Just a Book

Spirit Animals #2:  Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater

Adolescent Fantasy

I'll start with something positive: it was definitely better than the first one in the series.  That's pretty much the start and the end of my list.  It's not that this book is bad; it's just chronically okay, just alright and it never rises above that.  The fault can most certainly not be with the author, who manages to fix many of the problems in the first book.  My problem with the first book is that the characters were so flat and one-dimensional, owing perhaps to the sheer number of them and the brevity of the book.  While, in this book, we do get to know each character more, it still isn't enough to elevate them to the "realness" of a person. 

In this second installment, the four main characters continue on their quest, capturing icons in order to defeat a great evil, while also learning how to control and bond with their new spirit animals.  We also meet new characters and new villains which murk up the water somewhat rather than making the plot any clearer.

In the end, it's just a book, just a story which isn't a terrible thing.  For me, though, I like my books to have some sparks of life.  I wouldn't keep reading it except someone bought me the whole series as a gift and I feel a bit guilty abandoning them.