The Girl Who Dared to Stand

The Girl Who Dared #2

by Bella Forrest

Liana Castell's journey continues in the breathtaking second book of The Girl Who Dared series.

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Audiobook

406 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2017

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

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Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I'm so hooked. And I am hooked.
The cliffies - I love-hate them, though I have this series in a neat stack, so they won't hurt at all.
The good:
> Meet Prometheus, digital rampancy, sinister plans decades in the making and, of course, the eternal (almost!) Scipio!
> Refreshing pacing.
The bad:
> The word 'statuesque' got quickly old…
The ugly:
> The 'don't blame yourself' routing was also extremely annoying and tedious. I almost chucked the series right then and there.
> I have never ever before, thankfully, seen as much 'leaders' or other 'leader'-derived words: not in textbooks on leadership, not in self-help manuals for wannabe leaders, not during those cringe-worthy workshops that organizations love wasting their funds on, not anywhere else. And trust me, I've had some experience.
I think, 'leader'-word was overused by a couple of hundred times, at least...
Some leader must have bit the author...
I don't want to know any other what-not on leading, ya hear me? I don't want to see this word ever again, especially in print of this series.

Q: Something was off about him—and I needed to know what it was. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it beckoned to me. I had always had a desire to understand, to know things, and this time was no different. It held me fast, begging me to speak, to ask, and before I could stop myself, I did. (c)
Q:
We never talked about the nuclear Armageddon that had occurred three hundred years ago. Or how it came to pass. Or how Lionel had seemed to know it was coming in time for him to finish the Tower before it happened—which was one of my biggest pet peeves. (c)
Q:
Repairing the panels had invariably carried a death sentence, even at night. Yet the citizens did their duty, and died for the cause of the Tower.
And then that changed, too. The heat grew less and less intense, and soon fixing the panels only resulted in second- or third-degree burns, and then one day, no burns at all. It was a little less than two decades ago that we were able to step outside without protection. (c)
Q:
“And you believe everything that everyone else believes?" (c)
Q:
“I was going to say that you’ve brought your friends, but I have to say, if that one is your friend, then I have some deep concerns about who you are as an individual.” (c)
Q:
While I am in sore need of company, I’ll not have that company murdering me. (c)
Q:
“I get it, my self-doubt is gross. But can I just please whine for five more seconds?”
... “Nope, we’ve got a schedule to adhere to. Chop chop.” (c)
Q:
“...Just remain calm and quiet. We don’t want any attention drawn to your presence.”
“Then you probably shouldn’t drop a bag on someone’s head in the middle of a public hall,” (c)

[Michele Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh!! I can't wait till November to hear what happens next!!

This book is awesome from the first word. I cannot believe how long I have to wait to find out what happens to Liana and Grey. If you haven't read this book and you like AI and dystopian books, then you absolutely have to pickup this series! Bella Forrest is a master word genius and all her stories are super addicting.

[♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book one was better.

Obviously everything is a bit up in the air right now, with Liana having to hide from the Tower, and the discovery of Leo, deaths of Cali and Roark.

I felt like their was too many pauses, and too many questions asked by Liana to Liana. In book 1, I appreciated being inside her head and listening to that fieriness and rebel ideas. In book 2, however, I just felt like it was a bit wearing and boring. She had ideas and internal doubt about EVERYTHING, which is a surprise change from book 1!

But, the pace is picking up! Some things were VERY predictable, like Alex working for Mercury. But killing Devon was a great start.

CANNOT believe what happened to Grey at the end. Thank God Leo can save him, but I hope he's not going to be gone too long because I'm getting romance vibes between Liana and Leo and I do not. Repeat: I DO NOT, want a love triangle between a girl and boy whose time together was tragically cut short, and a flipping AI.

[Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

DON'T BOTHER!

Gave book one five stars and REALLY appreciated how much it was not like the other serial novels - it was terrific to look forward to another book, and not feel cheated. Then I get book two thinking it was going to be great, too. IT IS NOT!!

Don't Waste your time, fellow readers. This may have 30+ chapters but I read them all in an hour and a half, and though it generates curiosity, it leaves one feeling distinctly ripped off. Didn't do much of anything to continue the story either! This sorry excuse of a BOOK insults readers, imo.

Wait til the final set of chapters comes, then read them all. But as for paying $5 in advance for what could be yet another monster cliffhanger?! No way.

I like BOOKS ...NOT CHAPTERS OF BOOKS written just to get more cash from readers. No one likes being conned. FOR SHAME. Booooo! I really thought Bella Forrest was going to be better than this.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl Who Dared to Stand

Lianna's journey continues in the Bell Forrest's second book of The Tower series. We join Lianna's team in the aftermath of losing two of their own. They find themselves without a leader and have discovered the original Scipio. I enjoyed the book and seeing all the developments. I will be impatiently waiting for book 3!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danger from within

Great read with plenty of action and suspense twists and turns and danger around every corner and from every side enemies or friends and which is which, who or what is Leo the plot thickens

[gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Great read couldn't put it down, looking forward to November 6th to continuous the journey in tower and find out what happens to grey.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first book. I did like that the book picked up right where the first book ended, sometimes sequels just do flashbacks so having it start where the last book ended was fine. The pacing was a bit too fast, the previous book was willing to let things happen at a believable pace but this one just went at a breakneck speed and didn't slow down. There were quite a few new characters introduced in this book but other then the main ones I more or less ignored the others. The best part in the entire book was with a scene with Liana, two guys, and a medic, it had me in tears from laughing so hard. I'm curious to see what happens next but this book was pretty predictable and has me semi-worried as to what the next book will be like.

[S.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series. I'm a little burnt out on dystopian books right now so I'm gonna take a break to read some other genres but if you enjoyed the first book, you will want to pick up the second.

[Boosmummy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed book 2 in the series, a few more characters introduced into the mix. I especially like Leo :-)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like it aS much as book 1. I was mostly annoyed by the multiple internal questions she kept asking 😒 But I am moving on to book 3

[xHK]

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[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't be reading anymore of these books. The premis is great but I can't stand Liana. The author spends WAY too much time rambling about Liana's thoughts and feelings that I felt lost within the story. Someone asks Liana a question and she spends pages analyzing how she should answer or the persons reasoning behind the question. I am just not interested in that. On top of that, the author left us with yet another cliffhanger and right in the middle of what I felt was an action scene. I know most of her books are out already but I cannot stand cliffhangers. I mean, I could just move on to book 3 but when I think about having to listen to Liana's rambling, repetitive thoughts, I just can't. One final note, there are 7 books in this series. There are only 5 out at the time if this review. I won't be waiting around for the rest.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book which is why I was so disappointed by this second book. There was something about the way Liana’s voice and thought processes seemed to have changed in the second book that put me off. In the first, she was so feisty and I loved it but now that she has discovered the underbelly of the Tower, she’s lost that edge and I find her as boring as Gerome or any other 10. I still read it to the end because the storyline was good as always, but I just wish we could get the old Liana back! Maybe with what’s happened to Grey, she’ll go back to angry and bad ass🤞.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but not nearly as good as the first book. Book 2 was too long. The main character exhausted and irritated me analyzing everything to death. There are a lot of loose ends in Book 2. Obviously, there's a huge cliffhanger at the end so you have to read Book 3 if you want to see how the story ends, but right now, I need a break. And, that makes me sad, because book 1 was so good.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. The plot and story are unique. The characters are well defined and you get sucked into the story at page one. If you are looking for a great new series to immerse yourself, this is definitely a series you should check out.

[Blaire Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ermagerd!!!!!

[Margaret Bunch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for a snowy weekend - now on to the 3rd in the series.

[Julianna Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love reading the story progress!
Recommend the series for how complete the world of the tower feels.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the cliffhanger ending of the first book so this picks up where we left off and explains about the old version of Sipio. The exposition was a bit clunky and for some reason the writing on this one is bothering me, it seems childish. There are way too many pregnant pauses and silences! For some reason Grey is being a real asshole right now and I hate this personality trait. If I have to hear about how they have not had time to plan their next move or plan a strategy I will throw this book in the trash! Why is Ques so horny for Liana, throw some cold water on him? Ques is one step away from sex offender right now. It is not very surprising that her twin brother Alex is working for Mercury, they kept mentioning him. I'm really starting to feel like this book is just filler, let's make even more plans before we take action. The council members want her to kill Devon, yes absolutely do it! The ending part where Grey almost died really upset me but thank goodness Leo saved him. Since they killed the main villain I'm curious who will take his place. I am definitely not as excited to read book three of the series unless they go outside the tower to explore the world.

[Osi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really starting to enjoy this series. The side characters are further developed and you can really feel the camaraderie.

What's hands down my favorite thing about this series are the strong female characters! Especially the main character. I'm not 100% in love with her personality though as I feel she's a bit rough around the edges and little too impulsive for my tastes, but she's well rounded thanks to the side characters.

Also, I'm really digging the setting I this series. The tower is really interesting and there's still so much mystery surrounding its creation and purpose. Also the lashes is pretty cool concept though albeit a little hard to grasp as I haven't fully gotten the hang of how they work exactly.

[Neil Carstairs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as exciting or intriguing as book one. It’s seems to be more of a platform to lead to book three with a lot of dialogue and internal monologue as Liana learns about the history of the Tower from Version 1.0 of Scipio. It’s not bad, just a little boring in places, and only picks up the pace towards the end.

The developing relationships between the various characters continue, although in places they are treated with a heavy hand of “obvious” storylines. I’d still like to see where this is going but perhaps not with the same intensity after reading the first book.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely could not put it down. I love the main character. The way she portrays her worries and fears of getting it wrong. And the awesome way she gives the AI a great personality just brings it home. Noone is certain and the action is great.

Another great read from Bella Forrest. I love her Shades of Vampire series. And she is hitting it out of the park with this one also. I'm on to the next book.

[Ayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great continuation from book 1

I loved the first book, and was glad the second was already available for me to consume more of Liana's story. (Only 3 weeks until book 3 is released, which all things considered isn't that long to wait.) If you've read book 1, you're probably wondering if book 2 holds up, and in my opinion, it certainly does. But this is Bella Forrest; I wouldn't expect anything less.

[Vibhav Singamshetty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the sequel of "A Girl Who Dared to Think." The book tells the story of Liana Castell in the future in a tower meant to sustain a population of humans after a nuclear war. Forrest does a good job writing the book in first-person (Liana's perspective) but gives other characters a bit of a "brainless" personality. I loved the book, but I would have liked it more if the characters could think for themselves instead of having Liana do it for them.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another action filled adventure

Another great read by Bella Forest. I just love these action packed filled adventures. The tower is becoming more fascinating and complex. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

[Jessi Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella Forrest did it again, This book was just as amazing as the first, Tons of action and detail in this series, characters are realistic and relatable and we'll thought out. can't wait to read book 3!

[SCHY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here for it!

I'm gonna be honest and say the first book of this series took me some time to get used to. But the girl who dared to stand enraptured me from the beginning.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Again, love this book so much, great plot so many twists and such a dramatic ending that I began reading the third book in the middle of the night to find out what happens, great series so far!