Books for a Delicate Eternity

A copy of this novel was provided by Bloomsbury Australia in exchange an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of Chasing Stars. I liked its predecessor, After Eden, but the things I really loved about that book were all absent in Chasing Stars.

First of all: nothing really happened. In the first few chapters Ryan is taken into custody because the government of the future thinks he broke a law by going back in time and saving Eden’s life. So all the ‘yay they’re back together’ disappears after only a few scenes. The entire book is Ryan being in custody and then Eden eventually deciding that she is going to save him. Literally, that is all. Those two things.

Looking back on Chasing Stars, I kind of wonder what else happened in the 350 odd pages. We’re introduced to Ryan’s friends from the future, of which only one was interesting and fleshed out. We had the token bitch, and then two geeky twins who had about ten words between them in the entire novel. All Eden does with these friends of Ryan’s is drink, eat, and party. Seriously. That. Is. All. They. Do. Which is fine once or twice but when YOUR BOYFRIEND IS FACING TRIAL – THAT IS NOT OKAY. I mean, Eden was getting plastered almost every night and Ryan was in a jail cell. Caring and concerned girlfriend? Not so much.

And then we have the weird weird weird relationship between Eden and Ryan’s best friend, Pegasus. Seriously freaking weird. They’re all flirty but they claim to be in love with other people. And then Eden MOVES IN WITH PEG, and just somehow becomes comfortable enough with him to strip down to her underwear in front of him – numerous times. Caring and concerned girlfriend? Not so much.

Fast forward repeated and indistinguishable scenes of underage drinking and little world building and we get to the end. Which is left open. After all that. After all the nothing and all the ‘what the hell’ing – we get an open ending? We don’t know where they end up? Or when? We just have to be content with the flipping of a coin and a possible future that we don’t get to see at all?

No. I’m not content with that. Not after liking the first book and pushing myself through this one. I am not content at all. In fact, I am quite disappointed in this sequel altogether.

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

Your Turn: Have you read many disappointing sequels? Do you think it might be a symptom of the new duology phase?