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Jack Perdu #2
The Twilight Prisoner
Jack Perdu survived his first trip to New York City's ghostly underworld. But a new school, new friends, and new feelings for his Latin classmate Cora make the world of the living a complicated place. Jack isn't sure he belongs--especially since he's still seeing ghosts.When in an attempt to impress Cora, Jack takes her on a date to the edge of the underworld, he ends up making a fatal mistake. Now, if there's any chance of saving Cora, nevermind himself, Jack will need the help of his old friend Euri and the city's colorful cast of spirits.By turns heartrending and hillarious, this page-turning sequel to The Night Tourist expertly weaves the myth of Persephone and Demeter with a contemporary tale of love, loss and eternal friendship. "Readers should be drawn in by the complex relationships between Marsh's protagonists and Jack's continuing existential struggles, caught between the worlds of the living and the dead."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review"The plot is lavishly draped with snappy dialogue, realistic teen characters and clever didn't-see-it-coming twists. An outstanding story with wide appeal."
—Kirkus Review"The allusions to ancient gods may draw fans of Rick Riordan's popular series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, the dark humor and poignant exchanges between the dead and living put this novel closer in tone and sensibility to The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. Like that Newbery winner, The Twilight Prisoner will keep kids reading late into the balmy nights ahead."
—Washington Post Book World Summer Reading GuideAbout the Katherine Marsh is the Edgar Award™-winning author of The Night Tourist and the historical young adult novel Jepp, Who Defied the Stars. She spent a decade as a journalist, including as a reporter for Rolling Stone and as managing editor of The New Republic. A New York native and a Yale graduate, she currently lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children. Visit her online at www.katherinemarsh.com
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
21 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 28, 2020
I wish I liked these better, but there's just something not quite great about them. The basic story is good and clever, but the writing style and execution just doesn't do justice to the clever story. The secondary characters were too underdeveloped and Austin's story in particular deserved a lot more.
A says that he would've liked the story better if it didn't have Cora in it and was just less about her. The ending was really sweet and he would recommend this to anyone that likes action and a little bit of mystery. he definitely prefers the first book though.⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three out of five stars.
A says that he would've liked the story better if it didn't have Cora in it and was just less about her. The ending was really sweet and he would recommend this to anyone that likes action and a little bit of mystery. he definitely prefers the first book though.⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three out of five stars.
June 30, 2009
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. Jack once again travels to the underground but this time he takes two unsuspecting classmates...the girl he likes and the boy that she likes. Once again they run into Euri and experience another adventure in the Afterlife. It was nice to find out more about Euri's story. The ending suited the story very well.
July 15, 2023
The second book in the Night Tourist series. Jack likes Cora, but she doesn't seem to notice him - well, he'll fix that. He tricks her into returning with him to New York City's mysterious underground world of the dead - because nothing can go wrong with that plan. He meets old friends, makes new ones, and must try to get Cora and himself back to the world of the living before both are trapped in the underworld. Fans of the first book will enjoy this one.
May 17, 2020
Visiting another Dimension!
I liked that I could talk about this book with my 8 year old grandson. I thought it was very well written.
I liked that I could talk about this book with my 8 year old grandson. I thought it was very well written.
November 13, 2021
okay so this was the first book i read in the 6th grade over the summer and i literally loved it so so much
September 18, 2022
Średnia.
December 18, 2023
This is the sequel to The Night Tourist a children’s (middle grade) read.
I thoroughly enjoyed both, they’re fun, moving and with some loveable characters with great humour❣️
📖🗽📖
I thoroughly enjoyed both, they’re fun, moving and with some loveable characters with great humour❣️
📖🗽📖
January 1, 2025
It wasnt as great as the first book.
But I still may have cried a little bit at the end
But I still may have cried a little bit at the end
June 13, 2012
Few But Dear Readers, it has happened again. I read the first book in a series and didn't enjoy it, forced myself to suffer through the second book and discovered that I liked that one much more.
