Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC:

Love, love, love the Themis files.

I think this happens ten years after the last book ends and suddenly new large robots pop up in the world's capitols and start annihilating humans. Can Themis be used to stop them? There is also the question of why some people survive the attacks, why were they spared?

My only criticism is that it does conjure War of the Worlds for me in its resolution. Still, a great read.

Freaking awesome! Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) by Sylvain Neuvel is the second book in the series and I didn't think it possible for the author to make a better book than book one but he did! What an epic story!!! I loved the first book and this doesn't let the fans down. The giant robot is back but now there are more but they don't friendly. There is so much action, twists, surprises, and suspense I had to stay up at night to finish the book. I couldn't sleep not knowing what was happening! This is definitely in my favorites! The same characters are back and the we get to know them more and deeper than ever. The plot is so complex and twisted, it just keeps you guessing. I loved it! So many surprises! Especially the ending! Oh my! This series is a must read! Do yourself a favor and start with book one, you don't want to miss out on anything! Fantastic! Thanks you NetGalley and Sylvain Neuvel for letting me read this awesome book! This is a 10 Star book!

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and Random House Ballentine, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would write a review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I am a fan of science fiction and I read the previous book in the Themis series (Sleeping Giants) and enjoyed it immensely.

This book continues the theme of the first in the series (alien visitation/invasion) and expands upon it to several robots. It is an engaging read which also makes it a quick read. I do not want to give the story line away, but some characters from the first book are killed and some new characters arise. I have been looking for new science fiction authors to follow and Sylvain Neuvel has definitely made the list. I am looking forward to the next book in the Themis series.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fresh, engaging science fiction author. I also recommend that you read the first book in the series as this one is not a stand alone novel.

Love this trilogy and can't wait for the next one!

I am really enjoying these Themis Files books by Neuvel. This installment opens about ten years after book one, with the appearance of another giant metal alien robot (which sounds far more ridiculous than it deserves to) in London. As in the first book, the story is told through a series of files - transcripts of recorded interviews, diary-esque entries, and so on - rather than in a traditional narrative. The explanation given by the mysterious "friend" of why things are the way they are (about 3/4s of the way through the book) is a bit far-fetched for my liking, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.

This was just as chilling as Sleeping Giants! I love the format, it's really interesting because you're really only told so much. You must infer some and guess some. Keeps you on your toes! 5% in and my jaw dropped! Plenty more surprises come in this book! ARCs are great but man, it's hard when you have to wait even longer for the next book! Such a fascinating series!

I loved Sleeping Giants so I couldn't wait to read this wondeful follow-up. It reminded me of a mix between Transformers and National Treasure. I loved the mystery, adventure, suspense aspects of the story. I thought the pacing was excellent, not to fast but moved along at a good enough clip to keep me turning the pages. I really enjoy sci-fi/conspiracy/alien stories and this one did not disappoint!

If I could compare this to any books I have read in the past, I would say it's like World War Z but with ancient aliens instead of zombies. This book was so fun! I read the first book in this series and wasn't sure if I enjoyed it but when I began reading the second Waking Gods, I could not put it down! It was exciting and page turning. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next and I love that. I just read that this series will be made into a movie and am ecstatic about that! What a great movie series these books will make. Sylvain confirmed on Twitter that there will be more Themis Novels coming when I sent him a tweet begging for more! Awesome news. I will definitely recommend this series to friends. Thanks for the ARC.

A decade has passed since the Earth Defense Corps (EDC) was created and Themis, the twenty-story alien robot, was officially introduced to the world. Themis’s two pilots, Kara Resnik and Vincent Couture, have been traveling the world with Themis doing promotional events to make the people of Earth as comfortable with the robot as possible. Dr. Rose Franklin, the head of the EDC Scientific Division, leads research. Since her “return” she has been grappling with the very concept of humans being able to pilot Themis, especially since our anatomy is different than the species that created it. Then Kronos, an alien robot larger than Themis made in the image of a man, appeared in the middle of London and the question of whether or not Themis was placed on Earth to protect humans will have to be answered.

Waking Gods is the sequel to Sleeping Giants. I enjoyed both books but they suffer from some problems. The format of Waking Gods is very similar to that of Sleeping Giants with the use of journal entries, transcripts, news coverage and conversations between an unknown male and the main characters. I expected Nuevel to follow a format close to that of his previous book so I wasn’t at all disappointed when I began reading this second novel. I thought the addition of news agents and other transcripts outside of our main characters to actually be really helpful, especially with the world building and the scope of the story. Unfortunately there were moments where this wasn’t executed very successfully. Moments when I found the format of the conversations to be a distraction and take away from what was a pretty interesting plot. Earth is finally being invaded after waiting on pins and needles for something like this to happen. EDC has a giant robot and all they’ve done is tour it around the world, until now. Now Themis can do what she was built for: hand to hand combat. The possibilities for the plot become endless and Nuevel takes advantage and the characters go through quite a whirlwind. I complained about some of the plot elements in the previous book but one of the strengths of Sleeping Giants was the character development. In this book some of the characters I really enjoyed fell flat to me. It felt as if much more energy was placed on executing the plot and not on evolving the characters. I would have loved to see the characters be as well developed as the concept for the story.

Now, I’m two novels in to The Themis Files and of course I am going to finish. Nuevel left off with a pretty unexpected cliff hanger so I’m waiting patiently to see how things go from here. I’m recommending this book to people who enjoyed Sleeping Giants. This is definitely a really interesting science fiction story. I like the concept and I’m still intrigued by where Nuevel is taking the story.

I apologize, but due to extenuating circumstances I will unfortunately not have the time to read and review this title. I thank you for the opportunity; however, my current life situation does not allow a whole lot of time to read + review.

I was so pleased to dive back into this series again with an ARC from NetGalley (thanks again).

Much like the first one, I love the way this book is written. I said it then and I'll say it now: It's amazing that a book that is told with notes, transcripts, etc. can have such great character development, but this one was able to do that again.

I really loved the first 70%, probably more than the first book as a whole. There were a couple things that took away from the the last 30%, partly being rushed, that dropped the book down a tad. That said, the ending was once again great and now the slow wait for the third book begins.

7.5/10

A fantastic follow up to Sleeping Giants. I read it in two days which is fast for me. The story was mysterious and exciting and horrifying. The most unique alien invasion novel I have ever read plus giant robots fighting are awesome!! Cannot wait for book 3. The ending cliffhanger was amazing and has left me speculating for hours on what is going to happen. Loved It!!

Oh! Thank all the sleeping and waking Gods for you Netgalley for letting me get my eyeballs on the advanced copy of this book!!!!

Well, like the first one this was just the best. Since fiction like it's supposed to be. Who says you can't have fun with the end of the world?! I mean we are talking about alien robots after all.

I can't actually say much about the plot because everything seems like a spoiler. There are so many twists and turns and new developments, it was fantastic. You will just have to trust me.

My only complaint is that now I have to wait who knows how long to find out what happens next!!!

Waking Gods is the second in the Themis Files series and is an urban fantasy novel with a touch of sci-fi, suitable for YA and up.

Eva Reyes suffers from debilitating night and day mares. Visions of dead people, everywhere she looks. She knows the images are important and not to be ignored like the doctors suggest. In the meantime another robot has appeared in London. Similar in appearance to Themis, it seems to have been made by the same people who made the first female robot the EDC has taken control of. When the robot just sits there day after day with no movement, the world is divided as to whether to leave it alone or attack it before it attacks the world. When the robot does reveal what it can do, the world reels with the destructive power on show. Terrifyingly more robots have appeared throughout the world, all in major cities. Can Vincent and Kara, together with Rose and the rest of the team find a way to use Themis to save humanity?

This was a great sequel to Sleeping Giants and answered a lot of questions (especially about our interviewer), but raised quite a few more. You get to the last sentence and then BAM - you just know there is sequel waiting to happen. For the most part I like that the book is written as a dialogue or conversation and sometimes as a letter, even though it can be a little trying to read it like that sometimes. I liked the introduction of new characters and how they related to the established ones. The concept of why the robots were there was very thought provoking and even in our current times makes you regard history and the bigger picture in a different way.

Some of the scientific explanations became a bit tedious to read and I found myself skipping over sections. I also found certain parts of the dialogue unnecessary or drawn out, like some of the arguments in parliament as to whether to approach the robot or not. Certain parts pushed belief a little too far for me, but I guess if the first novel starts with someone falling onto a giant hand, then learning that not all people are as they seem in the second one doesn't seem too far-fetched.

Overall I enjoyed the storyline, the characters and the good editing. Sometimes when writing in dialogue some of the world building gets left out but at least now I know I need to try Kung Pao Chicken!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the novel.

Neuvel takes it up a notch in Waking Gods, bringing the global and personal stakes to the brink. A page-turner for sure; bring on book 3!

This was a riveting follow up to the book Sleeping Giants and I expect this book to go places! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will be recommending it to all my Sci-Fi/Fantasy friends!

Every bit as entertaining as the first book. Can't wait to read the next one.

I was blown away by the first book in this series which I came upon by accident so I sought out the sequel with great excitement.
The story takes place ten years later when Earth comes in contact with the next robot. All the characters but one character fins themselves at a very different place both physically and emotionally. When the next robot magically appears in London, they must very quickly come to terms with who they are not because the Earth's safety depends on it,
Like Sleeping Giants, the book is a page turner and doesn't bog itself down too much in the science of the plot. It also keeps the same format all the first: written accounts and transcripts of he events. Each file builds on the previous creating a clear picture of what actually happen.
The story still packs some emotional punches (there is one in particular that changes the way you read the material) but it doesn't cause readers to connect with the characters quite as much. It may be the lack of mystery that permeated the first novel. Waking God is more suspense novel that mystery and it does that quite well. But as a reader, I lost my sense of awe that I had with the first one.
A strong follow up to Sleeping Giants, Waking Gods has me eager to read the next entry.

In THE SLEEPING GIANTS (Book 1), Rose Franklin discovered a giant hand that turned out to be a piece of a giant and very futuristic robot. This prompted her to devote her adult life to learning about this giant and its purpose in her world. In WAKING GODS, Rose is now an adult. Her world has become even more dangerous, as giant robots, even larger than the one she had discovered, start materializing in all the major cities of the world. When the threat of these giants is discovered and millions are killed, Rose finds she must be the one to save the human race. But how?

Once again, Sylvain Neuvel has created an intriguing and suspenseful novel that the reader cannot put down. Using only journal entries, recorded minutes from Parliament, interviews, surveillance logs, and other official records as the sole means of providing the narration of this story, the author lends a sense of both reality and urgency to this tale. This method of narration really puts the reader into the middle of the drama, creating a sense of stress and anxiety. This novel, peopled with realistic, life-like characters, provides the reader with pure escapism. This amazingly-creative tome is what readers look for in reading!

This was so much fun to read. An excellent follow-up to Sleeping Giants that raises the stakes even higher. I love how much nuance and pathos Neuvel is able to get across using a format that initially seems distance and cold.