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Secrets of the Tally #2
Catching Epics
Ebby didn’t know she was the new Human Epic until the day she was captured, stuck with the new Escali Epic, Vack, and told to be friends with him. They’re the two most powerful kids in the world, destined to be enemy combatants like every Epic before them, but they've been imprisoned together in hopes they might resolve some of their differences. Vack would rather push Ebby out a window than befriend her, while Ebby thinks Vack is a barbarian who might eat her, and the result is chaos. Allie and Archie are thrown into the fray when they’re asked to help a team of brutal hunters find and rescue Ebby. Archie makes recovering the Epic a priority, but Allie couldn’t be pulled any harder in the opposite direction. Rescuing a little girl sounds like the right thing to do, but leaving Ebby in the hands of the Escalis has a different appeal. If Ebby and Vack existed to do more than fight one another, they could change the course of the entire Human Escali war.
- GenresFantasy
425 pages, Paperback
Published June 8, 2018
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April 20, 2018
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The Reader and the Chef
. Huge thanks to the author for the review copy in exchange of my honest opinion.
OMG! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Everything about it had me on edge, the character development, the new introduced characters, the world building, the plot, the magical aspects... Aahh, it was sooo good! I think the only thing that I regret about this book was my slow reading progress. I started reading it when my work schedule got really busy and it pained me to put it down constantly. However, I have finally finished reading it and I couldn't be happier with the story and now I cannot wait for the next book to be published.
Catching Epics is the second book in the series of Secrets of the Tally. In this world human mages and Escalis (they are described as powerful grotesque humans with spikes) exist and they are in constant war for power and territory. The humans and the Escalis each have an Epic (which are the most powerful beings) and they have been enemies with each other for several generations. The Escali Epic dreams of ending the war by creating a friendship between the new young Epics, Ebby and Vack, and to finally live peacefully. However, his thoughts are not shared by everyone...
I was thrilled with the character introductions of Ebby and Vack! When I first started reading about them, I knew from the very beginning that I was going to love them. They are both confused, angry and scared about their future as Epics and to top it all, they are forced to spend time together even though their natural instincts tell them otherwise. I really hope to see more of them in the next book.
Meanwhile, we have Allie, Archie and their friends torn between helping the humans or the Escalis. They soon find out about the plan of ending the war, but it might mean destroying their image and exposing their true selves. Allie keeps being the kick-ass character and brings trouble to everywhere she goes, and Archie is always around saving the day. I also think it is amazing how Allie and Archie get involve in Ebby's and Vack's story and I wish to see more of that in the future.
Another thing that I want to mention about this book is the magical feeling of the story. It is a truly beautiful story and wonderfully written. I kept imagining fantastical places throughout the whole book and the plot, characters and the story elements where astonishing. For those reasons, it reminded me of The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night and although the stories are different, I equally enjoyed them for their wonderment and magical story.
Final Verdict:
Catching Epics is such an incredible book! I cannot stress enough how much I loved reading it and I definitely see myself re-reading it like I did with Secrets of the Tally before starting Catching Epics. I just didn't want to miss any aspects of the story and going back to the first book made me appreciate and understand Catching Epics a lot more. I will be definitely looking forward to continue reading this series!
OMG! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Everything about it had me on edge, the character development, the new introduced characters, the world building, the plot, the magical aspects... Aahh, it was sooo good! I think the only thing that I regret about this book was my slow reading progress. I started reading it when my work schedule got really busy and it pained me to put it down constantly. However, I have finally finished reading it and I couldn't be happier with the story and now I cannot wait for the next book to be published.
Catching Epics is the second book in the series of Secrets of the Tally. In this world human mages and Escalis (they are described as powerful grotesque humans with spikes) exist and they are in constant war for power and territory. The humans and the Escalis each have an Epic (which are the most powerful beings) and they have been enemies with each other for several generations. The Escali Epic dreams of ending the war by creating a friendship between the new young Epics, Ebby and Vack, and to finally live peacefully. However, his thoughts are not shared by everyone...
I was thrilled with the character introductions of Ebby and Vack! When I first started reading about them, I knew from the very beginning that I was going to love them. They are both confused, angry and scared about their future as Epics and to top it all, they are forced to spend time together even though their natural instincts tell them otherwise. I really hope to see more of them in the next book.
Meanwhile, we have Allie, Archie and their friends torn between helping the humans or the Escalis. They soon find out about the plan of ending the war, but it might mean destroying their image and exposing their true selves. Allie keeps being the kick-ass character and brings trouble to everywhere she goes, and Archie is always around saving the day. I also think it is amazing how Allie and Archie get involve in Ebby's and Vack's story and I wish to see more of that in the future.
Another thing that I want to mention about this book is the magical feeling of the story. It is a truly beautiful story and wonderfully written. I kept imagining fantastical places throughout the whole book and the plot, characters and the story elements where astonishing. For those reasons, it reminded me of The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night and although the stories are different, I equally enjoyed them for their wonderment and magical story.
Final Verdict:
Catching Epics is such an incredible book! I cannot stress enough how much I loved reading it and I definitely see myself re-reading it like I did with Secrets of the Tally before starting Catching Epics. I just didn't want to miss any aspects of the story and going back to the first book made me appreciate and understand Catching Epics a lot more. I will be definitely looking forward to continue reading this series!
May 18, 2019
In “Catching Epics”, we get an additional point of view to Allie’s: Ebby, the new Human Epic. The switching of perspectives works quite well, as we get to see more of both Prince Avalask’s plans for Ebby and his son Vack (the next Escali Epic), as well as how much more entangled Allie and thereby Archie become in the Human-Escali conflict. There are even some surprises (notably, something relating to that much-referred to horrible King Kelian – I won’t say what the surprise is though!) and no small amount of conspiring and being all-around shifty and conspiratorial. The story as a whole keeps up at a good clip, so there is always something going on and we never get tired, for example, of Ebby’s crying (yes, she does a lot of it in the beginning, but she is only 11, and captured by “the enemy”) – while readers might like to see her step up a bit more earlier on, like I said, she is only 11, and in an environment entirely strange to her, one that is populated by Escalis, who she was raised to fear/hate, as most Humans do.
Allie still hasn’t regained her lost memories, and the way things are going in this book (and her acknowledgement at the end of the last one) make it pretty clear that she has no interest in recovering them anymore; she is quite happy to live her life as it is, as she knows it, and rely on Archie and her other friends to fill her in on important stuff she has forgotten. Admittedly, Allie’s acceptance of her lost memories grates a bit on me, because despite how she thinks she’s sooo independent, she’s really quite reliant on everyone else around her to tell her important stuff. I’m all for trusting friends, but… this goes a little too far. And when they don’t tell her things, well, let’s just say that’s a thing that happens that complicates situations. Prince Avalask has quickly become my favorite character, probably due in no small part to how reasonable/logical he is. He has a plan, he wants peace, and he’s really good at working the angles and contacts he has to do it. Even though we really don’t see that much of him, we get the distinct impression of how much he’s dealing with, how much intelligence and good sense he has, and that he really is the progressive mind of the times. Plus, he feels very real - when he says something like “I’ve been up for thirty-six hours straight, I’m going to get an hour of sleep then I’ll come back and listen to you, Ebby and Vack” I feel for him, and wonder just what keeps him so busy, is this a regular thing for Epics, how do they manage to do anything when they’re expected to do everything?
That all being said, I had more than a few gripes with this book, so here goes, in no particular order. At large, this book suffers greatly from second-book syndrome: yes it has its own plots to follow and things do happen, but really everything that goes on in here is setting up future events and characterizations. From Vack and Ebby’s interactions, to Allie and Archie’s relationship, to the Zhauri’s presence and even Sir Avery’s characterization (definitely going a route to make him an antagonist), all of it is setting the stage and moving our chess pieces into place for the next big conflict (Ratuan would love the analogy…). And with how much setting up is going on, it should be part of the next book, but it’s waaay too long as it is to lump it together with book 3. I’m trying to think of how many events stuck out, and really, there’s not much until the last third or so that really sticks out as important – I feel like I could tick off the important, noteworthy events in less than a page, no fluffing necessary. Which means that while reading it, I also didn’t feel like there was real growth going on. Sure, Ebby seems to grow up some, and Allie decides how she feels about Archie and what she’s going to do about it, and Vack matures more in line with what his dad wants, and the Human-Escali conflict is fermenting, but it all took more time than was probably strictly necessary. By around the halfway point of the book, at the latest, I was already checking regularly to see how much of the book was left.
As for more precise things that grated on my nerves, one would be Allie’s relationship with Flak. Ok, so she has this falcon, which we still don’t get any context for, and it doesn’t seem Archie or anyone has filled her in on why she has a falcon, but for example, Archie does not, and none of the other Tallies are mentioned as having their own falcon, despite falcons being a big thing as companions to Escali. Flak literally just flies into the scene whenever she wants (often conveniently to try to alert Allie to some sort of danger), there is no mutually beneficial relationship between her and Allie. A raptor-owner, at least in our world, builds a trust relationship with their bird, a mutual dependence and sharing, and that relationship gets maintained. Flak is just a free bird who happens to hang out with Allie once in a while. And when Allie said that her tradition with Flak was to greet each other with a head-butt?
“… butted my forehead against hers [Flak’s], as was our tradition.”
page 391
That was the one and only time we’ve seen that happen. Flak usually just flies in, lands on Allie’s shoulder or maybe arm, or on Archie, and that’s about it. Allie doesn’t even give Flak food, or take Flak hunting so far as I recall, things that would normally be a part of a raptor-human relationship.
Probably a BIG gripe of mine is the reveal of Archie’s big secret. Without giving it away, I figured it out a decent amount of time before hand. Then when Sav finished his story it was pretty clear what Archie’s secret was, and Allie should have connected the dots. But noooo, she literally did not connect the dots until the very end, and then only because Archie basically spelled it out for her. That is a level of ignoring/not putting together information given to you that is inexcusable in Allie’s position, in her work, and could cost her dearly. Of course, Archie really should have just told her in the first place, instead of being so hesitant to do so, when ALL the other Tallies knew what was up. There was no reason for that information to be withheld, especially since Allie probably knew it before she lost her memory anyways. Withholding it only served to create unnecessary tension between them.
To round out things, Ratuan. That is an impressive level of people-manipulation for an 11-ish year old, even if he is really good at chess. I can’t help but wonder if he has some sort of power, because that would easily account for how easily he manipulated all the other kids, Ebby included and despite her predilection for him anyways. He was too good at it, never mind the accommodations the kids were able to get from their Escali captors. They were locked in their cells at night, but the kids were able to choose which cells, even change cells from one night to the next, they managed to set up various ‘stations’ to work on different aspects of their plan while in captivity…They were supposed to be working in the kitchens during the day, but they still had energy to stay up really late at night to work on their plans (and the way Ratuan described it to Ebby, it almost sounded like they didn’t sleep hardly at all…).
By the way, how do you tell if a kid will grow up to be a mage? Liz didn’t find her power until she was what, twelve ish? But she had been living at the Dragona for some time, and expected to develop a power. Kelian sends kids who will become mages to the Escali continent, and so far as I could tell, long before they exhibit any signs of power. Allie didn’t seem to develop her power until late in the first book, though that could be just because she had lost her memories of ever having it. Maybe. And it seems like a Tally will inevitably develop a power, as Allie, Archie, Emery, and all have one. I don’t remember for the rest, but I think they each had a power, too, or expected to develop one at least. And a little one, why is it Emery on the cover, when he plays such a low-key role in this book? I’d’ve expected Vack or Ebby or Prince Avalask on the cover, or a combination of two or three of them. Even the Zhauri or Archie would make more sense. But that’s neither here nor there.
All in all, I had a lot of issues with this installment, and am not sure if I’ll continue. I might, so long as I still have time to read it on my Kindle Unlimited subscription, but if I don’t, well, my curiosity can go unfulfilled without any adverse effects.
Favorite quotes:
All darkness is only shadow […] for unless light has ceased to exist, it is merely an obstacle away.” -- page 156/416
“It’s better to live by the callings that define you than a comfortable lie.” – page 316/416
Typos:
Allie still hasn’t regained her lost memories, and the way things are going in this book (and her acknowledgement at the end of the last one) make it pretty clear that she has no interest in recovering them anymore; she is quite happy to live her life as it is, as she knows it, and rely on Archie and her other friends to fill her in on important stuff she has forgotten. Admittedly, Allie’s acceptance of her lost memories grates a bit on me, because despite how she thinks she’s sooo independent, she’s really quite reliant on everyone else around her to tell her important stuff. I’m all for trusting friends, but… this goes a little too far. And when they don’t tell her things, well, let’s just say that’s a thing that happens that complicates situations. Prince Avalask has quickly become my favorite character, probably due in no small part to how reasonable/logical he is. He has a plan, he wants peace, and he’s really good at working the angles and contacts he has to do it. Even though we really don’t see that much of him, we get the distinct impression of how much he’s dealing with, how much intelligence and good sense he has, and that he really is the progressive mind of the times. Plus, he feels very real - when he says something like “I’ve been up for thirty-six hours straight, I’m going to get an hour of sleep then I’ll come back and listen to you, Ebby and Vack” I feel for him, and wonder just what keeps him so busy, is this a regular thing for Epics, how do they manage to do anything when they’re expected to do everything?
That all being said, I had more than a few gripes with this book, so here goes, in no particular order. At large, this book suffers greatly from second-book syndrome: yes it has its own plots to follow and things do happen, but really everything that goes on in here is setting up future events and characterizations. From Vack and Ebby’s interactions, to Allie and Archie’s relationship, to the Zhauri’s presence and even Sir Avery’s characterization (definitely going a route to make him an antagonist), all of it is setting the stage and moving our chess pieces into place for the next big conflict (Ratuan would love the analogy…). And with how much setting up is going on, it should be part of the next book, but it’s waaay too long as it is to lump it together with book 3. I’m trying to think of how many events stuck out, and really, there’s not much until the last third or so that really sticks out as important – I feel like I could tick off the important, noteworthy events in less than a page, no fluffing necessary. Which means that while reading it, I also didn’t feel like there was real growth going on. Sure, Ebby seems to grow up some, and Allie decides how she feels about Archie and what she’s going to do about it, and Vack matures more in line with what his dad wants, and the Human-Escali conflict is fermenting, but it all took more time than was probably strictly necessary. By around the halfway point of the book, at the latest, I was already checking regularly to see how much of the book was left.
As for more precise things that grated on my nerves, one would be Allie’s relationship with Flak. Ok, so she has this falcon, which we still don’t get any context for, and it doesn’t seem Archie or anyone has filled her in on why she has a falcon, but for example, Archie does not, and none of the other Tallies are mentioned as having their own falcon, despite falcons being a big thing as companions to Escali. Flak literally just flies into the scene whenever she wants (often conveniently to try to alert Allie to some sort of danger), there is no mutually beneficial relationship between her and Allie. A raptor-owner, at least in our world, builds a trust relationship with their bird, a mutual dependence and sharing, and that relationship gets maintained. Flak is just a free bird who happens to hang out with Allie once in a while. And when Allie said that her tradition with Flak was to greet each other with a head-butt?
“… butted my forehead against hers [Flak’s], as was our tradition.”
page 391
That was the one and only time we’ve seen that happen. Flak usually just flies in, lands on Allie’s shoulder or maybe arm, or on Archie, and that’s about it. Allie doesn’t even give Flak food, or take Flak hunting so far as I recall, things that would normally be a part of a raptor-human relationship.
Probably a BIG gripe of mine is the reveal of Archie’s big secret. Without giving it away, I figured it out a decent amount of time before hand. Then when Sav finished his story it was pretty clear what Archie’s secret was, and Allie should have connected the dots. But noooo, she literally did not connect the dots until the very end, and then only because Archie basically spelled it out for her. That is a level of ignoring/not putting together information given to you that is inexcusable in Allie’s position, in her work, and could cost her dearly. Of course, Archie really should have just told her in the first place, instead of being so hesitant to do so, when ALL the other Tallies knew what was up. There was no reason for that information to be withheld, especially since Allie probably knew it before she lost her memory anyways. Withholding it only served to create unnecessary tension between them.
To round out things, Ratuan. That is an impressive level of people-manipulation for an 11-ish year old, even if he is really good at chess. I can’t help but wonder if he has some sort of power, because that would easily account for how easily he manipulated all the other kids, Ebby included and despite her predilection for him anyways. He was too good at it, never mind the accommodations the kids were able to get from their Escali captors. They were locked in their cells at night, but the kids were able to choose which cells, even change cells from one night to the next, they managed to set up various ‘stations’ to work on different aspects of their plan while in captivity…They were supposed to be working in the kitchens during the day, but they still had energy to stay up really late at night to work on their plans (and the way Ratuan described it to Ebby, it almost sounded like they didn’t sleep hardly at all…).
By the way, how do you tell if a kid will grow up to be a mage? Liz didn’t find her power until she was what, twelve ish? But she had been living at the Dragona for some time, and expected to develop a power. Kelian sends kids who will become mages to the Escali continent, and so far as I could tell, long before they exhibit any signs of power. Allie didn’t seem to develop her power until late in the first book, though that could be just because she had lost her memories of ever having it. Maybe. And it seems like a Tally will inevitably develop a power, as Allie, Archie, Emery, and all have one. I don’t remember for the rest, but I think they each had a power, too, or expected to develop one at least. And a little one, why is it Emery on the cover, when he plays such a low-key role in this book? I’d’ve expected Vack or Ebby or Prince Avalask on the cover, or a combination of two or three of them. Even the Zhauri or Archie would make more sense. But that’s neither here nor there.
All in all, I had a lot of issues with this installment, and am not sure if I’ll continue. I might, so long as I still have time to read it on my Kindle Unlimited subscription, but if I don’t, well, my curiosity can go unfulfilled without any adverse effects.
Favorite quotes:
All darkness is only shadow […] for unless light has ceased to exist, it is merely an obstacle away.” -- page 156/416
“It’s better to live by the callings that define you than a comfortable lie.” – page 316/416
Typos:
July 20, 2018
Review to come!!!!! This book was amazing!
February 17, 2018
Holy Guacamole!!! I couldn’t drop the book until the end. This is what you call an epic sequel! Equally and more interesting as the first book in the series!
Everything about Ebby and Vack was super cute and gripping. You’d love those little buds no matter what! The way they gradually started liking each other. The way they started consoling each other without knowing! I loved them the most when they started working together.
Allie and Archie, well I badly want them to get back together!
I love anything related to fantasy. “Catching Epics” was all I wanted! It was one of the best sequel I’ve read so far. It’s not easy to write a sequel better than the first book of a series and the author had achieved it! It was gripping as much as the “Secret of the Tally”.
The sequel revealed many secrets. The mysteries that came from the first book were discussed in detail. The depth of the relationship between the Escalies and humans were discussed.
The worst part of reading this book is, I’ve to count days for the third book to arrive. The second book was epic and it took me on such an adventure, now I can’t wait to read the third! What may happen to Ebby and Vack? How will Allie and Archie end up? Will the war end at last? Too many questions are running in my mind right now!!
The story line was built in such a way, I couldn’t let go the book until I finished reading it! Gripping and fantastic it was!
And definitely my opinion on certain great characters were changed by the end of the second book. I want book three to be released soon!!!
I awarded FIVE STARS because this book was obviously too good!!! Fantasy Lovers! I’d definitely recommend this series to you guys!
October 29, 2017
HOLY MOTHER OF THE EPICS! This is what you call a sequel! I'm a sucker for fantasy things and this book had tons of fantasy in it! The powers used in the book for the Epics were SO cool! I must admit that I liked this book even better than book one, which is why I'm giving it 5 stars. The plotline, in my opinion, was waaaaay more intense than the one the author used in book one, and that was a thumbs up for this series. Vack and Ebby, two of the main characters, were absolutely awesome. I loved their relationship from the very beginning of the book, and more importantly, I loved how that relationship strengthened throughout the whole story. AHHHHHH, the villains in this book had a pretty much important role and I hope they keep getting spotlight in the upcoming books because that makes the story even cooler and intense! Now, now, Allie and Archie were nice, but I wanted more of them in this book, but based on how the book ended, I'll have more of them in the next book, so I'm fine with it. Besides, I think the author wanted to write more about Vack and Ebby in this book, and I have to admit that she did her job exceptionally good.
*Not spoiler-y, but perhaps* I hate Ratuan way too much, I couldn't stand him at all, thanks, that was all. 😂
*Not spoiler-y, but perhaps* I hate Ratuan way too much, I couldn't stand him at all, thanks, that was all. 😂
February 15, 2018
The biggest problem I have with Catching Epics is that I now must spend my days impatiently waiting for the 3rd book to be completed. The excellent characters and world building from the original book are still present and believe it or not, improved upon. This book series is easy to get into and enjoyable for just about anyone. Highly recommended.
July 9, 2018
Catching Epics is the second book in the Secrets of the Tally series by indie author Halie Fewkes. This sequel was everything I had hoped it would be and more! The continued character development, as well as the introduction of new characters was on point and well done. The plot, the continued world-building, and the action kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next!
In this world, there are humans and Escalis (which are sort of like humans) who have been at war with each other for generations. Each species has mages who have magical powers that are sort of related to the elements (kind of like in Avatar: The Last Airbender), and they each have an Epic who can control all the powers (kind of like Aang!) And then there are Tallies, the half human/half Escali offspring, who don’t really fit in with either side, and who are at work trying to bring peace to both sides.
Catching Epics picks up where Secrets of the Tally left off, answering questions that surfaced in book one. There are multiple points of view in this one, which I love, because we get a more well rounded view of everyone and of what’s happening. In this book Allie still doesn't have all her memories back, but some things are beginning to make sense to her. She continues to be amazing and fierce! We are introduced to the new Epics and a plan has been set in motion to try to bring these two together as friends, rather than enemies, in an effort to end the war, but with so many odds against this reasoning, will it work? Catching Epics begins to take a bit of a darker turn, introducing themes such as genocide and humans hunting and killing other humans/escalis for sport. I think it’s still written in a way that would be appropriate for all ages, including middle grades.
Aahh! I just can’t find the words to tell you how amazing this series is! The elements of fantasy and magic are woven together to bring a story that won’t soon be forgotten. Now I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series!
In this world, there are humans and Escalis (which are sort of like humans) who have been at war with each other for generations. Each species has mages who have magical powers that are sort of related to the elements (kind of like in Avatar: The Last Airbender), and they each have an Epic who can control all the powers (kind of like Aang!) And then there are Tallies, the half human/half Escali offspring, who don’t really fit in with either side, and who are at work trying to bring peace to both sides.
Catching Epics picks up where Secrets of the Tally left off, answering questions that surfaced in book one. There are multiple points of view in this one, which I love, because we get a more well rounded view of everyone and of what’s happening. In this book Allie still doesn't have all her memories back, but some things are beginning to make sense to her. She continues to be amazing and fierce! We are introduced to the new Epics and a plan has been set in motion to try to bring these two together as friends, rather than enemies, in an effort to end the war, but with so many odds against this reasoning, will it work? Catching Epics begins to take a bit of a darker turn, introducing themes such as genocide and humans hunting and killing other humans/escalis for sport. I think it’s still written in a way that would be appropriate for all ages, including middle grades.
Aahh! I just can’t find the words to tell you how amazing this series is! The elements of fantasy and magic are woven together to bring a story that won’t soon be forgotten. Now I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series!
May 9, 2019
This book was sent to me by the amazing author in exchange of an honest review. Now, I want you to know that this has nothing to do with how I reviewed this books. I’m reviewing this book based on what I really felt about it.
Catching Epics is one of the books that’s light on the first part and then it switches to action as it goes to its climax. Though it was hard to finish at first (and that’s entirely my fault because I’m in a reading slump since January), I still get sucked by it whenever I pick it up. The writing is really amazing. To be honest, the decisions done by the characters are very realistic that a real person would really think of it. Despite being a fantasy book, it still made me feel that it’s real because of how realistic the characters are.
Over all, I’m giving this a 4-star because I think the first part goes around more on finding Ebby and it lacks action. I was for more action and I have questions about Epics powers. But still, it’s an amazing book and I can’t wait to read the next.
Catching Epics is one of the books that’s light on the first part and then it switches to action as it goes to its climax. Though it was hard to finish at first (and that’s entirely my fault because I’m in a reading slump since January), I still get sucked by it whenever I pick it up. The writing is really amazing. To be honest, the decisions done by the characters are very realistic that a real person would really think of it. Despite being a fantasy book, it still made me feel that it’s real because of how realistic the characters are.
Over all, I’m giving this a 4-star because I think the first part goes around more on finding Ebby and it lacks action. I was for more action and I have questions about Epics powers. But still, it’s an amazing book and I can’t wait to read the next.
February 2, 2018
It’s not often I find a sequel just as gripping as the first book in a series. Secrets of the Tally and Catching Epics is one of those rare cases where the quality doesn’t decrease with the next book.
Catching Epics answers questions from the 1st book and leaves you with even more questions for the 3rd. Book 3 can’t come soon enough!
I loved the new characters in book 2 and diving deeper into the world of escali’s and Epics, humans and tallies.
If you haven’t read this series I seriously recommend you grab them and prepare to be hooked!
Catching Epics answers questions from the 1st book and leaves you with even more questions for the 3rd. Book 3 can’t come soon enough!
I loved the new characters in book 2 and diving deeper into the world of escali’s and Epics, humans and tallies.
If you haven’t read this series I seriously recommend you grab them and prepare to be hooked!
April 14, 2020
This is such a great book! In the first book, Allie woke up in the middle of the forest not knowing anything about herself. This is a perfect way to start a series because both the reader and the character are learning things together and solving the mysteries together. I love how Halie uses the best descriptive words possible to paint the perfect picture in your head of what is happening in the story. I can’t wait to start book 3!
April 28, 2026
Surprisingly Good and Exciting
I’m not sure how I found these books. I think I watched a YouTube video by the author and then I thought, I’m curious what she writes. So I looked her up on Amazon and found her books. This is not my normal genre. Apart from the Harry Potter Series, I’m more of a suspense thriller/legal/police procedural reader. But I found these first two quite interesting especially this one. Definitely worth the read.
I’m not sure how I found these books. I think I watched a YouTube video by the author and then I thought, I’m curious what she writes. So I looked her up on Amazon and found her books. This is not my normal genre. Apart from the Harry Potter Series, I’m more of a suspense thriller/legal/police procedural reader. But I found these first two quite interesting especially this one. Definitely worth the read.
January 9, 2023
Just love this story
Had so much fun continuing this story and kept quickly reading it! Loved that there was no real way to know who’s good and who’s bad. Like who to trust? Who to love? Am I loving the right character? Hahah. Honestly I love every character for different reasons…well except maybe one. Hmmmm😉
Had so much fun continuing this story and kept quickly reading it! Loved that there was no real way to know who’s good and who’s bad. Like who to trust? Who to love? Am I loving the right character? Hahah. Honestly I love every character for different reasons…well except maybe one. Hmmmm😉
May 28, 2023
This was just about as enjoyable as the first book of the series. I'll admit to thinking, at first, that Ebby was the same MC as from the first book.. but that's on me, not on the writing. It was cleared up very quickly though, just the same. I read this in just a few days - it's a fun world to get lost in and I'm eager to read the rest of the series.
June 10, 2024
BY FAR MY FAVORITE BOOK FROM HALIE!!!!! I loooooooovvvvvvveeeeeee Vack so much and Prince Avalask will never fail to be my favorite of the Epics (including young Ebby and Vack) and Sir Avery being my least favorite of them.
The timidity throughout this book is so relatable, but I couldn’t help but take Vack and Avalask’s side 😅 Escalis are better than Humans, what can I say?
The timidity throughout this book is so relatable, but I couldn’t help but take Vack and Avalask’s side 😅 Escalis are better than Humans, what can I say?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2024
YA Magic
The first book grabbed my attention but wow this was a fantastic sequel. I cant wait to read the rest of the series. Some of the little lines from characters in quiet moments will just gut punch you. Fantastic story. Great quotes. If you love YA fantasy this is a series not to be missed.
The first book grabbed my attention but wow this was a fantastic sequel. I cant wait to read the rest of the series. Some of the little lines from characters in quiet moments will just gut punch you. Fantastic story. Great quotes. If you love YA fantasy this is a series not to be missed.
August 22, 2025
Ahem.
I take back all the weird stuff I said about this series. This. Is. Gold.
(Okay, but, do Vack and Ebby like each other? Because if they do, that would be two epics marrying each other. Do they have two tally kids who would fight each other, or one epic kid to protect the human cities and the Escali cities?)
Might not happen, but still.
Still.
I take back all the weird stuff I said about this series. This. Is. Gold.
(Okay, but, do Vack and Ebby like each other? Because if they do, that would be two epics marrying each other. Do they have two tally kids who would fight each other, or one epic kid to protect the human cities and the Escali cities?)
Might not happen, but still.
Still.
April 9, 2018
Couldn't put it down! I was sucked in from page one. This book had me trying to figure out all the secrets of the tallies and I can't wait for the next one!
September 8, 2018
Suspense, fast-paced action, and surprising twists. Is it possible that this is even better than the first one?? I thoroughly enjoyed Catching Epics!
March 12, 2020
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. I can’t wait to start book three. Sleep and work keep getting in the way.
November 4, 2024
Just like I said after the first book; THIS NEEDS TO BE A MOVIE! It is so shanking good yall.
May 10, 2026
Omg the twists and turns😱I loved it so much
July 21, 2019
Following the first story of "Secrets of The Tally" Allie finds a new fear to face. This one could cost more than she bargained for. After finding the epic for both species she is forced to make a choice on which people she should save. Told from two perspectives, an amazing addition to the series. Cannot wait to start book three and get book four.
January 22, 2023
I read the first book in the series after discovering the author through her 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge. I found the first book to be just alright, but was admittedly a little disappointed and worried the rest of the series would be that level. Luckily, I was wrong as the second book is soooo much better. First 30 pages and I was absolutely hooked.
The story progresses much deeper and the stakes are higher. I’m hoping the rest of the series continues this way because I was pleasantly surprised at how invested I got in Catching Epics.
The story progresses much deeper and the stakes are higher. I’m hoping the rest of the series continues this way because I was pleasantly surprised at how invested I got in Catching Epics.
June 17, 2021
I could not put this book down!!!! This author tells an amazing story that is set in a really awesome and unique fantasy world and she tells it all with a writing style that is so inviting to read! This 2nd book in the series beautifully answered questions I was still wondering about from book one, while still creating more questions I can't wait to read on to find answers for in the next books in the series!
July 31, 2020
This is my second favorite book in the series, only being surpassed by To Wear the Cloak. That's only because the fourth book is AWESOME! This book introduces my favorite character and favorite ship of all time! I LOVED almost everything about it! Except the Zhuri brothers, but that is to be expected.
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