having to follow all the different POVs became tedious as a reader. Though alternating points of view can be done and done well with a large cast of characters I just don't think it was executed here in a way that was engaging. Additionally, I just can't relate to Rayne as much as I try. It just wasnt for me.
Want to read
November 26, 2013I don't even know what it's about and I already want to read it.
I have to admit, I am a sucker for beautiful covers. Most of the books I've chosen to read, I've chosen because of their cover. (I do read its synopsis after, but its cover is usually what captures my attention.)
I have to admit, I am a sucker for beautiful covers. Most of the books I've chosen to read, I've chosen because of their cover. (I do read its synopsis after, but its cover is usually what captures my attention.)
Read
December 29, 2014The Hunted #2
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews