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Kiki Strike #2
The Empress's Tomb
What's happening in New York City?
Giant Squirrels.
A Haunted Mansion.
Six fierce friends with fiercer secrets.
Giant Squirrels.
A Haunted Mansion.
Six fierce friends with fiercer secrets.
Ananka is in danger of being sent to a remote boarding school; Kiki's life (as always) is in danger, Betty seems to have found love in all the wrong places, and Oona….well, Oona's the one in the most serious trouble of all. From Chinatown to Fifth Avenue, whether they are rescuing kidnapped children or resuscitating an ancient Empress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Irregulars have a knack for finding trouble, and putting it out of its misery.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2007
29 people are currently reading
1266 people want to read
About the author
Kirsten Miller
30 books3,321 followersKirsten Miller grew up in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. At seventeen, she left for college in New York City, where she lives to this day. Kirsten's latest novel, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, is a side-splitting satire that takes on some of the most controversial issues of our day. Her first adult novel, The Change, was a Good Morning America Book Club pick for May 2022. Kirsten is also the author of over a dozen middle grade and YA novels, including the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, (which tell the tale of the delinquent girl geniuses who keep Manhattan safe), and How to Lead a Life of Crime. She is not the Kirsten Miller who wrote All That Is Left, but she assumes that Kirsten is lovely and talented. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
June 1, 2009
Ah, Kiki Strike. Another one of my guilty pleasures. Should a thirty-two year old dude be reading this? Probably not. But it's good. So good. I wish I were a fourteen year old female spy. I wish I were a member of the Irregulars. I wish I could break out of my room, go down the fire escape and roam the streets of New York with my six best friends in a concerted effort to outsmart the bad guys. But instead I live in the East Bay, California, with my wife and baby. I hardly ever stay up until midnight any more. I'll never discover underground cities or keep my cool when thugs point their firearms at me. I'll never have a friend as awesome as Kiki Strike. I'll never solve mysteries like that of the Empress's Tomb.
And you probably won't either.
And that's why you should read this book.
And you probably won't either.
And that's why you should read this book.
October 5, 2021
one of the great tragedies of my life is that i read this book, about a ragtag group of newly rich preteen girls indulging in mystery-solving and espionage exploring a secret city underneath new york and simultaneously taking down a drug ring, at a young and impressionable age.
in other words, thanks to this series, i reached by literary peak at age 11.
part of my review books from ages ago and yearn for my middle grade years series
in other words, thanks to this series, i reached by literary peak at age 11.
part of my review books from ages ago and yearn for my middle grade years series
March 2, 2018
I had very ambiguous feelings about Kirsten Miller's first Kiki Strike book Inside the Shadow City. Although I loved the cover art and most of the characters, I felt like the book didn't live up to its full potential. Despite my misgivings (and the fact that no one shared them), I remained optimistic about Kiki Strike #2, feeling confident that it would be better than the first since Miller would have had more time with the characters she was writing about and to iron out her writing voice (which I thought was inconsistent in the first book).
Well, I finally had a chance to read Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb and am very happy to say, my hopes were not unfounded as this book was definitely better than the first in the series. Although this book does follow up on plot points from the first book, this one does stand alone. There is enough summary of important information that, if you read the first one a while ago (or not at all), the storyline will still make sense.
The story once again follows the Irregulars--brilliant albeit sometimes misguided Girl Scouts who were recruited by girl spy extraordinaire Kiki Strike to help her map Manhattan's secret Shadow City and protect it from criminal exploitation. This time, however, the Shadow City is not the major plot. Kiki and narrator Ananka Fishbein also take a back seat to fellow Irregular Oona Wong who, for lack of a better word, is the star of this story--just look at the cover if you don't believe me.
Master forger turned entrepreneur and sometimes blackmailer, Oona has always been one of my favorite characters and I was really happy to see more of her in this book. Unfortunately, the Irregulars don't feel the same as they grow tried of Oona's continued snark and snobbery. To make matters even worse, that means no one has time to hear Oona's important news.
That isn't to say that the other girls don't have problems. Kiki's life is in danger (again). Ananka's mother is threatening to send her to a boarding school in Virginia of all places if she can't get her grades up. Meanwhile Betty, the group's master of disguise, seems to have attracted the attentions of the giant squirrels that have started wandering the city's parks. Add to the mix a haunted mansion, a prodigal parent, and Oona's dramatic secret and you have a story jam-packed with excitement.
