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The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee- 4.5/5 stars


Well... That was an outstanding sequel! Just as good as the first book 😊

For the review on the first book, The Thousandth Floor, go here 

And before we get to the review, here is the blurb for The Dazzling Heights:
New York City, 2118. Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a breathtaking marvel that touches the sky. But amid high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets…

Leda is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’ll do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden—even if it means trusting her enemy.

Watt just wants to put everything behind him…until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free of her for good?

When Rylin wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there also means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

Avery is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She’s desperate to be with him…no matter the cost.

And then there’s Calliope, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.

But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. After all, in a world of such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall.
 

Both books start with a bang: a girl dead. 
I was not expecting that on the second book so I was intrigued and submerged into the story very early on.
The way the story progresses gives you many clues as to whom will end up dead in the end... but you are unlikely to guess it right! I didn't. And I liked that, I liked that the book wasn't predictable. 
The Dazzling Heights is written similarly to The Thousandth Floor, with each of the main characters having their own chapter, their own voice. And just as on the first book that was really well done. I believe the reader would be able to tell apart the characters even without their names in the beginning of each chapter, they were all unique. 

Watt was my favorite character on the first book and he was again here. I am very glad with the direction his story went. Nadia, his computer, is hilarious. I love his digital friend. 
I feel like that out of all the characters Watt is the most mature and well centered of them. His choices and actions made more sense to me than the others. And I absolutely LOVED who he ended up with and how! 

My second favorite character was Leda. For most of the book I just wanted to slap her. I personally love when authors create characters that bring that kind of reaction on the reader. She was rather mean and spiteful to start with. But as the story went on she grew a lot, and it was nice to read that progress. 

Atlas and Avery continue to love each other and not be able to be together. They had sweet moments and very annoying moments. I don't think there is much difference between the Avery we encounter here and the Avery from the first book. She still is a spoiled teen in love with her 'brother'. Atlas on the other hand went from sweet and lovable to a complete idiot. His 'this is better for the both of us' nonsense drove me crazy. On that note, it is worth saying Avery has a much stronger back bone than him in this book, so although I find Avery rather boring, I actually preferred her here. 

Rylin gave us some entertainment away from all the tower drama! Her chapters added a more light tone to the book even when there was the whole school teacher drama thing going on...

Wonderful Cord was one of my favorite secondary characters in the first book and he is here again. He is such a nice guy. Every time his name showed up I smiled. I am looking forward to seeing how his story will unfold in the last book. And truth be told, I prefer him with Avery! A reader can dream right? 😏

What else can I say without giving spoilers away?
The ending was not what I was expecting. Obviously I knew a girl would end up dead but I really believed it was going to be someone else. I can't say that I care about who it was in the end. That being said, we don't know who killed her and that could potentially make for a very intriguing and interesting third book. 

All in all I enjoyed the book as much as The Thousandth Floor. The only downfall to me was the new character. Calliope was 100% pointless. I had to fight my own desire to skip her chapters all together and I am not looking forward to reading more of her in the next book.She added nothing to the story. Not to me anyway... Just die Calliope!!! (I know I know... I'm mean sometimes!)

The book is FULL of drama. It actually made me think of Pretty little Liars. Do you guys watch the show? Think of a more futuristic version of that and if you like the sound of it you might just love this! 

Go Read! 

Comments

  1. I didn't realize the second book was out!

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