Skippy

Okay skippy sounds weird but that's what this book did. it skipped back and forth from narrators to timelines and back again. Ch. 22 to 26 I could barely tell what was going on. I really liked the first book, but I feel like this one got rushed or something. Speaking of rushing...I think there needed to be a lot more relationship building between Jane and Ian for me to understand their choices in this one.

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I'll say it again: Neon Redemption rocks my world

This book is so good, paying off so much of what was teased in Indie Saint, and setting up so many tantalizing hints for the rest of the series. My favorite part is going deeper with Olive, who sounded so cool when she was basically just mentioned in the first book. She turns out to be so much more than I even guessed! The chaotic action sequences I loved return, but now they’re taking place in already chaotic settings instead of creepy abandoned ones. You know how a sequel movie will all of a sudden have so much more budget to have a thousand extras running around doing stunts in the background and it amps up the whole experience and makes it infinity times as awesome? That’s Neon Redemption. Thanks VK Fox!!

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2 Timelines - 1 conclusion

This story follows 2 groups of main characters progressing through 2 different timelines and everything collides at the end. The spice goes up in this book (there is on page sex: 2 scenes that are 2-3 paragraphs - Song of Achilles or True Blood level, not erotica but somewhat descriptive) however both are at the end of chapters so those who prefer to skip can hit to forward button and not miss a ton of plot. Action and dialogue land really well even though the narrator has a full cast to juggle. Super enjoyable listen with urban fantasy featuring not-your-run-of-the-mill story line including living books, golems, nuns with guns, and reality bending magic.

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This series is special!

This series is special! Extraordinarily so, for those who have spent much of their life with their head in a book. I was drawn to this series by the many 5-star, dazzling, reviews & I'm glad I was. VK Fox is a talented writer & I look forward with anticipation to her future works. Of course, that'll be after I finish the third of this trio! Oh, yeah…, by the way, the production is great & Chelsea Stephens does a fantastic job pacing & providing each character with their own voice, bringing the pages to life.

1 person found this helpful

Gripping Story with Just the Right Amount of Spice

Some people complained about the jumping around of the timeline, but I felt like it was really clear about what was happening. I enjoyed watching Jane and Ian's relationship unfold after getting to know them in Indie Saint but it was the other characters that I really loved. Blue is my new favorite character. There aren't nearly enough golemancers in books and a pregnant golemancer to boot. And the golemancy in this book is just delightful, in the same as the edible golemancy in a Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. Unlike Wizard's Guide, this is definitely not YA. There are multiple sexual relationships, and if you don't like male-male romance, this isn't the book for you. But the development of the romantic attachment of two of the male characters is absolutely riveting with high stakes.

It's not as graphic as a Court of Thorn and Roses, by any means. But I wouldn't recommend listening to this with your kids around either. At least, not without a good pair of earbuds. Who doesn't want to spice up laundry folding?

My absolute favorite part is the book heist. I mean, a secret society with a vault for BOOKS! Every bookworm's dream heist. And the battle at the end was thrilling and unique in its setting. It definitely left me wanting to pick up the third book right away.

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Disjointed

If bout for the reader I think this is like an out of the box erector set. May be fun towards the end but impossible to appreciate as a pile of parts. Oh yes some sex throne in like a marble in a 1000 piece puzzle.

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Wouldn’t read/listen to again

The first book was a new concept and I appreciated the value placed on books so I continued with this one. The story line jumps back and forth every chapter with “X# of Days Until the Neon” which is pretty much the only main event in the book. Super unimpressed and isn’t a book I’d ever bother reading again

Pay Close Attention!

I enjoyed the continuation of the story, but could not track the jumping timeline. It was a bit distracting. As soon as I dismissed that and just listened it was okay.

The time line switching is not done well

Not as good as the first book. The quirkiness was gone, buried under a choppy power-play sub plot.

An interesting twist.

First off, it's hinted at in the first book, but if you're homophobic this series isn't for you. There is a healthy amount of bi/pan representation in this series, and while it's not super graphic... well just throwing it out there.

Now, for those that don't mind that, this was a really good next part of this story. There were some nice foreshadowing elements which left me satisfied picking out parts that would happen in the climax. There were some things that felt... a little more rough.

The jumping back and forth left things a little muddy. There were parts where something would be mentioned in the present and I was left thinking, "Did that come up in a flashback/ the past? I don't recall." Sometimes it would come up later, other times not. It wasn't terrible, just a little jarring and makes it feel more 3.5 stars, but still overall solid.

There were some things that I felt were dumb moves, but when information has to be compartmentalized I can see certain characters doing them because they just wouldn't know any better.

Overall, Very excited to read more.