The tone of The Empress's Tomb feels a lot more even than Miller's first Kiki Strike book. I suspect this has to do with the book being grounded in one time period instead of starting with the characters at the age of twelve the way the first book did. In addition to being a fast-paced read, the novel also offers an interesting commentary on secrets (when to keep them and when to share them) as almost every character has something up her sleeve in the way of hidden information.
Speaking of information, Miller also once again includes some of Ananka's useful information at the end of some chapters. Her findings include: how to be mysterious (learn to be quiet and invent a secret among other things), how to find information in people's trash (and what to avoid placing into your own trash), as well as a quiz on events in the book that, were I a teacher, I might assign to students if I had them read this book in class--which I really could. Because Miller writes a good story with a lot of practical information that could be applied to everyday life (maybe you'll never be digging through someone's trash, but it's good to be aware of what people might find if they dug through yours).That is one of the reasons I stuck with Kiki Strike, and one of the reasons The Empress's Tomb was so much fun to read: Miller doesn't just write a good story she writes a good, informative (and fun) story.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
Well, I finally had a chance to read Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb and am very happy to say, my hopes were not unfounded as this book was definitely better than the first in the series. Although this book does follow up on plot points from the first book, this one does stand alone. There is enough summary of important information that, if you read the first one a while ago (or not at all), the storyline will still make sense.
The story once again follows the Irregulars--brilliant albeit sometimes misguided Girl Scouts who were recruited by girl spy extraordinaire Kiki Strike to help her map Manhattan's secret Shadow City and protect it from criminal exploitation. This time, however, the Shadow City is not the major plot. Kiki and narrator Ananka Fishbein also take a back seat to fellow Irregular Oona Wong who, for lack of a better word, is the star of this story--just look at the cover if you don't believe me.
Master forger turned entrepreneur and sometimes blackmailer, Oona has always been one of my favorite characters and I was really happy to see more of her in this book. Unfortunately, the Irregulars don't feel the same as they grow tried of Oona's continued snark and snobbery. To make matters even worse, that means no one has time to hear Oona's important news.
That isn't to say that the other girls don't have problems. Kiki's life is in danger (again). Ananka's mother is threatening to send her to a boarding school in Virginia of all places if she can't get her grades up. Meanwhile Betty, the group's master of disguise, seems to have attracted the attentions of the giant squirrels that have started wandering the city's parks. Add to the mix a haunted mansion, a prodigal parent, and Oona's dramatic secret and you have a story jam-packed with excitement.
The tone of The Empress's Tomb feels a lot more even than Miller's first Kiki Strike book. I suspect this has to do with the book being grounded in one time period instead of starting with the characters at the age of twelve the way the first book did. In addition to being a fast-paced read, the novel also offers an interesting commentary on secrets (when to keep them and when to share them) as almost every character has something up her sleeve in the way of hidden information.
Speaking of information, Miller also once again includes some of Ananka's useful information at the end of some chapters. Her findings include: how to be mysterious (learn to be quiet and invent a secret among other things), how to find information in people's trash (and what to avoid placing into your own trash), as well as a quiz on events in the book that, were I a teacher, I might assign to students if I had them read this book in class--which I really could. Because Miller writes a good story with a lot of practical information that could be applied to everyday life (maybe you'll never be digging through someone's trash, but it's good to be aware of what people might find if they dug through yours).That is one of the reasons I stuck with Kiki Strike, and one of the reasons The Empress's Tomb was so much fun to read: Miller doesn't just write a good story she writes a good, informative (and fun) story.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
May 31, 2022
Whew. Had to DNF this one. The racism and orientalism was making my eyes bleed.
March 4, 2022
It was amazing. I could really connect w/ the characters. The setting (like Chinatown), I understood why they went there, but I wanted more on the setting itself- like I was actually there like in Lester's house.
Docking a star for the numerous grammar mistakes, like this one: ["Maybe" came the reply."] And no, there were not brackets in the original.
Docking a star for the numerous grammar mistakes, like this one: ["Maybe" came the reply."] And no, there were not brackets in the original.
June 5, 2022
"It looks as if you turned out to be dangerous after all."
"You remember."
For some reason, I felt that I liked this book less than Book 1 the first times I read it. I didn't feel that later on, though. Ananka makes some pretty bad choices in this book and she used to annoy the heck out of me before, but I didn't mind her actions at all now. They seemed not as terrible anymore, somehow... although Oona does still act like a bitch.
While Inside the Shadow City was very much focused on the Bank Street Irregulars (I know a Sherlock Holmes reference when I see one), Book 2 also focuses some more on the characters standing in the margins, around the Irregulars themselves. There are Ananka's parents, Principal Wickham, Molly, Kaspar, Mrs. Fei… They all help to build and expand Kiki Strike's world and they're fun to read about too. (Especially Molly. Molly is awesome. It's a fact.) It's a bit of a shame that we don't get to see as much of the 'other' New York as in Book 1, but there's still a lot of juicy details to be found here, and you just learn some other stuff, too.
It feels as if this book is a bit more straightforward than Book 1, at least in the beginning. It takes longer for some of the plot lines to diverge and new plot lines to pop up. Mind you, it does happen, but the first 150 or so pages are rather straight ahead, no distractions, and right when you think that the two or three key elements to the story are all set and good to go, some… other stuff appears, and once again Miller starts fleshing out the details. Whoever thought a freaking six-toed cat would turn out to take a central place in a story? I didn't, that's not who. Moreover, she introduces squirrels as an important plotline early on. How more original can you get? Wow, I just love this.
And it never stops. There are some big bangs, some good plot twists, and then the ending happens - I'm taking about more or less the final three/four chapters - and it's just awesome. Everything that needs to happen actually happens, and just as it should, too. The girls are fantastic, their behaviour is 100% on point, there's something of happiness, intelligence, pride and smugness, all right where it needs to be. Congratulations!
8.3/10
"You remember."
For some reason, I felt that I liked this book less than Book 1 the first times I read it. I didn't feel that later on, though. Ananka makes some pretty bad choices in this book and she used to annoy the heck out of me before, but I didn't mind her actions at all now. They seemed not as terrible anymore, somehow... although Oona does still act like a bitch.
While Inside the Shadow City was very much focused on the Bank Street Irregulars (I know a Sherlock Holmes reference when I see one), Book 2 also focuses some more on the characters standing in the margins, around the Irregulars themselves. There are Ananka's parents, Principal Wickham, Molly, Kaspar, Mrs. Fei… They all help to build and expand Kiki Strike's world and they're fun to read about too. (Especially Molly. Molly is awesome. It's a fact.) It's a bit of a shame that we don't get to see as much of the 'other' New York as in Book 1, but there's still a lot of juicy details to be found here, and you just learn some other stuff, too.
It feels as if this book is a bit more straightforward than Book 1, at least in the beginning. It takes longer for some of the plot lines to diverge and new plot lines to pop up. Mind you, it does happen, but the first 150 or so pages are rather straight ahead, no distractions, and right when you think that the two or three key elements to the story are all set and good to go, some… other stuff appears, and once again Miller starts fleshing out the details. Whoever thought a freaking six-toed cat would turn out to take a central place in a story? I didn't, that's not who. Moreover, she introduces squirrels as an important plotline early on. How more original can you get? Wow, I just love this.
And it never stops. There are some big bangs, some good plot twists, and then the ending happens - I'm taking about more or less the final three/four chapters - and it's just awesome. Everything that needs to happen actually happens, and just as it should, too. The girls are fantastic, their behaviour is 100% on point, there's something of happiness, intelligence, pride and smugness, all right where it needs to be. Congratulations!
8.3/10
June 3, 2009
Loved it, loved it, better than the 1st one, which is saying alot because I LOVED the 1st one!!!!!!!!! This had a more dramatic and revealing plot line than the 1st one. This one also had more twists. I loved it. The last sentance (and I don't mean to give away any spoilers, but)is so shocking. This is a great series and Kirsten Miller is an excellent adventure writer for teens.
April 5, 2019
From the inside cover:
"What's happening in New York City?
Giant Squirrels.
A Haunted Mansion.
Six fierce friends with even fiercer secrets.
Amanda might be sent off to a remote boarding school, Kiki's life is in danger (as always), Betty seems to have found a love in all the wrong places, and Oona... well, Oona's the one in the most serious trouble. From Chinatown to Saks Fifth Avenue, whether rescuing kidnapped children or resuscitating a long dead Empress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Irregulars have a knack for finding trouble and putting it out of its misery."
Oona's father is a Chinese Crime Boss and has plans to replace the Met's nudes w/ forgeries & sell them to....
Kiki's nemesis & would be assassin who works for Kiki's aunt & cousin who had Kiki's family murdered.
Annaka is in danger of being sent away for truancy & sleeping in History class, she redeems herself by writing about the Underground Railroad station for Slaves that is hidden under a Temple (former church) where the Irregulars meet...
Being hidden underground in the tunnels off of the Underground Railroad, the Irregulars find, Yu, who was kidnapped from Taiwan by Oona's father...
Lester Liu, deals in illegally imported exotic animals, that keep mysteriously being set loose in the city... including Giant Squirrels whose portraits are showing up city-wide as Giant Murals w/ cryptic messages...
All of the Irregulars have secrets but they work together to keep each other safe & fight crime.
This was a very interesting book, it was easy to read and certainly kept my interest.
I won't go out of my way to read the previous book or any others in the series, but it I would recommend it to young girls who like adventure series & want to read more about female protagonists.
"What's happening in New York City?
Giant Squirrels.
A Haunted Mansion.
Six fierce friends with even fiercer secrets.
Amanda might be sent off to a remote boarding school, Kiki's life is in danger (as always), Betty seems to have found a love in all the wrong places, and Oona... well, Oona's the one in the most serious trouble. From Chinatown to Saks Fifth Avenue, whether rescuing kidnapped children or resuscitating a long dead Empress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Irregulars have a knack for finding trouble and putting it out of its misery."
Oona's father is a Chinese Crime Boss and has plans to replace the Met's nudes w/ forgeries & sell them to....
Kiki's nemesis & would be assassin who works for Kiki's aunt & cousin who had Kiki's family murdered.
Annaka is in danger of being sent away for truancy & sleeping in History class, she redeems herself by writing about the Underground Railroad station for Slaves that is hidden under a Temple (former church) where the Irregulars meet...
Being hidden underground in the tunnels off of the Underground Railroad, the Irregulars find, Yu, who was kidnapped from Taiwan by Oona's father...
Lester Liu, deals in illegally imported exotic animals, that keep mysteriously being set loose in the city... including Giant Squirrels whose portraits are showing up city-wide as Giant Murals w/ cryptic messages...
All of the Irregulars have secrets but they work together to keep each other safe & fight crime.
This was a very interesting book, it was easy to read and certainly kept my interest.
I won't go out of my way to read the previous book or any others in the series, but it I would recommend it to young girls who like adventure series & want to read more about female protagonists.
January 22, 2024
Back when my daughter was eleven or twelve and bore a more-than-passing resemblance to the gal on the cover of this book, I bought it for her birthday. I decided to skim through it to make sure it wasn't too racy for my sweet, innocent little girl.
Damn if I wasn't up until 3am, reading the whole thing cover to cover. And I ended up buying the other two volumes as well. For my daughter. Uh, yeah. After reading through them, too, to make sure they were age-appropriate.
The story covered the adventures of six young teen girls who aren't afraid to get their pants dirty, know all sorts of cool stuff about chemistry and ropes and have memorized the entire New York City sewer tunnel system, which includes plenty of large dry spots to turn into their clubhouse. Oona has some sort of family issues that are tied, in some complicated way, to an emtombed empress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's been a while since I read this, but I'm in a bit of a rut right now and may just have to tackle this series again.
Fun stuff. Pity Ms. Miller didn't write three more books so each of the girls could star in one.
Damn if I wasn't up until 3am, reading the whole thing cover to cover. And I ended up buying the other two volumes as well. For my daughter. Uh, yeah. After reading through them, too, to make sure they were age-appropriate.
The story covered the adventures of six young teen girls who aren't afraid to get their pants dirty, know all sorts of cool stuff about chemistry and ropes and have memorized the entire New York City sewer tunnel system, which includes plenty of large dry spots to turn into their clubhouse. Oona has some sort of family issues that are tied, in some complicated way, to an emtombed empress at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's been a while since I read this, but I'm in a bit of a rut right now and may just have to tackle this series again.
Fun stuff. Pity Ms. Miller didn't write three more books so each of the girls could star in one.
August 3, 2025
4.5- One of my favorite series I started in 4th or 5th grade! I never finished these and only got as far as this volume. I burned through these pretty quick and they hold up for the most part later in life. There’s some early 2000’s offensive language and some things we might cringe at now but these were awesome for their time.
DeeDee and Luz still stand out as my favorite characters.
The only thing I don’t like about these is the “how to” sections at the end of each chapter - strangely enough not every chapter in this one has them - but when you’re getting into the meat of a mystery it’s annoying pausing to read a two page aside note. I just wanna get back to the Irregulars!
DeeDee and Luz still stand out as my favorite characters.
The only thing I don’t like about these is the “how to” sections at the end of each chapter - strangely enough not every chapter in this one has them - but when you’re getting into the meat of a mystery it’s annoying pausing to read a two page aside note. I just wanna get back to the Irregulars!
July 26, 2017
A fun quick read. If you don't take it too seriously, it is very entertaining. And there are lots of "fun facts" hidden through out the book. I like that the story point of view is not from the title character. I also like that there is very little romance, and is instead about the fun story and "detective work".
August 11, 2018
Is this a children's book? I don't know, but I love it! It's so good to be back into this world and this written, I've become Kirsten's fan! Highly recommend!
Esse é um livro infantojuvenil? Eu não sei, mas eu adoro! É tão bom voltar para esse mundo e essa escrita, eu virei fã da Kirsten! Recomendo muito!
E Galera Record traduz o terceiro livro da trilogia por favor!
Esse é um livro infantojuvenil? Eu não sei, mas eu adoro! É tão bom voltar para esse mundo e essa escrita, eu virei fã da Kirsten! Recomendo muito!
E Galera Record traduz o terceiro livro da trilogia por favor!
December 2, 2020
Another great book from Kirsten Miller! I particularly love the relationship between daughter and father and how they treat each other. It really shows how parenting isn't easy especially when you are an awful parent. The squirrels were a major bonus too. I love small animals, heists and complex relationships and this book had all three.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2022
Dopo anni di attesa (disattesa) per una tradizione in italiano ho ripreso la serie in inglese. La cosa che mi piace di più di questi libri è il senso di empowerment che ti trasmettono. Si, alcune cose sono impossibili da riprodurre nella realtà, ma se uno riesce a leggere tra le righe (come ci suggeriscono da sempre le protagoniste) scoprirà alcuni consigli interessanti. Consigliatissimo!
February 16, 2023
I can't read this book. I have read many middle school, YA titles and really enjoyed them. This is not one of them. I do not care for the author's writing. I found it so very ordinary, no charm, no wonder.
August 22, 2025
Nostalgia reread. I think of this series every day of my life. If anyone reading this even knows what this book is please get in contact with me. I reread #1 too but it’s already in my goodreads. Anyways, back to being normal.
October 27, 2017
Cute edition to the series
March 7, 2018
This was such a good book! It gave a completely different view of one of the Irregulars life, and I got a history lesson on New York!
July 27, 2019
We need to get Kiki Strike #3! We were entertained by this story as much as Book 1 and will continue reading this series! Go Kiki!
July 1, 2020
better than the first but still a little problematic
December 27, 2021
This was a fun read, probably meant for a younger audience (and I started with book 2) but I really enjoyed this reading experience
March 4, 2022
Nice! I think the ghost thing is fun. But i also wonder what happened to the mummy!
September 10, 2022
urwa wydajcie w polsce 3 część a nie
May 14, 2024
Great book, love the series, but is't very annoying the third book isn't more widley avalible.
January 30, 2025
My perfectly lovely and badass babygirls save the day yet again!
June 1, 2025
Man, years later as an adult this book still HITS— it has everything! Spies! Animals! Disguises! Spooky!
Female friendships. :)
Female friendships. :)
October 26, 2025
Not as good as the first one, but still quite enjoyable. Didn't love the genre shift when ghosts were suddenly introduced, though.
February 28, 2018
I really do want to join the Irregulars. These books make me want to read more spy novels.
February 14, 2013
Kiki and the Irregulars are back again and Ananka is ready to tell you all about it. There are lots of secrets that the Irregulars tried to keep from each other, but all secrets are discovered eventually. Lester Liu is back and something is going on with Livia and Sidonia. Oona is all caught up in the Mister Liu mess and Kiki has some problems with Verushka and Ananka's mom is about to freak out if Ananka keeps sneaking out and falling asleep in school. The Irregulars need to pull it together if anything is going to work out. It may be the most unlikely people that end up saving them from themselves.
What a fun sequel. I adored Kaspar. I wish there was some squirrel graffiti somewhere in the book. I think that would have made the book look fantastic. It would have been so fun! I wish we had learned a bit more about Kaspar and the animal rights aspect of the story. It seemed like such a huge thing in the beginning but it went nowhere.
There was a lot of tension in this book between the girls. I was sure someone was going to loose it on every page. There were so many secrets and acting and it was just crazy. I liked how everything worked out though.
Again Ananka was a fantastic narrator. Seriously, her little helpful hints are just too good. I could read a whole handbook of just those. She such a plain character in comparison to the other girls and that may be why she's such a great narrator. She seems to always be where the action is, but she isn't all knowing (like Kiki seems to be).
This was just a really fun second novel and the ending made me need more. It ended well enough, but excitement is certain to ensue. If you haven't started this series yet, you totally should!
First Line:
"The whispers began the day she arrived on horseback at the gates of the Emperor's palace."
Favorite Line:
"My lab partner, a studious girl named Natasha with no talent for chemistry, was dumping liquids into a glass beaker and barely acknowledged my arrival."
Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/search?up...
What a fun sequel. I adored Kaspar. I wish there was some squirrel graffiti somewhere in the book. I think that would have made the book look fantastic. It would have been so fun! I wish we had learned a bit more about Kaspar and the animal rights aspect of the story. It seemed like such a huge thing in the beginning but it went nowhere.
There was a lot of tension in this book between the girls. I was sure someone was going to loose it on every page. There were so many secrets and acting and it was just crazy. I liked how everything worked out though.
Again Ananka was a fantastic narrator. Seriously, her little helpful hints are just too good. I could read a whole handbook of just those. She such a plain character in comparison to the other girls and that may be why she's such a great narrator. She seems to always be where the action is, but she isn't all knowing (like Kiki seems to be).
This was just a really fun second novel and the ending made me need more. It ended well enough, but excitement is certain to ensue. If you haven't started this series yet, you totally should!
First Line:
"The whispers began the day she arrived on horseback at the gates of the Emperor's palace."
Favorite Line:
"My lab partner, a studious girl named Natasha with no talent for chemistry, was dumping liquids into a glass beaker and barely acknowledged my arrival."
Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/search?up...
November 18, 2012
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Get ready for the next adventure... The Irregulars have returned! On the agenda this time around are the following things:
Finish mapping the Shadow City. Since Livia and Sidonia Galatzina, (supposed) Queen and Princess of Pokrovia, and Kiki's mortal enemies, managed to get an incomplete copy of their map, it's more important than ever that The Irregulars finish what they started.
Stop Lester Liu. He got away last time, and they aren't about to let that happen again. But when Oona seems to throw herself in the middle of the whole thing, no one is sure what to do or who to believe.
Keep Ananka in New York. Ever since Ananka joined The Irregulars, her grades have been plummeting. Now her mom wants to send her to a boarding school on some farm.
Find the squirrels. Trained squirrels are attacking people, and someone is painting life-size pictures of them all over the city. And he seems to know who The Irregulars are.
And those things are just the beginning. This is a book of secrets, and misunderstandings, and sneaky dealings. No one is quite what they seem, not even the people you might think you know. And you can't be too careful about who you trust, or who you don't.
I admit that I had a moment, a split second of concern about this book. I loved the first one (INSIDE THE SHADOW CITY) so much, and second books are historically a letdown even when they're good. After the first page, I was thrilled to admit I was completely wrong to doubt. By the end, I was groveling at Kirsten Miller's feet!
Strong memorable characters, well-written, fast paced, exciting, touching, hilarious... And, of course, indispensable information like how to appear mysterious, how to know if your house is haunted, how to take advantage of the power of scent, and much, much more.
You absolutely must read this book. Trust me.
Get ready for the next adventure... The Irregulars have returned! On the agenda this time around are the following things:
Finish mapping the Shadow City. Since Livia and Sidonia Galatzina, (supposed) Queen and Princess of Pokrovia, and Kiki's mortal enemies, managed to get an incomplete copy of their map, it's more important than ever that The Irregulars finish what they started.
Stop Lester Liu. He got away last time, and they aren't about to let that happen again. But when Oona seems to throw herself in the middle of the whole thing, no one is sure what to do or who to believe.
Keep Ananka in New York. Ever since Ananka joined The Irregulars, her grades have been plummeting. Now her mom wants to send her to a boarding school on some farm.
Find the squirrels. Trained squirrels are attacking people, and someone is painting life-size pictures of them all over the city. And he seems to know who The Irregulars are.
And those things are just the beginning. This is a book of secrets, and misunderstandings, and sneaky dealings. No one is quite what they seem, not even the people you might think you know. And you can't be too careful about who you trust, or who you don't.
I admit that I had a moment, a split second of concern about this book. I loved the first one (INSIDE THE SHADOW CITY) so much, and second books are historically a letdown even when they're good. After the first page, I was thrilled to admit I was completely wrong to doubt. By the end, I was groveling at Kirsten Miller's feet!
Strong memorable characters, well-written, fast paced, exciting, touching, hilarious... And, of course, indispensable information like how to appear mysterious, how to know if your house is haunted, how to take advantage of the power of scent, and much, much more.
You absolutely must read this book. Trust me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews