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The Side Step Trilogy #2
Reawakening
From the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Ender’s Game
comes
Reawakening
, the thrilling sequel to
Wakers
, following Laz as he uses his abilities to travel to parallel worlds and fight to save them.
Laz has already saved humanity before.
As a side-stepper, Laz was born with the power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. He used this power to find a new home for humanity after learning his own Earth was destined to be destroyed. And he hoped his help would never be needed again.
But now he’s being called on once more to use his powers to change the course of history. This time, it’s not just the fate of the world at stake—but many worlds.
And only Laz has the ability to stop the coming interdimensional war from consuming them all.
Laz has already saved humanity before.
As a side-stepper, Laz was born with the power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. He used this power to find a new home for humanity after learning his own Earth was destined to be destroyed. And he hoped his help would never be needed again.
But now he’s being called on once more to use his powers to change the course of history. This time, it’s not just the fate of the world at stake—but many worlds.
And only Laz has the ability to stop the coming interdimensional war from consuming them all.
460 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2025
104 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
848 books20.9k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 14, 2025
A slog of repetitive, sarcastic dialogue
I'm struggling a bit with how to fairly review this book. I have read a lot of Card's work, primarily the Enderverse and Alvin Maker. However, his more recent novels about side stepping and micro powers are interesting concepts. I've given him the benefit of the doubt.
First, this novel has elements of classic Card: creative sci-fi storyline, witty banter, teenage heroes. These are what drew me to Card to begin with 30 years ago. I wanted to think and argue like the heroes of Card's books. I wanted to be unapologetic in my convictions.
However, this book was a slog. It suffers from several crucial issues. The main characters are male and female, late teens, and clones. They are basically the same person. The tension in their relationship felt more like a man vs self storyline than a romantic storyline. Their constant bickering is exhausting. They continually rehash the same conversations about time travel and their relationship. For some reason, Laz wants to remain chaste in their relationship until they're married. That's great! But there is no explanation for that conviction. It causes repeated tension between them, but as a reader, I'm left scratching my head about things like this that have no explanation for their character development.
Last, and this is the most important point, there is no discernable plot. Card introduces what you assume is the villain about halfway through, but it's resolved neatly in short order. There is no crisis to avert, no journey to complete, nothing relevant to the world they're in. It would spoil it if I complained about the ending, but suffice to say, I felt nothing for the characters involved in the resolution and the epilogue, no relief. It didn't even seem to resolve a question or concern I had from earlier. That might be a bit harsh since there were some hints about where it was going, but I felt no payoff.
Basically, the book failed to capture my full attention. I cared little for the characters, had no concerns about whether they would make it in the end, and constantly plodded through exhausting, overly biting and sarcastic dialogue.
I'm struggling a bit with how to fairly review this book. I have read a lot of Card's work, primarily the Enderverse and Alvin Maker. However, his more recent novels about side stepping and micro powers are interesting concepts. I've given him the benefit of the doubt.
First, this novel has elements of classic Card: creative sci-fi storyline, witty banter, teenage heroes. These are what drew me to Card to begin with 30 years ago. I wanted to think and argue like the heroes of Card's books. I wanted to be unapologetic in my convictions.
However, this book was a slog. It suffers from several crucial issues. The main characters are male and female, late teens, and clones. They are basically the same person. The tension in their relationship felt more like a man vs self storyline than a romantic storyline. Their constant bickering is exhausting. They continually rehash the same conversations about time travel and their relationship. For some reason, Laz wants to remain chaste in their relationship until they're married. That's great! But there is no explanation for that conviction. It causes repeated tension between them, but as a reader, I'm left scratching my head about things like this that have no explanation for their character development.
Last, and this is the most important point, there is no discernable plot. Card introduces what you assume is the villain about halfway through, but it's resolved neatly in short order. There is no crisis to avert, no journey to complete, nothing relevant to the world they're in. It would spoil it if I complained about the ending, but suffice to say, I felt nothing for the characters involved in the resolution and the epilogue, no relief. It didn't even seem to resolve a question or concern I had from earlier. That might be a bit harsh since there were some hints about where it was going, but I felt no payoff.
Basically, the book failed to capture my full attention. I cared little for the characters, had no concerns about whether they would make it in the end, and constantly plodded through exhausting, overly biting and sarcastic dialogue.
March 9, 2026
I am one of Orson Scott Card’s fans, but this was torturous. The back and forth dialogue between the main characters, gave me a headache.
If you want to enjoy the book, your best hope is to read it. Audible was too hard to follow
If you want to enjoy the book, your best hope is to read it. Audible was too hard to follow
November 21, 2025
Ok. Just ok
The dialogue.
So irritating. As if someone challenged him to see how irritating characters could be to each other.
I will admit also that at one point in the denouement he lost me. The problem and the resolution I get but not the risks.
And I didn’t care enough to know.
Not his best work.
And it’s a trilogy. Yay.
The dialogue.
So irritating. As if someone challenged him to see how irritating characters could be to each other.
I will admit also that at one point in the denouement he lost me. The problem and the resolution I get but not the risks.
And I didn’t care enough to know.
Not his best work.
And it’s a trilogy. Yay.
December 26, 2025
I keep yearning for the Orson Scott Card books of yore, but no. Reawakening is not that. I'm used to a lot of dialogue in his stories, but it seemed like that was all you get in this book. Reawakening continues in the world of Laz and Ivy from Wakers but with much less action and all talk.
December 2, 2025
I was really looking forward to this because I enjoyed the first book a lot. There's a bunch of theorizing, speculation, and philosophy. While I didn't mind it, it felt like too much and hindered the story. I would have given it 3 stars but the last 25% redeemed the first 75% and made for a good book. Not for everyone but neither was the first.
April 24, 2026
"Envy, grudges, vindictiveness, feuds, vendettas, land grabs, bigotry, poverty, ignorance, stupidity. These were not caused by racial divisions. They were caused by humans trying to get along in close proximity to other humans."
"You're not supposed to complain when the government is corrupt in your favor."
Twenty years have passed since the Earths that were threatened by the dwarf planet Shiva were evacuated. Humanity is now spread over a cluster of eight timestreams with young Earths. Man-made portals allow the timestreams to communicate and trade with each other…
Tensions run high when separatists threaten to close their portals and isolate their timestream…
New teenage clones of Lazurus and Ivy are grown within the Interplanetary Portal Agency to build secret portals to ensure no timestream can secede, but the side steppers receive mysterious warnings about the portals that can only come from the future…
Orson Scott Card's latest novel in his Side Step Trilogy leans into the crazy complexity of the multiverse. For starters, there are now three sets of Laz's and Ivy's. Origi-Laz is still missing, unstuck in time, while Ivy-O (she goes by Mother Ivy now) tends her garden in Central Time. The first clone pair from Wakers, now re-monikered Zero-Laz and Ivy-Z, have gone on strike and refuse to work for the shadowy Portal Agency anymore. The new clones, Laz-1 and Ivy-1, do not know whether to continue the portal work or heed the warnings.
There is a lot going on in this book. Some of its subplots are engaging and thought-provoking. Others I care for not at all. Some have satisfying payoffs, while others may be setting up conflicts for the next volume. Here are the subplots I am enjoying:
Where is Origi-Laz? Has he learned how to time travel? Can he find his way back to Mother Ivy?
What is the significance of Mother Ivy's garden? She gathers flora from versions of Earth that are obliterated by Shiva. She cultivates strains that do not appear on any of the new pre-dinosaur Earths. The disparity of plants and fruits between timestreams may imply greater divergence than previously believed…
Do timestreams persist in space-time, or do they exist only as potential realities until they are 'activated' by a side step? If the former, how does the multiverse maintain the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy?
The Z's children, Nasty and Mumbo, are able to 'strobe'. They appear to flicker in and out of existence, possibly because they move forward through time at a rate faster than one second per second. Mumbo is also a pervert, and it takes a 3-way side step to prevent Laz-1 from killing him in most timestreams.
Side stepping changes your timestream, but it does not change your geographic location within your reality, nor does it alter your place in time. Can side steppers learn how to step to a different place or time inside a target timestream?
Here are the subplots that do not resonate with me:
The war of secession in Timestream Six, where a fundamentalist government is oppressing its minorities
Is the Interplanetary Portal Agency a dictatorship or a benevolent peacekeeper?
Will Laz-1 and Ivy-1 get married? They both wake up with a full set of memories up to the end of Wakers. Ivy-1 wants to get married or at least start having sex right away. Laz-1 wants to wait to see if their romance is as real as that of the Z clones. This leads to an almost exact repeat of the "will they, won't-they?" banter from the last book. It's less fun the second time.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stefan Rudnicki.
4 stars
"You're not supposed to complain when the government is corrupt in your favor."
Twenty years have passed since the Earths that were threatened by the dwarf planet Shiva were evacuated. Humanity is now spread over a cluster of eight timestreams with young Earths. Man-made portals allow the timestreams to communicate and trade with each other…
Tensions run high when separatists threaten to close their portals and isolate their timestream…
New teenage clones of Lazurus and Ivy are grown within the Interplanetary Portal Agency to build secret portals to ensure no timestream can secede, but the side steppers receive mysterious warnings about the portals that can only come from the future…
Orson Scott Card's latest novel in his Side Step Trilogy leans into the crazy complexity of the multiverse. For starters, there are now three sets of Laz's and Ivy's. Origi-Laz is still missing, unstuck in time, while Ivy-O (she goes by Mother Ivy now) tends her garden in Central Time. The first clone pair from Wakers, now re-monikered Zero-Laz and Ivy-Z, have gone on strike and refuse to work for the shadowy Portal Agency anymore. The new clones, Laz-1 and Ivy-1, do not know whether to continue the portal work or heed the warnings.
There is a lot going on in this book. Some of its subplots are engaging and thought-provoking. Others I care for not at all. Some have satisfying payoffs, while others may be setting up conflicts for the next volume. Here are the subplots I am enjoying:
Where is Origi-Laz? Has he learned how to time travel? Can he find his way back to Mother Ivy?
What is the significance of Mother Ivy's garden? She gathers flora from versions of Earth that are obliterated by Shiva. She cultivates strains that do not appear on any of the new pre-dinosaur Earths. The disparity of plants and fruits between timestreams may imply greater divergence than previously believed…
Do timestreams persist in space-time, or do they exist only as potential realities until they are 'activated' by a side step? If the former, how does the multiverse maintain the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy?
The Z's children, Nasty and Mumbo, are able to 'strobe'. They appear to flicker in and out of existence, possibly because they move forward through time at a rate faster than one second per second. Mumbo is also a pervert, and it takes a 3-way side step to prevent Laz-1 from killing him in most timestreams.
Side stepping changes your timestream, but it does not change your geographic location within your reality, nor does it alter your place in time. Can side steppers learn how to step to a different place or time inside a target timestream?
Here are the subplots that do not resonate with me:
The war of secession in Timestream Six, where a fundamentalist government is oppressing its minorities
Is the Interplanetary Portal Agency a dictatorship or a benevolent peacekeeper?
Will Laz-1 and Ivy-1 get married? They both wake up with a full set of memories up to the end of Wakers. Ivy-1 wants to get married or at least start having sex right away. Laz-1 wants to wait to see if their romance is as real as that of the Z clones. This leads to an almost exact repeat of the "will they, won't-they?" banter from the last book. It's less fun the second time.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stefan Rudnicki.
4 stars
April 12, 2026
Orson Scott Card has entered a phase of his writing career where he is primarily focused on figuring out how to change the past. Perhaps this started with his book on the Redemption of Christopher Columbus, but it certainly continued in the Pathfinder series, and here in the Side Step Trilogy.
I had read the first book in the series -- Wakers -- and I didn't mind it and so I thought I would read this too. Unfortunately, it ended up being a slog.
Basically, the book is about a couple of clones -- Laz and Ivy -- who have superpowers. Their superpower is choosing an alternate future in which they, or someone else, made better choices and side step into it. Kind of weird, but it's also what the first book was about and so that part didn't bother me.
What did bother me is that the book is mostly dialogue between Laz and Ivy that is terrible. It isn't funny, it isn't particularly interesting, and very little happens after these long swaths of dialogue. Ivy is mean to Laz -- calls him "Dim" for some reason -- and I guess this is supposed to be an indication of growing affection between them. I don't know anyone who has conversations that are like these and I didn't find them enjoyable to read. Not at all.
I kept hoping something interesting would happen -- something that would put a bow on things and make it all worthwhile, but nothing of the sort happened. Laz and Ivy finally learned another skill and created a weird temporal paradox and then the book was over.
The scary thing is that if this is really a trilogy, I can't imagine what the third book would be like. It feels like any meat that was on this bone was eaten long ago and the readers have to deal with gnawing on a book that lacks substance or nourishment.
I had read the first book in the series -- Wakers -- and I didn't mind it and so I thought I would read this too. Unfortunately, it ended up being a slog.
Basically, the book is about a couple of clones -- Laz and Ivy -- who have superpowers. Their superpower is choosing an alternate future in which they, or someone else, made better choices and side step into it. Kind of weird, but it's also what the first book was about and so that part didn't bother me.
What did bother me is that the book is mostly dialogue between Laz and Ivy that is terrible. It isn't funny, it isn't particularly interesting, and very little happens after these long swaths of dialogue. Ivy is mean to Laz -- calls him "Dim" for some reason -- and I guess this is supposed to be an indication of growing affection between them. I don't know anyone who has conversations that are like these and I didn't find them enjoyable to read. Not at all.
I kept hoping something interesting would happen -- something that would put a bow on things and make it all worthwhile, but nothing of the sort happened. Laz and Ivy finally learned another skill and created a weird temporal paradox and then the book was over.
The scary thing is that if this is really a trilogy, I can't imagine what the third book would be like. It feels like any meat that was on this bone was eaten long ago and the readers have to deal with gnawing on a book that lacks substance or nourishment.
February 14, 2026
Laz has already saved humanity once, using his power to jump between parallel versions of himself to find a new home after Earth’s destruction. Now he’s called upon again—this time to prevent an interdimensional war that threatens not just one world, but many.
From the synopsis, you might expect this to be an action-packed sci-fi thriller. Let me set expectations straight - it’s not. In classic Orson Scott Card fashion, this story leans heavily into philosophical exploration, examining how different choices can lead to different life consequences. There’s a lot of contemplation and character study here, with very minimal action.
Having set my expectations right from the start, I really enjoyed this sequel to Wakers, especially the development of Laz and Ivy’s relationship. Their back-and-forth over whether their attraction was genuine chemistry or pre-defined destiny - and whether even discussing it became a self-fulfilling prophecy - was fascinating to me, though I can see how it might feel a little tedious for some readers.
In the end, the plot itself mattered less to me than the ideas it explored. The contemplative nature of the story satisfied my own pondering, and I’ll definitely be picking up the third and final book in the trilogy. The audiobook narration suited the overall vibe, though it wasn’t my favourite, as some words felt a bit muffled to me. Still, it flowed well and helped me enjoy the story overall.
(Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
From the synopsis, you might expect this to be an action-packed sci-fi thriller. Let me set expectations straight - it’s not. In classic Orson Scott Card fashion, this story leans heavily into philosophical exploration, examining how different choices can lead to different life consequences. There’s a lot of contemplation and character study here, with very minimal action.
Having set my expectations right from the start, I really enjoyed this sequel to Wakers, especially the development of Laz and Ivy’s relationship. Their back-and-forth over whether their attraction was genuine chemistry or pre-defined destiny - and whether even discussing it became a self-fulfilling prophecy - was fascinating to me, though I can see how it might feel a little tedious for some readers.
In the end, the plot itself mattered less to me than the ideas it explored. The contemplative nature of the story satisfied my own pondering, and I’ll definitely be picking up the third and final book in the trilogy. The audiobook narration suited the overall vibe, though it wasn’t my favourite, as some words felt a bit muffled to me. Still, it flowed well and helped me enjoy the story overall.
(Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
March 10, 2026
I love Orson Scott Cards writing. He hits my brain in just the right way, enough snark and introspection, not too much world building but definitely enough. I love the cloning and Sci Fi elements in this series so much! I have the first book in hardcover, though I did listen to it again in Audible to get a refresh before listening to the second one.
The narrator at first seems like an odd choice, his voice extra deep and gravelly, but he quickly grew on me and the story is so good I didn't even notice after the first few minutes I was sucked into Laz's world, the first book starts out as a sort of "boy and his dog at the end of the world" book but quickly blossoms into much much more.
This book starts out where the last one left off, sort of. Laz and Ivy are back again in another iteration, having another adventure, and moving past where the last iterations left off. I try to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible but I will say that this book answered some questions the last one did not and was a bit more satisfying because of it, and something hanging over the last book was a bit sorted by the end of this one. Well, more than one thing if you're interested in the interpersonal stuff between the Laz's and Ivy's.
Overall, I loved where he took it and, I think, where it's going. I'm very excited for the next book and will surely be picking it up in more than one format like the last two!
Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
The narrator at first seems like an odd choice, his voice extra deep and gravelly, but he quickly grew on me and the story is so good I didn't even notice after the first few minutes I was sucked into Laz's world, the first book starts out as a sort of "boy and his dog at the end of the world" book but quickly blossoms into much much more.
This book starts out where the last one left off, sort of. Laz and Ivy are back again in another iteration, having another adventure, and moving past where the last iterations left off. I try to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible but I will say that this book answered some questions the last one did not and was a bit more satisfying because of it, and something hanging over the last book was a bit sorted by the end of this one. Well, more than one thing if you're interested in the interpersonal stuff between the Laz's and Ivy's.
Overall, I loved where he took it and, I think, where it's going. I'm very excited for the next book and will surely be picking it up in more than one format like the last two!
Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 28, 2025
I will admit I have read almost everything the author has written up to this point. I listened to the book this time instead of actually reading it. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the story flowed Laz and Ivy the two main characters and their time sliding as the author explained it. I'm already reading a different book called Time Diver's Dawn by L E Modesitt jr. I highly doubt that the author read his book but a lot of the writting seemed very similar especially when talking about time travel.
Laz and Ivy spend the majority of the book trying to find diffrent time lines that lead them to what they call the safe place. Also Laz and Ivy at the end choose to be together even though there is a 20 year age gap. However I felt that the story focused on Laz and Ivy trying to find a timeline where Laz didn't almost kill a man was kind of confusing. Also the two finally ending up together was nice finish but Orson scott Card left it open for possibly a third book.
Laz and Ivy spend the majority of the book trying to find diffrent time lines that lead them to what they call the safe place. Also Laz and Ivy at the end choose to be together even though there is a 20 year age gap. However I felt that the story focused on Laz and Ivy trying to find a timeline where Laz didn't almost kill a man was kind of confusing. Also the two finally ending up together was nice finish but Orson scott Card left it open for possibly a third book.
March 20, 2026
I’ve read a lot of Orson Scott Card. I liked the first book in this series, Wakers, although it was a little reminiscent of his Pathfinders series. I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few years & I’ve been waiting for this one to be published. I just finished it—minutes ago—and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m not someone who needs action on every page. But very little happens in this book. The brief summary of it happens within the first few chapters. The majority of the book is the two main characters, Laz & Ivy, talking/debating/bickering about time travel and side stepping. I enjoy reading about time travel and thinking about time travel so I was okay with it… until it got repetitive. How many times can you have the same conversation?
This was supposed to be a trilogy but I honestly don’t know what the next book would be about. If he does write it, I’m sure I’ll read it, and hopefully it’ll be better.
This was supposed to be a trilogy but I honestly don’t know what the next book would be about. If he does write it, I’m sure I’ll read it, and hopefully it’ll be better.
January 13, 2026
I'm so sad about this book.. The first was decent, though with an obvious cliff hanger. This one (so far, 75% done), is completely pointless and droning on. 2 annoying "kids" go back and forth about whether their implanted clone memories are real and are in fact "them" -or- since implanted, are meaningless towards their own self identities.
Nothing is happening.. NOTHING. Back and forth meaningless dribble that makes me not only not want to keep going and finish, but definitely not buy or read the 3rd if it comes out.
Card has been my all time favorite author since Ender's when I read it in elementary school. I've read every book multiple times, and it makes me beyond sad we're at this state of "writing".
Nothing is happening.. NOTHING. Back and forth meaningless dribble that makes me not only not want to keep going and finish, but definitely not buy or read the 3rd if it comes out.
Card has been my all time favorite author since Ender's when I read it in elementary school. I've read every book multiple times, and it makes me beyond sad we're at this state of "writing".
October 21, 2025
Laz and Ivy are awakened again to find more timelines and open more portals. The story is interesting, and this time, Laz and Ivy's relationship felt more realistic. They communicate really well, much better than in the first book.
There is a lot of dialogue between the characters, which did help get ideas across, but at times, it felt a bit much for me.
Overall, this is really developing into an intriguing series. I'm looking forward to book 3, I want to know where this is going.
The audiobook narration by Stefan Rudnicki is as excellent as expected. His voice brings a grounding to the story that balances moods in all the right ways.
*Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.
There is a lot of dialogue between the characters, which did help get ideas across, but at times, it felt a bit much for me.
Overall, this is really developing into an intriguing series. I'm looking forward to book 3, I want to know where this is going.
The audiobook narration by Stefan Rudnicki is as excellent as expected. His voice brings a grounding to the story that balances moods in all the right ways.
*Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.
January 3, 2026
I DNF'd at 30%. There is no soul left in this author. That special something that made a fan from the Ender days has completely vanished. Even the sparkle that had me intrigued with the first of this series was taken out back and buried.
Only my curiosity made the pages turn. The story just had to get better. Nope. The dialogue kept vacillating between paragraphs of teen angst and adult level metaphysical philosophy. Then the amount of curse words total more in 30% than I'd want in a decade. Especially from an author that has a steady history of clean fiction.
Warning to lifetime fans of Card, he has sold out to the publishing industry.
Only my curiosity made the pages turn. The story just had to get better. Nope. The dialogue kept vacillating between paragraphs of teen angst and adult level metaphysical philosophy. Then the amount of curse words total more in 30% than I'd want in a decade. Especially from an author that has a steady history of clean fiction.
Warning to lifetime fans of Card, he has sold out to the publishing industry.
January 29, 2026
I really enjoyed the banter in this book. The writing was so fantastic. The clever way in which these characters talk and the ethics that come up with cloning and side-stepping is a lot to chew on as well. I just realized that this is a trilogy book 2 so I went back onto audible to buy and listen to book 1 and I’m so glad I did bc I’m getting a lot of the back story. Looking forward to relistening to this book after I’m done with book 1!! Highly recommend. I can’t believe I’ve never read this author before. Brilliant writing and world building.
January 18, 2026
All of the characters keep up a steady line of banter like they are a bunch of theoretical physicists stuck in an episode of "Gilmore Girls" in which very little happens.
I probably gave this book an extra star out of allegiance to Mr. Card who has provided a lot of good entertainment through the years. And some of the banter in "Reawakening" is funny.
I probably gave this book an extra star out of allegiance to Mr. Card who has provided a lot of good entertainment through the years. And some of the banter in "Reawakening" is funny.
January 20, 2026
Wakers was a blast, and Reawakening picks up the story with another Laz/Ivy pair of clones brought back to tackle crises sparked by the settlement of eight new side-stepped Earths. As competition heats up and lingering cultural differences from the old worlds start causing trouble for Central Time, the tension builds. A fun read that perfectly sets the stage for the finale in book three.
February 9, 2026
I love most OSC books, but this one was painful. The 1st in the trilogy was compelling, but hours and hours of unnatural, heady, and awkward if not sometimes hostile banter between the 2 main characters that were supposed to love each other just made this one hard to take. It gets better if you can make it to the last 2 pages, which are undoubtedly the setup for book 3. I just don’t know if I will give book 3 a chance to redeem the series or not at this point. I kept asking myself why these 2 people don’t just go find someone who actually loves them. I don’t think that was the author’s intention. I think he was just using the incessant banter as a tool for exploring odd semi-quantum related theories.
March 11, 2026
Probably the most disappointing OSC series I’ve ever read. I felt like I just read two books straight of two teenagers who are supposedly in love arguing and putting each other down. The fact that they have supernatural powers that allow them to save humanity takes a back seat to their constant bickering. Why? I don’t know. But I didn’t like it.
March 30, 2026
I do wonder whether Scott considers these characters to be superheroes. They can essentially bend reality to their will, and yet they place artificial constraints on themselves and have unnecessary moral qualms. And they sure talk a lot!
April 21, 2026
3.8
Like many OSC books, this one is 90% dialogue consisting of people theorizing, brainstorming, bantering, and talking themselves into circles. Not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just what it is.
Also like many OSC books, the Sci-fi elements were clever and impactful, though not over-bearing.
Like many OSC books, this one is 90% dialogue consisting of people theorizing, brainstorming, bantering, and talking themselves into circles. Not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just what it is.
Also like many OSC books, the Sci-fi elements were clever and impactful, though not over-bearing.
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December 17, 2025A solid encore performance!
This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel to the first book! The characters are all uniquely themselves and the story is engaging and fun!
This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel to the first book! The characters are all uniquely themselves and the story is engaging and fun!
December 25, 2025
out of the ball park & a love story too!! ❤️ the bomb!!
January 6, 2026
Not as good as the first book, went in some weird directions, and ends a little anticlimactically without the characters having to do very much on their own. Still, fun easy read.
January 13, 2026
not my style
January 24, 2026
A lot of thinking took place during the reading of this book. causality....sigh
February 3, 2026
This book doesn't even show up in the list of Card books, explains why they're so few ratings.
March 2, 2026
I am a big fan of the author but this one just didn’t hit like the rest. I found it boring and it dragged on many parts also very repetitive. Hoping the third book is much better.
March 31, 2026
I read this book without the benefit of reading the first in the series. Mr. Card is amazing at making each volume understandable as if they were completely separate.
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