Betrayed and betrothed, the last heir to the Halt Family Council Seat must discover and hunt down the person who killed her family in this exciting continuation.
Anabella Halt won the challenge and healed Adam Rockwell for the whole planet to see. She proved that she is no imposter. In one year, she will be ready to seize her family's long vacant council seat. There's only one problem… Ana faked the entire thing. She can't heal a papercut.
Now, Adam's dangerous father and the most powerful military man on the planet, suspects her secret. He's willing to overlook it for a small favor-- a marriage to his son and a strategic alliance. Ana wants to say no, until he offers to free her friend Samuel from prison. It's an offer she can't refuse.
But Ana has bigger plans. She will discover who hired her betrayer and hunt them down. Only then will she be truly free.
★♥★
THE BOTANIST'S GAME is the second book in the Shadows & Starlight series. If you loved the royal court intrigue of Cruel Prince and the sci-fi, interstellar twist of Cinder, this series is for you!
Book 1: Seven Crowns Book 2: The Botanist's Game Book 3: Rule of Shadows Book 4: Fallen Kingdom
Evelina Everest is a tween to teen fantasy author. Ever since she discovered the summer reading program, she's been unstoppable. After all, if books contain worlds, she's pretty much an intergalactic traveler, right?
When she's not visiting other worlds or inventing her own, Evelina enjoys drinking too much coffee, playing her trombone, and petting her four fur babies. You can learn more about her work at www.evelinaeverest.com.
The second in the Shadow & Starlight series, Anabella Halt is now under suspicion after the outcome of the competition in book 1.
In order to protect her she aligns herself with Adam Rockwell's family. He's from one of the more powerful families they all have specialites and gifts and there's is weapons.
It was exciting being back in Bellaton at the prestigious academy getting to attend classes which skew more towards combat training and honing her gifts now.
There are some interesting developments with the bad guy from book 1 coming back in an interesting way and going to meet the person they impersonated.
In this book we got to travel to Ana's family's home and learn more about her gift and what happened to her family and the other Halts.
There is a love triangle between Ana and her main love interest and the pining from her friend. She's just trying to stay alive! Can she have them both? Asking for a friend?
Thank you @evelina.everest for the gifted copy for my honest and voluntary review.
Oooo… I really enjoyed this next installment of the Shadows & Starlight series. It’s often not easy to “live up” to the first book in a series, but Botanist’s Game definitely had no issues keeping up with the excitement and adventure from Seven Crowns.
Following the conclusion of the challenge, Ana is now dealing with everything that happened in book one. The moment she returns to Bellaton with Adam, she is challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally as she tries to find her place in a world that is still new to her. Ana needs to navigate her way around the Seven, figure out exactly what her feelings are for Adam and Samuel and, of course, hide the fact that she does not have the power of healing. All the while also trying to dodge less-than-friendly classmates and assassination attempts. Welcome back to Bellaton!
I thought this was a great read. There were twists and turns, and despite a bit of a slow beginning, I was definitely engaged throughout. I felt Ana had some great character development. Her stubbornness and tantrums felt fairly accurate for someone her age, and I appreciated how the author portrayed this side of her without making her too whiny. The set-up into sharing Ana’s family history was, in my opinion, quite well done and gave great depth to her character. I also really appreciate how there is a love story, but it doesn’t steal the attention away from the main plot. Wonderful read and can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thank you StoryOrigin and EV Everest for my copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This review has tiny spoilers!! I received this book as ARC in exchange for honest review 🙂
In this book we continue to follow Ana's journey to uncovering secrets. She gets mysterious messages with threats signed as "M.B". That leads her to think fake Madam Bali is still alive. Ana becomes very involved in investigation about who fake Madame Bali is and why she wanted to kill Ana.
There's also hint of love triangle between Ana, Adam and Samuel.
What i thought about this book? It was good but not as enjoyable as first one. I missed gang shenanigans with Holden, Ophelia,Ana, Adam and Shay. There was simply not enough of them and their dynamic was why i loved Seven Crowns so much. This one was also slow paced. I felt like i got invested only in second half of Botanist's Game. The investigation of Madame Bali takes whole book, which also mean there's not as much action asian Seven Crowns. I loved the combat classes, but i wished we got to see other classes too.
Also i like Samuel a lot in this one but it's kinda disturbing he fell for teenage girl like Ana. I loved them as friends a lot, i hope it stays platonic. Also Adam is very jealous and i treat it as red flag. I did not like how he treated Ana here.
But! The ending got me very hooked. Can't wait to see what's next 😀
In conclusion it's a good book but a little slow paced comparing to first one. I'd say read it and see if you like it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to E.V for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely adored book one and have to say I really enjoyed book 2. The only issue I had with this one was that it took a little bit to get into the swing of things. Once the action started happening and the pace kicked up, it didn't stop until the very end. This was another page turner of a sci-fi novel and I'm really hoping that there's going to be more in this series!
I loved Ana's progression, but still being true to who she was. I liked seeing where her family came from and getting a bit of back story on the Halt family. I enjoyed the way that the love triangle was set up as not really existent, but it was there in the background. The found family and close friendship bonds are also incredibly strong in this. I love books that emphasis friendships/relationships and that family is what you make it, which these do really well!
Everest has a beautiful voice that can pull you into the world of Bellaton making you not want to leave! It's a true testament to her writing abilities to be able to create those Sci-Fi elements, but still give you enough to picture yourself in the world and vividly picture what is occurring. This is another hit!
"The Botanist's Game" by E. V. Everest was just as good as the first book in the series. This one was a little slow in the beginning, but once it picked the pace up, I could not put the book down. I really loved how detail oriented this second book was even though it did not need to be.
The world building still continued because I got to see different locations in this book. I was excited when Ana got to see her original home and who she was supposed to be supporting as a member of the seven. This was a great direction for the book to go in.
Once the ending was coming near, I got to see who was behind some of the incidents that were happening to Ana which made the book even that more intriguing. I wanted to keep reading, but then I ran out of book to read. I cannot wait for the next book because there has to be another one after the ending that was received.
I really loved the sci-fi feel of this book. It made reading it even more intriguing and made me not want to put the book down.
I rate this book a 5/5 stars because of how well written and overall entertaining it was. There was action, adventure, and even a bit of mischief thrown in to it. I really loved how well it all tied together. I also loved the fact that it picked up right where the first book left off. This was an added bonus.
I had a hard time putting this book down. Luckily I found this series with little time to wait between book one and book two. I'm hoping book three will be out soon too!
The character development is better in this book than the first, several characters are fleshed out further and it really helps the reader to invest in the story. The scene descriptions are also more detailed, in a good way. I felt like I was at the parade and on the island. I also really liked that Ana took a more proactive role in the story in this book.
However, I do feel like the book could flow better. Towards the end, the climatic action happens rather abruptly. Obviously you know it's coming, but the story just went from languid to fast paced and action packed. There was a lot packed into the end of the story.
I also really liked the story within a story that the author put into this book. However, it was a bit distracting from the main storyline. I can see what the author was trying to achieve, but again, it wasn't as smooth as it could be.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, it is well written and highly enjoyable to read.
Anabella Halt is trying to keep her secret inability to heal from everyone knowing. If her secret is found out, she can be executed for treason. Unfortunately, Adam’s father knows her secret and is forcing her into an engagement with his son for an alliance between their two families.
Besides trying to keep her secret, Ana is working to find who is behind the attempts on her life, while attending her second year of classes at the academy. However, due to an unfortunate accident, Ana’s lack of healing is made publicly known and she escapes to the island her family comes from to hide and learn about healing.
Learning about herself and her family on the island, Ana also learns of a way off the island and coordinates to reach her betrayer. With the support of her friends, Ana travels to the coordinates and learns who is behind many of her troubles and what is expected for their help.
This is such a great storyline and I have enjoyed the second book as much as the first. I look forward to the third book!
4 out of 5 This is the second book in the Bellaton series, it continues the story of Ana. I will admit that this was better than the first book, which I always want whenever I am reading a series. This was a great follow up and kept me engaged. The characters were given a lot more development in this book, as some characters that didn’t get much in the first book were for sure given their due in this one. It for me was great to see, as some of these characters I really want more of. E.V. Everest was very descriptual with this book, the details in descriptions, it was amazing and felt wonderful and easy to picture. I made this comparison before but I will do it again, aspects felt really like they could have a part of Jupiter Ascending. This story captivated me and left me wanting more. Once again, I did receive an ARC of this book to review but it does not change my thoughts or opinions.
This is a great follow up to the first book of this series, Seven Crowns. We start with Adam and Ana coming back from spending a summer after the events at the end of Book 1. It's time for another school year, many sneaky dealings are going on, threats being made, and Ana in a place where all she is doing is doubting herself. Through the next pages, Ana goes on a trip that is needed, but it's not easy. She learns some secrets, finds somethings out about herself, and where she is going from here.
I loved this book as much as I did Seven Crowns, and I can't wait to see where the story goes in the next book. You love YA, a little sci-fi feel, young love, and some great friendships, you need to read this one!
I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book, second in the series, begins with protagonist Ana making a dangerous deal: in exchange for not exposing that she has lied about her gift, she agrees to marry General Rockwell's son. And that's not even the most dangerous or intense bargain made in this book. As the chapters go on, Ana finds it harder and harder to maintain her secret lack of magical talent and her fake engagement with a boy she has really grown to care for, all while receiving strange visions of a little girl named Terra whose life tangles with Ana's in a very touching way at the end of the novel. I love the characters of Ana and Samuel, and where the book leaves them is such a great place in their character arcs and it has me on the edge of my seat and counting down the days until August 15th when the third book comes out!
I enjoyed this story. I was a little confused however because I have not read book 1 yet. The author did a great job with the characters & the suspense in the story. Ana was suppose to be healer but she didn't believe it. She had no sign of the gift and someone was still trying to kill her. She was the last one in the Halt bloodline & someone didn't want her to take her rightful place on the council but who? Was it Adam's father or was Madam Bali still alive. This one has twists & turns that keep you guessing, The ending surprised me because I did not see it coming. My favorite author list now has a new addition. Loved this story.
The Botanist's Game (Shadows & Starlight #2) by E.V. Everest was received through StoryOrigin. I loved this book and want to read more. In this book Ana is the last heir to the Halt Family Council Seat and must discover and hunt down the person who killed her family. In book one Anabella won the challenge and healed Adam Rockwell proving she is no imposter. There is only one problem, she believes she faked it. So does Adam's father who blackmails her to getting engaged to his son with the added incentive of freeing her friend Samuel. Ana has bigger plans to discover who hired her betrayer and hunt them down. Only then will she truly be free. This book is available on Amazon
Great series so far! This story is a continuation about Ana who does not realize who she really is and the process of finding that out. The author does a great job taking us on a journey with Ana to continue figuring out who she is and we meet some good and bad characters along the way. Very surprising twists along the way. Ana is a confused teenager (like most) who has been taken to another world that her mother came from. She is also supposed to be a healer but seems to refuse to try to learn. I have loved the series so far and look forward to the next one.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Intrigue, murder, and poison ... all well established methods of assuming political power on Earth; but when mixed with magic, science, and love ... our ancestors have something still to teach us. Botanist's Game is the second in the Bellaton series, following "Seven Crowns". Although it can be read as a stand-alone novel, I highly recommend reading the series in order; it will greatly facilitate understanding. Anabella's trials in the first novel were just beginning, but "blood will out" and she inherits more from her mother than she suspects.
This is a good second book in the series. The characters are interesting, but the main character irritates me. I'm far too old to want to read about teen angst and teen relationship problems. And the story is mostly those two things. The main character has a magical ability but she randomly decides she doesn't, even though there is no sign of her trying to use it. It frustrated me too much to let me enjoy the good parts, of which there were quite a few. If you can stand the teen angst, etc. You'll probably like this book.
This is the second book in the serie and I'm still loving it. I truly think this story can be among the greats of young adult sci-fi/fantasy combo. Ana is now recognized as the heir but her secret will not be a secret for long. She will have to compromise, avoid losing her friends (and possible lovers) and still survive it all. In the second book we will have the chance to visit her home island and learn a lot about the past and even herself. I can wait to find out what happen next, but whatever wait there is it will be worth it!!! Start to read it now and you can claim you were there first!
A good story. Well written. Ana undergoes dramatic growth in her role as one of the Seven. The machinations of General Rockwell significantly reduced my interest in the story. This title progresses the story, but fails to resolve much. Ana does, however, become more adult throughout the story. I hope to see one or more stories to follow. I look forward to where the rest of the story leads.
Entertaining. Great world building. Haunting. Scary. Tear-jerker. Twisted. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
This book was absolutely amazing. Although it started out a little slow, boy did it pick up. In the second installment, Ana Halt is being haunted by the ghost of the woman she once trusted. Add to that the drama of a new engagement, and the fact that she still hasn’t figured out how to heal herself or others, it makes for a stressful school year at the academy.
I absolutely loved the growth of each character, growing to love (or hate) them even more. I am stunned with the ending and can’t wait for the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed this book enough, but it didn't grip me as much as the first one did. I usually love a great YA novel, but I think I'm a bit past my interest in schooltime dialogue. The relationship between Ana and Adam felt hollow in the first one and continues to, so I get the feeling she's going to end up with Samuel...which is totally fine with me, because he's the more likable character haha. Other than that, I think the story continues to hold great promise, and I was NOT expecting the reveal at the end. The book was a little slow, but amped up right at the end enough to keep me interested in the series.
The Botanist's Game (Shadows & Starlight Book 2), my second read from author E.V. Everest. Enjoyable, well-written fairly typical academy fair with some enjoyable twists. Fans of The Hunger Games would enjoy this book. “I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. Next up is Rule of Shadows (Shadows & Starlight Book 3), the next book in the series. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Anabella Halt won the challenge and healed Adam Rockwell for the whole planet to see. She proved that she is no impostor. In one year, she will be ready to seize her family's long vacant council seat. There's only one problem… Ana faked the entire thing. She can't heal a papercut. Betrayal ,revenge what is her secret. Good characters and a unique story ,well worth the read.
A thrilling sequel to this story that keeps you on edge the whole time. Don't be fooled by the peaceful cover, because once you open it you will be in for the ride of your life; a ride so exhilarating, so emotional, so suspenseful and thrilling, it is hard to put down. Can't wait to see how the series continues!!
There's nothing better than reading the first book in a series, loving it, but then forgetting about it, only to see the sequel and remembering how much you loved the first book, then reading the second book and LOVING it even more!! This was legitimately even better than I remember the first book being.
Just as,great! Go read on my friend!!! I can't believe they have a word count! This is for the author (because everyone else is already reading the book!) Well done. Not many can write a sequel. And even fewer can write a great sequel! But you have done it my dear. You have a natural talent and I can't wait to see where you go next!
I believe 28 people before me have given this three stars but have not written a review. The first 62% of the book was only one or two stars, but the remainder was five stars. For example I did not believe that Ana would not have sought to visit island sooner. Plus other things that did not seem to jive with the first book.
read books in order A very twisted adventure,Ana's trying to figure out who she is. She is trying to learn omer about her Mother, and what fate has in store for her, but she is relucent to learn as most teen's are. Lots of stops and starts as she tries to discover the answer to her quest.
This was excellent. Spooky and mysterious, constantly leaving me wanting more! I was a little irritated by Ana's anger and stubbornness at refusing to face her emotions and the truth staring her in the face, but it all felt very YA - very typical of being a teenage girl, that is. Eager for book 3!!
I enjoyed this book very much. What I didn’t enjoy was Ana. She got on my last nerve 😩 a lot of things could have been avoided had she opened her mouth and told any of the people she “trusted” 😤. On to the next…
I did enjoy the mystery in this one trying to work out what was happening. I did enjoy it a little more than the first so hopefully the other 2 books in the series will keep going up as well. I would give this 3 and a half stars. Looking forward to the next one.