Encore to an Empty Room

Exile #2

by Kevin Emerson

Summer always wanted Dangerheart—the band of talented exiles she manages—to find success. Now that they've become an overnight sensation, her hard work is really starting to pay off.

So how come her life seems to be snapping like an old guitar string?

Maybe it's because part of her knows that college applications are due soon, but another part of her can't imagine leaving her life behind—especially when the band is on the verge of a record deal and her relationship is becoming something more than she ever dreamed of. And especially when there's a chance of finding another missing song written by the famous dead rocker who is also Caleb's father.

But are Caleb, the band's future, and the lost songs more important than college? Summer will have to decide. It's time to choose who she wants to be, even if that might mean kissing Caleb good-bye.

Filled with infectious music, mystery, and romance, this electrifying sequel to Kevin Emerson's Exile doesn't miss a beat.

Genres: Young Adult, Music, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult Contemporary, Mystery

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Author of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.

Reviews

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to Exile finds Dangerheart and Summer struggling with the band's sudden rise to fame while still trying to solve the mystery of the lost songs from Caleb's father. The fact that the band she's managing is finding success should mean great things for Summer but she finds herself at a crossroads between the band and college and who she wants to be.

I ended up enjoying this sequel slightly more than the first book. I still had some of the same problems with it but there was more happening with the band, with Summer and Caleb's relationship, with the mystery of the lost songs. The band was getting more attention so it was harder for them to fly under the radar as they hunted for the clues and there was of course a lot of attention now that the secret of Caleb's father had been exposed.

Summer was a character I still find myself unsure about. One minute I love her fierce personality an her determination to do what she believes is best for the band. The next minutes I want to scream at her that there's more to the band than Caleb and his father's songs. If she truly wanted to be involved with managing bands as a career, this seemed like a good example of how not to manage your clients. I did enjoy her struggles between trying to manage the band and college applications and interviews.

I felt for all the guys in the bands in this book. They just wanted to play music and get a little recognition for themselves, not because one of who Caleb's father was. Normally a character acting like Jon was in this book would have annoyed me but instead I just really felt for him the most. Nothing he did or said seemed to be right, he couldn't get any attention from his supposed manager who was too busy being Caleb's girlfriend or obsessed with finding the lost tapes, and I could see where this thing he loved, playing music, became less and less of a thing he loved to do as the book went on and that hurt. I felt for Matt too since the tension between Jon and Caleb was high and dealing with it wasn't easy. And Caleb, he never asked for any of it but he never really helped matters by being so closed off and unwilling to talk to his bandmates. Val, she was a mess and I have a feeling there's even more to her story that we'll see in the next book.

The book had lots of fun elements that made it a fast read. There was the main mystery of the lost songs, there was the band's performances and there was some road trips antics that made me laugh. There were times when things got a little too over the top but still fun to read. Like the first book, this one also a had a Bandslam type feel to it and set up the third book well.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristine]

I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I requested this book from Edelweiss because I thought the synopsis sounded good and at the time I did not realise that it was a sequel in a series. In fact, it wasn't until I was reading it that I began to think that it may be a sequel. Why was that? Because it made absolutely no sense what-so-ever. You know how some sequels can still be read and enjoyed without knowing anything about the first book? Well this is not that book. The story and the characters were confusing and I couldn't relate to them. I found them boring and the plot was like nails on chalk board. Again this could be because I didn't read the first book so had no vested interest in the characters. Finally at 40% I had to give up on the book because I thought it was that bad and I didn't think it would be fair to rate it when I didn't know the whole story. Hopefully with the books read in the proper order it would be an enjoyable read but I question if that is possible from what I read.

[Daphne M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The plot twists in this book were insane! Summer was faced with some hard decisions! I'm really worried about Val. Matt got on my nerves so much in this book, but I felt bad for him at the end. Poor Caleb! He just cannot catch a break! John is such a jerk for blaming Caleb for everything; it's not his fault. And Ethan needs to just stop already.

I'm so mad at Maya! I mean, Summer and Matt weren't completely right with what they did to her, but for her to completely turn her back on them was so rude. And Jason tho...

Literally CANNOT wait for Finding Abbey Road!

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Exile was just as good as the first. The same great characters, the same underlying love story, and the same search for lost songs. In addition to all of that, we get to follow along Summer as she attempts to navigate senior year, and decide what she wants from her future and if she can make it match what her parents want for her. I think high school students will really relate to this story and see that they are not alone in their struggles involving the future at this point in their lives.

There's a shocker towards the end of the book that made me very glad I checked out the 3rd book when I checked out the 2nd from the library. I can't wait to get started and see how things all work out.

If you liked Exile, you'll definitely want to continue the series.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standing ovation for Kevin Emerson! I think I'm officially a groupie of this series. I loved Exile, and was anxiously awaiting Encore to an Empty Room, and was sucked back in from the first page. In this second book, which avoids the sophomore slump a trilogy can sometimes fall into, the mystery discovered in the first book takes the headliner role while the romance and band trying to get a recording deal are the opening acts, with the dilemmas a high school senior faces in trying to figure out college and what path she wants her life to take and how to make her mark becomes the roadie connecting it all and doing the heavy lifting to make it work. And at the sound board controlling the volume and tone of it all is Kevin Emerson with beautiful turn of a phrase writing and plotting moving it forward at a brisk pace. If you read Exile and enjoyed it, don't miss this next part of Summer's and Dangerheart's story, and if you haven't read Exile yet, what are you waiting for?

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still am not in love with the main character. Her college essay was the first time I really connected with her, then I went back to not liking her. The road trip was exciting and I couldn't stop reading, but I found all of the band drama a little frustrating and annoying. Caleb is my favorite character because he can be sweet and thoughtful but I can't help but feel like everyone is taking advantage of him. The musical/band element of the book is interesting, though.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely more conflict and intrigue in this sequel. Though I still think the romance doesn't really belong here, it was more tolerable in this book, and not too cheesy. There are some interesting questions that are going to pop up for sure in the last 20 pages, but let's see what will happen in the final chapter to this trilogy.

[Wendy Windust · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm 126 pages in and might have to abandon this book. The protagonist, Summer/Catherine, is written in a voice that really gets on my nerves and I find it so hard to like her, let alone buy into her life and struggles. Does this book get any better?

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit dull and repetitive until the end. I wish it had stuck more closely with the mystery plot line and less with Summer's internal drama (though more plot, less angst is kind of an un-Becky-like thing to say). I get it, Summer, you don't want to write your admissions essay, etc.

[Cat Dino · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of Exile, Dangerheart became the hot new band once it was revealed that lead singer Caleb is the son of famous artist Eli White-and that Eli has left clues to find his lost songs. In this sequel, the band follows the clues to find Eli's songs, all while Caleb is trying to emerge from his father's shadow. Dangerheart's manager, Catherine Summer Carlson, continues to narrate in this entry. Readers feel connected to the issues that the protagonist faces, and the story line flows easily through her wit and intellect. The narratives presents both sides of the teen's life: as Summer, she navigates rock concerts, friends, dating Caleb, and the big mystery surrounding Caleb and Eli, while as Catherine, she copes with family, homework, and possibly law school. Which path will she choose? Teens will identify with the feeling of being caught between two worlds and will recognize the difficulty of following one's passions. VERDICT For fans of mysteries and rock and roll, this installment of Emerson's music-themed series hits all the right notes.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as the second installment in the series. I found that I'm kind of attached to the characters, especially Val. Looking forward to finishing up the series and finding out more about Eli's life/death? Major plot twist.

[Jennifer (Taylor) Altemeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series, can’t wait till the next one!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fab sequel! I was excited to find out what would happen next in the adventure to find the missing songs and this didn't hold back. Can't wait to find out what happens next! :)

[Megan Cool]

I accidently read this before the first book. didn't love it, didn't hate it. I will probably finish the series.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books were alright. I didn't LOVE the characters, but there were some good ones. I haven't read the third one, since it isn't available in my library, but I'm kind of... not overly-disappointed about it? They were pretty entertaining, but not my favorite. And I don't know that it needed three separate books. I think I'm also salty because I'm kind of tired of the whole "this girl is different, she isn't the way she seems in front of her parents, she's wild and ambitious and blahblahblahblahblah". And it's kind of unrealistic. There's no way most parents would agree to let their kids do some of the things she did, and her parents (who seemed kind of uptight and not down to clown) were like, "yeah, go for it". I don't know. It was just "okay". I'll probably read the third one when I can. I just don't like Summer. She irritates me.

[Jeanette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Exile. Picking up right where Exile left off, Summer and her band head back on the road looking for the missing songs of Caleb's famous father Eli.

From the School Library Journal:

At the end of Exile (HarperCollins, 2014), Dangerheart became the hot new band once it was revealed that lead singer Caleb is the son of famous artist Eli White—and that Eli has left clues to find his lost songs. In this sequel, the band follows the clues to find Eli's songs, all while Caleb is trying to emerge from his father's shadow. Dangerheart's manager, Catherine Summer Carlson, continues to narrate in this entry. Readers feel connected to the issues that the protagonist faces, and the story line flows easily through her wit and intellect. The narratives presents both sides of the teen's life: as Summer, she navigates rock concerts, friends, dating Caleb, and the big mystery surrounding Caleb and Eli, while as Catherine, she copes with family, homework, and possibly law school. Which path will she choose?

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine is the obedient teen headed to Stanford, but Summer (her other – more authentic personality) is manager for a hot high school band, Dragonheart, and girlfriend of Caleb, the lead singer. This is the story of the band and their quest to find the songs Caleb’s dad left behind when he died, possibly suicide.
Although the story stretches plausibility sometimes, the idea of a high school band on the verge of stardom is certainly appealing. Catherine/Summer is a very typical teen struggling between her own ambitions and those her parents have for her. Caleb, as the budding singer/songwriter who still suffers from his father’s abandonment, is a sympathetic character and their romance is sweet and believable. A great read for budding musicians or any teens looking for a fast-paced romance/adventure. This is book 2 in the series, and although there were moments where I felt I had missed something, it could stand alone. There are certainly many loose ends, but the story is engrossing enough to stand alone.

[Stacee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had planned on rating this 2 or 2.5 stars and then the last 2 or 3 chapters happened and my mind was blown.

Still don't really care for Summer. Her wishy washy inner monologue was tiring and mildly annoying. There's a lot of strange dynamics happening with the band and the secondary characters. Some of it seemed almost overdone or added as an afterthought. And I'm not sure how I feel about it.

As always, the music aspect of this series is what keeps me reading. I loved what we learned about Eli this time around and I'm still enjoying the mini scavenger hunt.

After the ending, I'll definitely be reading that third book.

**Huge thanks to Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

**Squishy hugs to the ladies of Epic Reads for giving me a physical arc at YallWest**

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer & Caleb's stories continue in this excellent middle book of a projected trilogy. True to the earlier volume, Exile, this is not just a story of romance told around the central mystery of the missing songs of Caleb's dead rock god dad. Summer/Catherine is having to deal w/ college apps, and the central question of who she is, what she wants, and what she's willing to do to get there. I really appreciate that Summer's voice & issues remain central to the narrative, while at the same time pushing along the storylines of several other characters, including Caleb, searching for clues to his mysterious dad, as well as half sister Val & her continuing drama with an unstable parent, in addition to ambitious ex-beau Ethan & good friend/acquaintance Maya Barnes. Highly recommended!!!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a little difficult getting into this sequel considering I had read the first book a year and a half ago, but once I got going the story came back and there was as much mystery and excitement as the first. I'll admit some details were lost on me due to the long break between books, but that is not the author's fault. I was swept back into the interesting life of being in a touring band and the intriguing mystery that began to unfold in book one. As a reader would expect, there was a great twist and cliffhanger at the end and I'm really not happy that I have to wait until August to find out how this all turns out. ;) I would highly recommend these two books, but would suggest waiting until the third comes out so you can read them all together.

[Megan Tonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it was possible to beat the amazingness that was Exile. But Kevin Emerson did just that with this one! I could not put it down. The way Emerson weaves the story together, with all of the different facets and characters, is breathtaking. You will not regret reading this series. The only problem is waiting for the next book!

[Read InAGarden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun continuation of the Dragonheart story that began in Exile. Summer and Caleb are still in the business of making the band and their relationship work while at the same time hunting for the lost recordings of Caleb's dead father. A great twist near the end leaves the reader eagerly awaiting final installment Abbey Road.

[Kelly Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the mystery continues... Summer and the members of Dangerheart are still in the process of finding the lost tapes, and now they are juggling some major success in the media as well. I liked where this book to the story, and I cannot wait to follow the gang to the next place.

3 out of 5 stars. Thanks Edelweiss.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in for a listening treat when it came to Encore To An Empty Room by Kevin Emerson. Read the rest of my review here

[Karissa Goellner · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Indirect Spoilers**

I was SO right about this series on my review of the first book! It is a YA version of How to Kill a Rockstar by Tiffanie DeBartolo! I'll definitely be watching for the third book to come out.

[Vantoshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's more like a 2.5 out of 5 stars. I was not entirely impress with the sequel, I expected to be slightly better than the first one, but got disappointed. I'm willingly to read the next installment of the series because I like to torture myself and cause I want to give this book one last chance.

[TS · Rating 2 out of 5]

At this point in just reading the sequels because I want to know what happens and not because it's interesting. The writing is getting repetitive, there's too much telling and not enough showing, and the plot is getting annoyingly cliché.

[Jennifer Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation of Exile...but now I have to wait forever until Abbey Road!

I love Kevin's wit and pacing of the story.

[Lisa Hoang · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS. REVIEW TO COME.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow what a great 2nd book and no slump. I did enjoy this mystery and I can't wait to see how it ends. I loved that they are working on music and their relationship along with college choices.