Marsh, K. (2009). The Twilight Prisoner. New York: Hyperion Books.
246 pages.
Appetizer: Less than a year after the events of The Night Tourist, Jack is back to living in New York City and for the first time in his life he has friends and a major crush on a girl named Cora.
After Jack finally gets up the nerve to ask Cora out, he's disappointed to find that the date isn't going as well. Jack can still see ghosts (a fact the ghosts find very unnerving) and Cora invites along Austin on their date. To try to turn things around, Jack suggests they tour the basement of one of the buildings on Columbia's campus. Mid-tour, Jack realizes they've happened upon another entryway into the underworld. He can't help but want to take Cora there, to share his past with her.
Once in New York City's underworld though, Jack discovers that not all is as he left it. His friend and guide Euri is in an asylum for ghosts who are having trouble accepting that they are dead. She's angry and acting as a poltergeist.
And even worse, there's new law enforcement in the underworld. The guards are focused on stopping The Living Avenger (AKA Jack) and on preventing him and Cora from returning to the land of the living. A fact Cora is having trouble dealing with, since she knows her mother needs her.
I don't quite know why, but I had a much easier time getting into and enjoying The Twilight Prisoner than I did The Night Tourist. Part of it could be the addition of Cora. She spent the entire trip to the underworld worrying about returning home to take care of her mother. This added the tension that I thought was missing from the last book. Also, when dealing with the serious topic of suicide, this book seemed more focused on the "choose life" side of the discussion (not that the last book was on the "choose death" side, it was more about denying responsibility/consequence).
I loved the Living Avenger parts too, the idea that ghosts are haunted by a living person was fun.
I also liked that this book focused its allusions on the Persephone/Hades myth. I've always had a special love for that myth, ever since I was eight and participated in a play of it. I think I played a flower? Maybe. I don't know. All I remember is that I sat a lot and that I wanted to be Persephone and I thought the fifth grade boy who played Hades was cute. (Dear psychologists, is this the source of my literary bad boy obsession? My crush on Hades at a young age?)
You can imagine how big of a deal it was the first time I ate pomegranate seeds when I was a freshman in high school. I TOLD EVERYONE! (Thus cementing my reputation as a big dork forever after.)
Plus, this time around I got more of the humor. (There's an interesting scene involving the ghost of etiquette-queen Emily Post. I was amused.)
It could also be that I turned reading this book into a drinking COFFEE game. Every time Euri got pissy with another character or Jack had to hold Cora's hand I took a gulp of coffee.
Dinner Conversation:
"It was just before dusk in Central Park, and JAck Perdu knew he needed to make his move. Cora Flores, a fellow sophomore and Latin scholar at the George C. Chapman High School, sat propped against a tree trunk, blowing bubbles with her gum, and filling in the New York Times crossword puzzle" (p. 1)
"They were in--all of them. Jack hesitated at the edge of the stream. All they had to do was walk across the water, and he could show Cora something more amazing than the cyclotron: a place where he had powers that no other living person had" (p. 41).
"We're in hell?"
"I prefer to call it the afterlife," said Euri. "It's got a better ring to it."
"Am I dead?" Cora cried, turning to Jack.
"Here we go again," Euri muttered under her breath.
"When we crossed over the stream, we entered the underworld," Jack explained. "But you're not dead and neither am I. I promise. And we can go back" (p. 51).
"Who's the Living Avenger?" Cora asked.
"Um, I think that might be me," Jack said. He tried to give Cora a reassuring smile, but she was busy frantically pressing buttons on her cell phone.
"Neat name," said Euri. "Do you have a mask, too?"
"Very funny" (p. 83).
Tasty Rating: !!!
Marsh, K. (2009). The Twilight Prisoner. New York: Hyperion Books.
246 pages.
Appetizer: Less than a year after the events of The Night Tourist, Jack is back to living in New York City and for the first time in his life he has friends and a major crush on a girl named Cora.
After Jack finally gets up the nerve to ask Cora out, he's disappointed to find that the date isn't going as well. Jack can still see ghosts (a fact the ghosts find very unnerving) and Cora invites along Austin on their date. To try to turn things around, Jack suggests they tour the basement of one of the buildings on Columbia's campus. Mid-tour, Jack realizes they've happened upon another entryway into the underworld. He can't help but want to take Cora there, to share his past with her.
Once in New York City's underworld though, Jack discovers that not all is as he left it. His friend and guide Euri is in an asylum for ghosts who are having trouble accepting that they are dead. She's angry and acting as a poltergeist.
And even worse, there's new law enforcement in the underworld. The guards are focused on stopping The Living Avenger (AKA Jack) and on preventing him and Cora from returning to the land of the living. A fact Cora is having trouble dealing with, since she knows her mother needs her.
I don't quite know why, but I had a much easier time getting into and enjoying The Twilight Prisoner than I did The Night Tourist. Part of it could be the addition of Cora. She spent the entire trip to the underworld worrying about returning home to take care of her mother. This added the tension that I thought was missing from the last book. Also, when dealing with the serious topic of suicide, this book seemed more focused on the "choose life" side of the discussion (not that the last book was on the "choose death" side, it was more about denying responsibility/consequence).
I loved the Living Avenger parts too, the idea that ghosts are haunted by a living person was fun.
I also liked that this book focused its allusions on the Persephone/Hades myth. I've always had a special love for that myth, ever since I was eight and participated in a play of it. I think I played a flower? Maybe. I don't know. All I remember is that I sat a lot and that I wanted to be Persephone and I thought the fifth grade boy who played Hades was cute. (Dear psychologists, is this the source of my literary bad boy obsession? My crush on Hades at a young age?)
You can imagine how big of a deal it was the first time I ate pomegranate seeds when I was a freshman in high school. I TOLD EVERYONE! (Thus cementing my reputation as a big dork forever after.)
Plus, this time around I got more of the humor. (There's an interesting scene involving the ghost of etiquette-queen Emily Post. I was amused.)
It could also be that I turned reading this book into a drinking COFFEE game. Every time Euri got pissy with another character or Jack had to hold Cora's hand I took a gulp of coffee.
Dinner Conversation:
"It was just before dusk in Central Park, and JAck Perdu knew he needed to make his move. Cora Flores, a fellow sophomore and Latin scholar at the George C. Chapman High School, sat propped against a tree trunk, blowing bubbles with her gum, and filling in the New York Times crossword puzzle" (p. 1)
"They were in--all of them. Jack hesitated at the edge of the stream. All they had to do was walk across the water, and he could show Cora something more amazing than the cyclotron: a place where he had powers that no other living person had" (p. 41).
"We're in hell?"
"I prefer to call it the afterlife," said Euri. "It's got a better ring to it."
"Am I dead?" Cora cried, turning to Jack.
"Here we go again," Euri muttered under her breath.
"When we crossed over the stream, we entered the underworld," Jack explained. "But you're not dead and neither am I. I promise. And we can go back" (p. 51).
"Who's the Living Avenger?" Cora asked.
"Um, I think that might be me," Jack said. He tried to give Cora a reassuring smile, but she was busy frantically pressing buttons on her cell phone.
"Neat name," said Euri. "Do you have a mask, too?"
"Very funny" (p. 83).
Tasty Rating: !!!
March 17, 2014
A copy finally came up on PBSwap, yay! I was eager to see what was next for Jack and Euri after the end of The Night Tourist, so I didn't wait to long to jump into this book after getting my copy.
At first though, I was kinda thrown off by Jack being oh so focused on Cora. It wasn't that she was a bad character, or unlikable, but she wasn't Euri, and I was kind of mad at Jack for just moving on to another girl so fast. I understood his motives for wanting to show off for Cora, but I thought it was not a very smart move on his part. Specially since she was interested in someone else, and it almost got all of them in huge trouble. The adventure in the underworld didn't have quite the same feeling of excitement and exploration as the first book. Less time was spent 'sightseeing' and more time was spent on Jack's feelings for Cora and figuring out how to get her back to the world of the living. I did like learning more about Euri and her problems though, finding out what happened when she killed herself, see more of how she felt about it. There was plenty of chase scenes where the danger was close though, and that lent some excitement to the whole deal. I also liked how they had to find the Viele guy, and find out about the secret streams out of the underworld. That was neat, as was the brief little bit about the history of parts of Central Park. There were places that had me laughing, and places where I was tearing through the pages to find out what was going to happen, so it was a good follow-up to the first book, even if it didn't go in a direction I was hoping for. The ending had a tinge of sweetness to it though with Jack finally seeing Euri again, and gives me hope that there may be a happy ending yet. The author has said on her site that she plans to write a third book at some point in the future, so I will be looking forward to it, whenever it may come out. Hope it's not too awful far away... 3.5 Stars!
At first though, I was kinda thrown off by Jack being oh so focused on Cora. It wasn't that she was a bad character, or unlikable, but she wasn't Euri, and I was kind of mad at Jack for just moving on to another girl so fast. I understood his motives for wanting to show off for Cora, but I thought it was not a very smart move on his part. Specially since she was interested in someone else, and it almost got all of them in huge trouble. The adventure in the underworld didn't have quite the same feeling of excitement and exploration as the first book. Less time was spent 'sightseeing' and more time was spent on Jack's feelings for Cora and figuring out how to get her back to the world of the living. I did like learning more about Euri and her problems though, finding out what happened when she killed herself, see more of how she felt about it. There was plenty of chase scenes where the danger was close though, and that lent some excitement to the whole deal. I also liked how they had to find the Viele guy, and find out about the secret streams out of the underworld. That was neat, as was the brief little bit about the history of parts of Central Park. There were places that had me laughing, and places where I was tearing through the pages to find out what was going to happen, so it was a good follow-up to the first book, even if it didn't go in a direction I was hoping for. The ending had a tinge of sweetness to it though with Jack finally seeing Euri again, and gives me hope that there may be a happy ending yet. The author has said on her site that she plans to write a third book at some point in the future, so I will be looking forward to it, whenever it may come out. Hope it's not too awful far away... 3.5 Stars!
December 14, 2011
Likes:
* New York city descriptions above and below ground
* Ghostly interactions and rules
* Learned more about Euri and her demise
Dislikes:
* Euri's irritability and flightiness is getting old
* This book is more focused on the drama between characters than on Greek legends, New York City or
With-reservations:
haunting, death, suicide, depression, and handicapped mother
* New York city descriptions above and below ground
* Ghostly interactions and rules
* Learned more about Euri and her demise
Dislikes:
* Euri's irritability and flightiness is getting old
* This book is more focused on the drama between characters than on Greek legends, New York City or
With-reservations:
haunting, death, suicide, depression, and handicapped mother
December 13, 2013
Jack is a boy who has been traveling the underworld. When he is alive but the only thing is that he can still sees ghost. When he tries to live a normal life he is continuously being bothered by them. He is trying very hard to fit in with everyone else and even is trying to impress someone he likes Jack has a very big crush on his classmate Cora but when he tries to impress her with showing her things in the Underworld things go wrong.
This book was not one of my favorites but I'm a Sci-Fi type of person and so I read this story. I didn't know there was another book before this one so maybe I will read the first book to get the bigger picture. The book was interesting because I'm not really into the ghost thing but it was cool to read about the travels and stuff of the underworld. I thought the idea of the supernatural doctor was cool also.
I wish the story could've been more suspenseful but in all it was am ok book. I think that if I read the first and maybe re-read this book I could connect the two stories together.
This book was not one of my favorites but I'm a Sci-Fi type of person and so I read this story. I didn't know there was another book before this one so maybe I will read the first book to get the bigger picture. The book was interesting because I'm not really into the ghost thing but it was cool to read about the travels and stuff of the underworld. I thought the idea of the supernatural doctor was cool also.
I wish the story could've been more suspenseful but in all it was am ok book. I think that if I read the first and maybe re-read this book I could connect the two stories together.
December 16, 2023
Jack has returned from his first trip to the New York Underworld and after finding his mother and learning what really happened when she died, he and his father moved to New York City.
Jack is having a hard time at his new school. He’s trying to fit in with this new group of kids and has found a girl he likes, Cora, that he spends his time trying to impress. He and their mutual friend Austin, who Jack feels himself to be in competition with for Cora’s affection, end up adventuring under the city and accidentally make their way back into the Underworld.
The story is Jack and Cora meeting back up with Euri and trying to find a way to get back out of the Underworld before the three day limit. Austin disappears and Cora spends most of the book crying and whining about how she has to get back home to her mother.
Full review (with possible minor spoilers) can be found at: https://jaystareads.wordpress.com/201...
Jack is having a hard time at his new school. He’s trying to fit in with this new group of kids and has found a girl he likes, Cora, that he spends his time trying to impress. He and their mutual friend Austin, who Jack feels himself to be in competition with for Cora’s affection, end up adventuring under the city and accidentally make their way back into the Underworld.
The story is Jack and Cora meeting back up with Euri and trying to find a way to get back out of the Underworld before the three day limit. Austin disappears and Cora spends most of the book crying and whining about how she has to get back home to her mother.
Full review (with possible minor spoilers) can be found at: https://jaystareads.wordpress.com/201...
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November 24, 2011It's tempting to intertwine the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice with the myth of Demeter & Persephone since they both focus on crossing the boundary of the underworld, and that's what the second volume in Marsh's series does. I enjoyed the first volume, The Night Tourist, this summer, but I read this new installment with less pleasure. In both books Marsh incorporates pieces of New York City history, landmarks, & famous figures; in The Night Tourist I found that mostly fun, but this time around it felt like those things were running the show, as if the narrative was just a way to connect the dots of all the NYC references Marsh had decided she wanted to include. Both the mythological resonances and the contemporary characters seemed to take second or third chair, and the NYC stuff on its own wasn't compelling enough to encourage my movement through the plotline.
April 27, 2009
The Twilight Prisoner follows The Night Tourist. Jack has a crush on Cora and wants to date her. He works up the courage and asks her to hang out. To his dismay Cora brings Austin a boy she clearly likes a lot. This sets the stage for Jack and Cora to stumble upon a portal to the underworld a city populated by ghosts who are finishing up the lessons they need to face before crossing to a place of peace. Cora, Austin and Jack are trapped in the underworld and must find a way to escape before they truly do die. Jack and Cora must be clever, courageous and trust each other to return to their lives.
This book can stand alone, although one does wonder what happens next. Reading this title made me want to read The Night Tourist.
This book can stand alone, although one does wonder what happens next. Reading this title made me want to read The Night Tourist.
November 3, 2011
Usually second books in a series are the weak link, but this one is an exception. I felt The Twilight Prisoner flowed more easily than The Night Tourist. Jack Perdu is trying to survive in the world of the living, but he continues to see ghosts. Trying to impress a new friend Cora, he traps them both in the underworld. Jack and a very reluctant Euri have to evade the underworld guards while trying to find a new way to the world of the living.
Marsh introduces a new story while adding to her previous book. It continues to cover the themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. I enjoy her use of mythical characters and well as old historical figures.
Marsh introduces a new story while adding to her previous book. It continues to cover the themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. I enjoy her use of mythical characters and well as old historical figures.
April 15, 2009
I am fuming in my upsetting realization that I have just wasted a day of reading to this, this "fantasy action" book. I didn't particularly like the first book, but the way it ended, I had to read the next one. BUT... Unfortunately, this was solely revolving around romance between a love triangle that keeps switching people, and it is not at all focused on the New York Underworld, Cerberus, Jack's ability to be half dead/half alive at all times. The only thing that makes me stop fuming is that Katherine Marsh explained more about Euri and her past.
July 19, 2010
Fun sequel to the Night Tourist, these books would be good alternative reads for the older kids waiting for their turn with the Percy Jackson books. Under New York city is an underworld guarded from the living by the 2 headed dog, Cerberus. Jack is a living boy from New York who found in the first book discovered that in the underworld he can perform the feats that normally only ghosts can do. In this book he trys to show off for the girl he likes and accidently gets himself and two friends trapped in the underworld with their time running out for escape.
October 31, 2009
This follow up to the Night Tourist doesn't quite gel like its predecessor. It still has the hook of the underworld below New York City and it still lovingly describes the city and its history. But the plot feels a bit more forced and the narrative flow isn't as smooth.
A little too much angst as Jack deals with his crush on Cora and his feelings for Euri. Still an interesting and creative series, but this one lacks the zip and excitement of the first.
A little too much angst as Jack deals with his crush on Cora and his feelings for Euri. Still an interesting and creative series, but this one lacks the zip and excitement of the first.
August 2, 2012
This book was a very close tie to the first book, but just falls short of my expectations. I was hoping to find out why Jack can still see ghosts and fly by himself, but this book offered no answers. It was also strange that Jack said that he liked Cora, but then told Euri that he loved her. Love triangle, anyone? I would give this book to any fans of the first book in the series, The Night Tourist.
April 6, 2016
I'm glad there was a sequel. I enjoy the relationship between Euri and Jack. They have such great chemistry. I was hoping that somehow they could be together in the end, but the ending was somewhat satisfying. Didn't care much for the new characters Cora and Austin. I feel they kinda just got in the way. Cora was annoying and Austin was a rich popular guy who ended up getting the gilr in the end. But that was only because of Jack's courage, and exceptance.
May 1, 2009
This book was about like the first as far as quality goes, but it lacked the originality of the previous book. Still, it was fun to catch up with the characters and get some more insight into the past life of the female ghost main character. There was also some interesting facts about Central Park, which I hope were real (I didn't check).
May 5, 2009
Solid suspense and an enjoyable. The premise (wanting to show off his special powers, Jack takes his crush Cora to the underworld where they are nearly trapped) was good enough for another volume but I don't think Jack's character is developed interestingly enough to sustain a series. Reads a bit like a TV show.
May 6, 2010
I loved the charm and cleverness of the first, but it seemed to be a bit missing in this one. Jack, while he is wordly wise, is not really aged enough to be victimized by a devastating love triangle. The plot threads were a bit too coincidental, and the historical characters that felt much more organic last time seemed shoehorned in this one. Too bad!
April 27, 2018
You can spend a couple of days in the world beyond of the dead - stay too long and you can't go back. Learning about his mother's visit the living after being dead in the last book - does this make Jack special? Will he make it back to the world of the living on this trip to the dead with his new friend he is trying to impress. What happens when he meets old friends who helped him before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2009
Sequel to The Night Tourist. More ghostly adventures in NYC; of ghost who have died natural deaths or committed suicide, can be sad. Nice easy read though and themes of love, loss and closure are handled delicately.
February 1, 2010
I liked this book better than Night Tourist. I enjoyed the way she used Greek mythology and didn't feel like she was using the Percy Jackson books as a template (I kind of felt that way in the first book). The book didn't necessarily have a happy ending, but it did have a satisfying ending.
March 23, 2011
Jack continues his adventures in world of the dead above and below Manhattan not long after the experiences described in The Night Tourist. Equally light-weight and quick, equally fun to read.
December 5, 2011
Once again Jack is seeing ghosts. When he tries to impress a girl they find themselves in the inderworld again. The person he takes is not happy to be there and it is harder to get out.
Good book.
Good book.
February 9, 2012
3.5 stars - solid as a sequel. I think I preferred the first book because there was a stronger NY feeling than seemed present in this book. The characters are older, but I'm not sure they've grown; we learn more about Euri's background, but the course of the book felt largely superficial.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews