Good morning readers, another stunning book for you today and another genre of book. I’ve been trying to make the genres as different as possible and today I have a young adult dystopia for
you which I think you will love. If you haven’t seen it please go and take a look at my review of the first book here because it will help this review make a lot more sense. I have to say thank you to Karen for being such a wonderful author to work with. Her comments, shares and retweets have been wonderfully supportive and I cannot wait to continue working with her in the future. So day number eight, review number eight. Enjoy!

You miss it, don’t you?’ he said. ‘The excitement – the stuff that gets your blood jumping.’ ‘The stuff that gets you dead,’ I said. Pearl and Spicer have one thing in common. Both have lost loved ones to violent religious sect, Mesmeris. While Pearl moves away to escape her past, Spicer decides to do the opposite. He infiltrates the cult, going deep undercover into their shadowy world of violence, coercion and sacrilegious ceremonies. When the cult relocates to London, Pearl discovers that leaving your past behind is not as easy as she thought.

As soon as I finished Mesmeris I really had to stop myself from immediately picking up the sequel and getting right back into the action but with other books on the list I had to stop myself. As soon as I gave in and picked this book up I honestly couldn’t put it down. The book continues following Pearl, a well-loved and wonderfully written character from the first book, but we have another protagonist joining, Marcus – also known as Spicer. Losing someone very close him due to the cult he struggles to come to terms with it, and finds himself being released from his job in the police; it is a terrible blow. But Marcus isn’t going to let this go lightly. He infiltrates the cult and from there the lives of Pearl and Spicer entwine as the dangerous cult continue to put lives at risk.

So we’ll get the easy bits out the way first; once again it is incredibly well written. The descriptions are strong and the locations well described placing the reader right in the action. Character profiles once again are well built and continually developing throughout. Spicer is cocky and headstrong however he has a delicate side that causes him to lose focus but makes him a much more likeable character. Pearl at the start is a waif like character and Marcus at first describes her as like a ghost, however as she is drawn back towards the cult she begins to grow stronger in herself once again, attempting to put the dreadful memories behind her. I thought the idea of having Marcus infiltrate the cult was really clever; it allowed a deeper look into how it works and the tests they have to endure. Additionally, if you’re like me and had a bit of a thing for Art in the first book, we really get to meet him in Infixion. His story is moving and touching and I found that he was one of the most intriguing characters I’ve met in a while.

I think what is a real credit to the author is it feels so real and authentic; you really can imagine these evil goings on in the backstreet’s of London and it’s a little terrifying. The writing is gritty and moves with so much pace I found myself a little over-whelmed with excitement. If you’ve seen my recent 101 things in 1001 days I couldn’t put this book down and despite attempting to get chores and errands done I kept coming back to it time and time again. It’s very difficult to imagine that this is a new venture for Coles because her writing is so strong and I think it’s getting better. I actually enjoyed the second instalment slightly more because of getting to meet and investigate the cult more strongly.

Due to it being the second book it’s difficult to review without giving spoilers away and so if there’s less information than normal I apologise but this book needs to be read to really get the gist of how good it is. The story is told effortlessly despite the trauma, heartbreak, anguish, violence and terror. A killer story and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.