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Battlecry #2
Sentinel
When her team is betrayed by the people she trusts, Jillian turns her back on being a superhero.
Jillian’s supposed to be the hero, and yet, her elders have her on trial as if she’s a villain. If she’s found guilty, she and her team face harsh punishment and destroyed futures. But when the betrayal and treachery of her elders leads her to flee in search of her missing boyfriend, she uncovers terrible information that makes her wonder if he is really who she thought he was.
Her quest for the truth leads her to a handsome militia leader who makes her question whether she’s been fighting for the wrong side all along. Caught up in a secret war against the people who murdered her brother, Jillian will have to decide if she’s really cut out to be a superhero, or if her loyalties lie elsewhere after all.
As Jillian’s search for truth leads to a search for her inner self, she falls into a violent and tragic downward spiral that leaves many people dead. Jillian must face her elders head on and forge her own path in the history of superheroes, or find herself lost to the violence of the war. But denouncing superheroism as she knows it will mean taking on a century-old institution that will do anything–including commit murder–to stay in power.
Jillian’s supposed to be the hero, and yet, her elders have her on trial as if she’s a villain. If she’s found guilty, she and her team face harsh punishment and destroyed futures. But when the betrayal and treachery of her elders leads her to flee in search of her missing boyfriend, she uncovers terrible information that makes her wonder if he is really who she thought he was.
Her quest for the truth leads her to a handsome militia leader who makes her question whether she’s been fighting for the wrong side all along. Caught up in a secret war against the people who murdered her brother, Jillian will have to decide if she’s really cut out to be a superhero, or if her loyalties lie elsewhere after all.
As Jillian’s search for truth leads to a search for her inner self, she falls into a violent and tragic downward spiral that leaves many people dead. Jillian must face her elders head on and forge her own path in the history of superheroes, or find herself lost to the violence of the war. But denouncing superheroism as she knows it will mean taking on a century-old institution that will do anything–including commit murder–to stay in power.
412 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2018
31 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 17, 2018
I enjoyed this, but I was disappointed. Battlecry’s greatest strength was its pacing. The sometimes-murky (though interesting) worldbuilding was overcome by a seamless and high-speed plot, and in retrospect I think I forgave the more cliched bits because they fit my expectations for superhero fiction. Unfortunately, Sentinel leads with its predecessor’s flaws.
Picking up shortly after the last book, the story takes Jillian and the rest of St. Catherine’s superheroes back to Chattahoochee Camp to face the consequences for their actions. As the reader might expect, this doesn’t go smoothly, and Benjamin goes missing. The resulting investigation takes the rest of the team north into Wyoming, while Jillian wrestles with both her worldview and her mental health.
I’m going to take a step back for a moment and lead with the good because I try not to frontload with criticism:
Dodge spends a fair bit of time examining the aftermath of Battlecry. Just because Jillian and the others have accepted that their leader didn’t have the right to abuse them doesn’t mean they’re ready to accept that their upbringing was warped. Jillian in particular suffers through the cognitive dissonance of her adjusting paradigm in this book, but Reid and Marco are also forced to confront some internalized prejudice.
There’s also the issue of Ben and Jill’s relationship. They really haven’t known each other that long, and they both have Issues™ that they need to sort out in their respective stubborn heads to make it work. It’s not happily-ever-after right away. (And the love triangle threatened in the summary is not so bad.)
Kind of a good and bad thing: Both the ad hoc cult deprogramming and Jillian’s pre-existing mental health issues are also paid a fair bit of attention, and I actually wish that Dodge had spent more time on that and less on the action and gore, because the latter tended to distract from the former. Particularly with regard to pacing, the timeframe for this book just isn’t long enough to squeeze in everything that needed to happen, so there are some odd skips.
Now for the downsides.
If you were frustrated by the worldbuilding in the last installment, don’t expect much improvement. I’ve been trying to figure out how to define what went wrong for me, and the most I can say is that it feels half-done. There is a lot going on in this book, and it’s all important, but the diffuse plot determines which setting details are disclosed, rather than plot and setting working as an integrated whole.
It’s a functionalist problem that permeates the book. In order for the plot to move from point A to point B, certain actions must be performed by character X… which is frankly what they tell you to do in writing class, but the problem is that it’s so transparent. If the only surprises I have while reading a book are a couple of particularly forced interactions and/or choices then we might have a problem. Unfortunately, I’m not a professional line editor, so I’m not sure what to say beyond “it’s not subtle.”
While I liked the themes of deprogramming and reintegration, Reid, Jillian, and Marco all take an abrupt detour toward villainy in this book, leaving Benjamin and Ember as the ‘good guys.’ (Ember is stripped of her power for most of the book and reduced to a Jiminy Cricket figure of moral reason until the plot dictates that her powers need to be active again.)
I really do not think that the consequences of this shift were properly addressed. You know the TV cartoons where the hero takes a sudden turn toward the Dark Side™ and pulls back at the last minute (making everything somehow ok)? Jillian doesn’t pull back.
There’s an odd juxtaposition between Dodge’s refusal to allow her characters to swear and the amount of torture, gore, and murder that makes it onto the page. (To say nothing of Jill and Ember’s respective recovery from sexual assault.) For the amount of mature content under discussion, the writing doesn’t quite rise to meet it. And there is a lot of death in these pages. Frankly, after a while it became boring. “Life is cheap,” and the ‘bigger’ deaths rang flat against the bloody backdrop.
I suppose what I liked most about Sentinel was the *idea* of Sentinel. I liked what Dodge was trying to do, and I liked it when it worked. Unfortunately, I spent a large part of the book feeling like I was reading a middle draft, unable to be absorbed in the story. It’s a good concept, and one that Dodge clearly cares about, but ultimately a significantly weaker book than Battlecry.
The last chapter (possibly an epilogue? It wasn’t marked as such…) was from Benjamin’s perspective, which was a neat shift, and something I’m looking forward to seeing more of in Mercury, which I still plan to read. I do like this world, and I want to see how it ends.
Picking up shortly after the last book, the story takes Jillian and the rest of St. Catherine’s superheroes back to Chattahoochee Camp to face the consequences for their actions. As the reader might expect, this doesn’t go smoothly, and Benjamin goes missing. The resulting investigation takes the rest of the team north into Wyoming, while Jillian wrestles with both her worldview and her mental health.
I’m going to take a step back for a moment and lead with the good because I try not to frontload with criticism:
Dodge spends a fair bit of time examining the aftermath of Battlecry. Just because Jillian and the others have accepted that their leader didn’t have the right to abuse them doesn’t mean they’re ready to accept that their upbringing was warped. Jillian in particular suffers through the cognitive dissonance of her adjusting paradigm in this book, but Reid and Marco are also forced to confront some internalized prejudice.
There’s also the issue of Ben and Jill’s relationship. They really haven’t known each other that long, and they both have Issues™ that they need to sort out in their respective stubborn heads to make it work. It’s not happily-ever-after right away. (And the love triangle threatened in the summary is not so bad.)
Kind of a good and bad thing: Both the ad hoc cult deprogramming and Jillian’s pre-existing mental health issues are also paid a fair bit of attention, and I actually wish that Dodge had spent more time on that and less on the action and gore, because the latter tended to distract from the former. Particularly with regard to pacing, the timeframe for this book just isn’t long enough to squeeze in everything that needed to happen, so there are some odd skips.
Now for the downsides.
If you were frustrated by the worldbuilding in the last installment, don’t expect much improvement. I’ve been trying to figure out how to define what went wrong for me, and the most I can say is that it feels half-done. There is a lot going on in this book, and it’s all important, but the diffuse plot determines which setting details are disclosed, rather than plot and setting working as an integrated whole.
It’s a functionalist problem that permeates the book. In order for the plot to move from point A to point B, certain actions must be performed by character X… which is frankly what they tell you to do in writing class, but the problem is that it’s so transparent. If the only surprises I have while reading a book are a couple of particularly forced interactions and/or choices then we might have a problem. Unfortunately, I’m not a professional line editor, so I’m not sure what to say beyond “it’s not subtle.”
While I liked the themes of deprogramming and reintegration, Reid, Jillian, and Marco all take an abrupt detour toward villainy in this book, leaving Benjamin and Ember as the ‘good guys.’ (Ember is stripped of her power for most of the book and reduced to a Jiminy Cricket figure of moral reason until the plot dictates that her powers need to be active again.)
I really do not think that the consequences of this shift were properly addressed. You know the TV cartoons where the hero takes a sudden turn toward the Dark Side™ and pulls back at the last minute (making everything somehow ok)? Jillian doesn’t pull back.
There’s an odd juxtaposition between Dodge’s refusal to allow her characters to swear and the amount of torture, gore, and murder that makes it onto the page. (To say nothing of Jill and Ember’s respective recovery from sexual assault.) For the amount of mature content under discussion, the writing doesn’t quite rise to meet it. And there is a lot of death in these pages. Frankly, after a while it became boring. “Life is cheap,” and the ‘bigger’ deaths rang flat against the bloody backdrop.
I suppose what I liked most about Sentinel was the *idea* of Sentinel. I liked what Dodge was trying to do, and I liked it when it worked. Unfortunately, I spent a large part of the book feeling like I was reading a middle draft, unable to be absorbed in the story. It’s a good concept, and one that Dodge clearly cares about, but ultimately a significantly weaker book than Battlecry.
The last chapter (possibly an epilogue? It wasn’t marked as such…) was from Benjamin’s perspective, which was a neat shift, and something I’m looking forward to seeing more of in Mercury, which I still plan to read. I do like this world, and I want to see how it ends.
August 22, 2018
Sentinel is amazing - it has great twists and chances to get deeper into the characters and see some close relationships tested. The characters' emotions and reactions always felt really realistic and it's cool to get a look into the psychology of a cult and getting out. The plot was so interesting, exciting, and unexpected that it was hard to put down!
July 29, 2018
As someone who has always been fascinated with cults the one thing that really grabbed my attention in Battlecry was how realistic the emotional abuse and brainwashing was. Dodge did not back down or sugarcoat what it realistically would have been like to have grown up in some place like they did. And I really wanted that explored further. I wanted to get to see the camps and learn more about the cult and how she and her team would deal with the deprogramming and emotions of learning that their whole lives were a lie. And Dodge 100% delivers.
This novel I would actually consider better than the first. With her masterful world-building from Battlecry, she was able to go even further into a realistic depiction of all the emotions and spectrums of dealing with this sensitive and raw topic. She addresses PTSD, depression, rape, suicide and gas lighting; all in a way that never seems gratuitous or forced. You can tell it is not added for shock but to be as true to the experience as possible.
Sentinel is definitely a darker book than Battlecry. In both the emotional and violent themes presented. This is much more nuanced in its views of good and evil and lives quite neatly in the grey. That seems to be a major theme; how many evil deeds can you do and still be good? Is there such a thing as good and evil? And if there is, decides? When you find out that your moral compass has been steeped in evil and lies from the beginning is there anything good left to salvage or do you throw it all away? I love this complex and thought provoking take and really spent a lot of time, like Jill and her team, wondering what was the best move or morally right action to take.
I really enjoyed this book. As you can tell I love complex moral questions and cults but also a good love triangle and realistic relationship building. You don’t see characters immediately fall in love or have pointless fights just to advance the plot. It’s messy and long and realistic. ( Or as realistic as a book about teenage superheroes can be anyways. Lol) It has humor and wit and I finished it in two days easily. The pacing is good and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. The twist at the very end I didn’t see coming at all but with a reread realized it was all there for me to figure out. That’s some clever writing.
Honestly, for the price point there is no reason to not check it out. 5 stars
This novel I would actually consider better than the first. With her masterful world-building from Battlecry, she was able to go even further into a realistic depiction of all the emotions and spectrums of dealing with this sensitive and raw topic. She addresses PTSD, depression, rape, suicide and gas lighting; all in a way that never seems gratuitous or forced. You can tell it is not added for shock but to be as true to the experience as possible.
Sentinel is definitely a darker book than Battlecry. In both the emotional and violent themes presented. This is much more nuanced in its views of good and evil and lives quite neatly in the grey. That seems to be a major theme; how many evil deeds can you do and still be good? Is there such a thing as good and evil? And if there is, decides? When you find out that your moral compass has been steeped in evil and lies from the beginning is there anything good left to salvage or do you throw it all away? I love this complex and thought provoking take and really spent a lot of time, like Jill and her team, wondering what was the best move or morally right action to take.
I really enjoyed this book. As you can tell I love complex moral questions and cults but also a good love triangle and realistic relationship building. You don’t see characters immediately fall in love or have pointless fights just to advance the plot. It’s messy and long and realistic. ( Or as realistic as a book about teenage superheroes can be anyways. Lol) It has humor and wit and I finished it in two days easily. The pacing is good and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. The twist at the very end I didn’t see coming at all but with a reread realized it was all there for me to figure out. That’s some clever writing.
Honestly, for the price point there is no reason to not check it out. 5 stars
November 21, 2018
5/5
Jillian Johnson has seen it all; she's battled criminals, she's found love, she's even turned on her own superhero team leader Patrick, ending his abuse and neglect.
But when she is called back to her home camp in Chattahoochee, everything changes. The camp is attacked and the love of her life and a relative have gone missing. Something lies beneath the surface of this attack, but can Jillian find out what it is and rescue her loved ones before it's too late?
A true die-hard fan of Dodge's work, it's no wonder why I rated this so highly. This book was amazing! It had it all; drama, suspense, and most of all, action! The fight scenes were extremely well done and creative, sometimes horrific. I really love how Dodge pulls in all of those elements to her stories.
Dodge definitely keeps you on your toes with this one. I can't wait to read the next one!
Jillian Johnson has seen it all; she's battled criminals, she's found love, she's even turned on her own superhero team leader Patrick, ending his abuse and neglect.
But when she is called back to her home camp in Chattahoochee, everything changes. The camp is attacked and the love of her life and a relative have gone missing. Something lies beneath the surface of this attack, but can Jillian find out what it is and rescue her loved ones before it's too late?
A true die-hard fan of Dodge's work, it's no wonder why I rated this so highly. This book was amazing! It had it all; drama, suspense, and most of all, action! The fight scenes were extremely well done and creative, sometimes horrific. I really love how Dodge pulls in all of those elements to her stories.
Dodge definitely keeps you on your toes with this one. I can't wait to read the next one!
August 9, 2018
Well written, with a great pace, character development continues to be strong, an outstanding book two in a rich series, Emerald Dodge continues to impress! Thank you. Unabashedly frank in her commitment to describing the maturation of her characters, Emerald Dodge grabbed my interest and made me commit to wanting to learn more about these fascinating characters. Good work and great reading, I look forward to more books by Emerald asap!
September 11, 2018
AGGHHHH I'M SO ANGRY AND MAD AND ANGRY AND UPSET AND EXCITED AND IN LOVE AND OH MY GOSH I'M SO SENSITIVE AND SENTIMENTAL BUT I LOVE YOU EMERALD YOU ARE THE COOLEST
I seriously wish i could beat up all the horrible people in this book because they are so horrible and hug all the good people because they are so good and hug Emerald because she is a brilliant writer. I want this book to be seen everywhere, and I want everyone to know about it.
I seriously wish i could beat up all the horrible people in this book because they are so horrible and hug all the good people because they are so good and hug Emerald because she is a brilliant writer. I want this book to be seen everywhere, and I want everyone to know about it.
August 12, 2018
What a great story!
I really enjoyed reading this novel, it was full of action and intrigue. I would recommend this novel to everyone who wants to be entertained for hours. I found myself looking forward to the next chapter after chapter, so that I wouldn't miss anything in the story. Thank you, Ms Dodge, for hours of reading pleasure.
I really enjoyed reading this novel, it was full of action and intrigue. I would recommend this novel to everyone who wants to be entertained for hours. I found myself looking forward to the next chapter after chapter, so that I wouldn't miss anything in the story. Thank you, Ms Dodge, for hours of reading pleasure.
March 1, 2021
I enjoyed the first book more but this still kept me engaged, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
August 26, 2020
Sentinel
Awesome second instalment months Battlecry series! The author takes us In a journey that delves into brainwashing, power imbalance and what it means to be a true super hero vs. a vigilante.
Our superhero gang goes home to face a tribunal but soon see the dark underbelly of the elders of the superhero society . They each have to choose what they will stand for and who they want themselves to be as their belief in their foundational principles collapses and they learn about the deception of their leaders .I
Not only does the team fight against their own elders, they fight against the westerners who kidnap their friends and against Benjamin's family who are out for revenge
Awesome second instalment months Battlecry series! The author takes us In a journey that delves into brainwashing, power imbalance and what it means to be a true super hero vs. a vigilante.
Our superhero gang goes home to face a tribunal but soon see the dark underbelly of the elders of the superhero society . They each have to choose what they will stand for and who they want themselves to be as their belief in their foundational principles collapses and they learn about the deception of their leaders .I
Not only does the team fight against their own elders, they fight against the westerners who kidnap their friends and against Benjamin's family who are out for revenge
September 12, 2018
Read through the night, unputdownable
I barely have words for how this series is progressing...
It is truly amazing and I have come to love Emeralds writing style! Even though I don't really like *superheroes* it makes me think of comicbooks and all the bad movies. But This would totally be an awesome movie. It is about relationships and how ugly people get, not only about the fact that they are super powered humans.
Anyone who love adventure, action and lots of feels, read this series!!!
Though that ending is slightly evilauthor..... completely unexpected until the last pages.
I need the Mercury book now 😊
I barely have words for how this series is progressing...
It is truly amazing and I have come to love Emeralds writing style! Even though I don't really like *superheroes* it makes me think of comicbooks and all the bad movies. But This would totally be an awesome movie. It is about relationships and how ugly people get, not only about the fact that they are super powered humans.
Anyone who love adventure, action and lots of feels, read this series!!!
Though that ending is slightly evilauthor..... completely unexpected until the last pages.
I need the Mercury book now 😊
September 23, 2018
I accidentally ran across book1 while looking for another title and the blurb sucked me in (see my review). I immediately picked up book 2 and literally could not put it down, read straight through and found myself done before I knew it. This series is turning into a real spectacular and now I have to wait for book 3.......argh!! I am truly impressed with the story, plot line, character development. This aint your typical superhero series. These heroes have flaws and foibles and self doubt. Ms Dodge has also brought a remarkable amount action. The story touches on despair and mental health as well as what it means to be a hero. Well done.
August 1, 2018
Well this book was really hard to read, there was so much lies uncovered and twist and turn. That people who are inherently evil and blinded by their own feeling of superiority that they don't care about the consequences of their act. I really loved it.
But the Cliffhanger was horrible, I can't wait to see what happen!
But the Cliffhanger was horrible, I can't wait to see what happen!
August 4, 2018
The Battlecry story continues. As this is the second in the series, be sure to read Battlecry first so you will be up-to-date on the characters and what came first. The action keeps coming with lots of twists and turns. There are a lot of surprises in this well-written adventure. I was so involved in the story that I kept turning pages to see what happened next.
July 25, 2019
A 3, BUT
This is a story for every would be guardian but written in batches of extremely YA style, with all the self doubt which they apparently have. Loads of self pity and drama hide a very good story. Well, I liked it but I'm 70, not 15. So, those who understand all the self pity, and like superhero stuff, this book really is for you! Teen stuff, I think.
This is a story for every would be guardian but written in batches of extremely YA style, with all the self doubt which they apparently have. Loads of self pity and drama hide a very good story. Well, I liked it but I'm 70, not 15. So, those who understand all the self pity, and like superhero stuff, this book really is for you! Teen stuff, I think.
July 19, 2020
It takes an extreme amount of strength to standup yourself. In this book, Battlecry has to come to terms with a lot of difficult things in her life. She was raised in a cult and breaking from that is difficult. The emotional portrayal is realistic, dirty and it sugarcoated. Would you have that kind of strength?
August 6, 2018
This is my honest and unbias opinion of the story. This is book #2 in this series and I loved it cause it kept me on the edge of my seat while it was a fast paced story it was very well written and has stong characters and I highly recommend this book.
August 6, 2018
Definitely gotta be your next read!
These books just keep getting better and better. I can hardly wait for the next one 😀 I have to admit that I am definitely going to spend the money for the next one.
These books just keep getting better and better. I can hardly wait for the next one 😀 I have to admit that I am definitely going to spend the money for the next one.
April 25, 2019
Super
I loved be Emerald Dodge books. She has a way of telling you a story that sucks you in and keeps you glued to your seat wanting more. Heroes and super villains, who could ask for more.
I loved be Emerald Dodge books. She has a way of telling you a story that sucks you in and keeps you glued to your seat wanting more. Heroes and super villains, who could ask for more.
May 30, 2019
Amazing
Dear Abby, don't Eat Me!
I love cliffhangers. This series is so full of action and a search for justice. So we'll written I am still clenching my jaws.
Onward and upward for the team to lead to just that and more.
A Must read series!
Dear Abby, don't Eat Me!
I love cliffhangers. This series is so full of action and a search for justice. So we'll written I am still clenching my jaws.
Onward and upward for the team to lead to just that and more.
A Must read series!
September 5, 2022
review to follow
February 23, 2024
I didn't like this quite as much as the first book. Again, I admire Dodge and the themes she tries to tackle, especially with the heavier topics, but I don't know if all of it landed for me.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews