Didn't realize it was a sequel. No fault of the author, I'm sure the story is fine, but I struggle to come in at the middle like this, so I'm closing out the review with 3*.

I appreciate the opportunity to review. Sorry for the long delay in feedback. I'm working on clearing out my Netgalley backlog. Trying to find the joy in reading again by going through the hundreds of abandoned books here.

”They’re trying to break you. Don’t let them. If they knock you down five times, rise up six. Mourn the fall after you’ve rise and stomped them to ash.”


That 2nd book syndrome I’m always scared of popping up when starting a 2nd book in a trilogy? Not present here!!

This was such a thrilling read right from the start and leaves me craving more yet again when finishing it, as it did with book 1. The story did need some time to develop for a bit, but it was non-stop engaging nonetheless.

Can’t wait to dive into the third and conclusion book, hopefully very very soon. Maia, Riser and so many others have become characters I really fell in love with. I can definitely recommend picking up this series so that you hopefully fall in love with this story and these characters as well!

Audrey Grey’s second installment in her “Shadow Fall” series does not disappoint.
“Shadow Rise” is a wonderful follow up to the first book in the series. There is still more worldbuilding and it makes you fall in love with the “Shadow Fall” world all over again. You get to experience a different type of world than what we got to see in book 1, seeing the world through the rebel domains rather than that of the one full of prestige one in the first book.
Unlike book 1, “Shadow Rise’ was not slow to capture your attention. You hit the ground running and it’s a wild ride that you find yourself on. The characters are just as fleshed out and quirky as we remember and love. Maia and Riser are fabulous as always and I cannot get enough of them.
The new characters introduced in the sequel are bound to capture your attention as well and you will find yourself wanting to know them more.

A copy of the book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Didn't realize this was a sequel when I requested for it. I really need to stop doing that. But I hope the first one was good!

Wasn't sure if I would like this book or not and seems I am on the fence yet again. I cannot stand characters that make stupid decisions and seems to be the bane of my existence of late. The logic and logistics of this world seem quite arbitrary and I struggled to understand why the plot was sooooo convenient at times.... I have no patience for that.

This book had everything and more! It has action, emotion, danger and certainly some passion!!

The second in the series I admit I didn’t read the first book but thoroughly enjoyed this book. With tidbits of book one given throughout book two I was able to pick up the storyline and enjoy the book.

Audrey Greys style of writing was enjoyable and I was absorbed into the story right away. The characters were well developed and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I absolutely love Audrey Grey's books. She is an amazing author and her stories are just wonderful and intriguing. This is the sequel to Shadow Fall. It was definitely on par with the first book in quality and intensity.

5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I may have forgotten a bit since it had been a while since reading Shadow Fall, but it was still a great read!

So, as part of the fact that I seem to request sequels to read and review, this review is based on the fact that I have not read book 1 of the series. I received this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – this does not implicate my views on the book.

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My inability to read descriptions strikes again – Shadow Rise is book 2 in the Shadow Fall series by Audrey Grey, and honestly, despite the very beginning and a few minor parts, the book read really well without me having any context from the first book. In saying that, I would not recommend reading the series out of order – as I said, there were definitely sections where I thought it would have been better if I'd read the first book, to fully understand some of the terms used and the importance of the world building and the characters relationships with each other.

Despite this though, Shadow Rise still had plenty of world building. I don't want to assume anything but as the book is clearly a different setting to the first book, we see the world building surrounding the Rebels rather than the privileged world that Maia grew up in. From reading just the second book, I understood that her family was originally in a position of high regard – of course, I don't know all the details but that's my fault and I can say for certain that everything in this book is not a repetitive in-depth retelling of what happened in book 1 because when I read the first book properly, I will learn more about this intricate world Grey has written for us.

Okay, so characters – ignoring the fact that a lot of them were introduced in book 1 – were predominantly 3-dimensional. I often found some of them unnecessary in scenes, mostly because there were a lot of names and people to keep track of. I liked Maia's character a lot; she was head-strong and driven, though at times seemed to change her mind a bit suddenly? And Lash was great – he was the kind of character that cut through all the seriousness of rebellion and war. I wasn't too sure about Riser – he seemed like a good character when he couldn't remember who she was, but then lost all that kind of ruggedness away when he did and he turned into a bit of a sap (this, I think, is mainly my fault though – the character development for Riser would definitely have happened within the first book and bled into the book 2, but I only saw part of it). I like some of the named rebels, but honestly, right now I'm struggling to remember their names and who was who – there were quite a few to follow.

The entire book was pretty fast-paced, once you hit a certain point at the start, with a kind of anticipation after every chapter about what someone would do next to get the upper hand – this is the kind of dystopian sci-fi that I love, where society has reformed into this cunning and ruthless place where you have to think ten steps ahead in 5 different directions. It made plot twists really interesting to read within the narrative (and some would have been double my excitement about them if I'd read book 1 first).

I can't fault the writing either – I think it was a perfect depiction of the voice of our main character and works well.

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4/5 stars

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Book recommended to read (in series order is highly recommended).

Shadow Rise is the action-packed sequel to Shadow Fall. The book begins with the main character, Maia, being tortured at the hands of the Royalists. She is ultimately able to escape due to her ingenuity and the unwilling aid of a certain Prince. Branded a traitor, Maia focuses on her brother Max, and finding the location of the Mercurian as well as stopping Riser. As I said....non-stop action.

What I really enjoyed in reading this book was the fast pace, the witty banter, and the character development in not just the main characters but in secondary characters as well. There really is a lot of back story here and side story and deception and double-crossing but as long as you stick with it, its worth the ride.

I received this book as an arc so I was a bit lost at first reading since I didn't know about the first book and had to read things a couple times but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. There is lots of action and adventure. The love triangle is not an annoying one where you are yelling at the book you know who you want! Both Riser and Caspian are both good for her in their own way.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than what I thought it would be, but I found it a great read.

Shadow Rise is the sequel to Shadow Fall. I found this book to be less entertaining than the first. The story line seemed to be a bit more contrived.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book picks up where Shadow Fall left off. Maia had been captured after the botched attempt to murder the Emperor.

There were little things that irked me about this book (mostly plot holes), but it still had me sucked in and I couldn't put it down.

I thought the surprise ending was a little odd, or maybe a bit rushed? I definitely wasn't expecting it, though!

This book was great! I think I liked this book better than the first, but there are certain things from the first book that I liked better.

As with the first book, Maia still bothered me at times, but (view spoiler)

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good sequel to Shadow Fall. It is a sequel that is done right which includes passion, betrayal, danger and excitement.

Shadow Rise is the sequel to Audrey Grey’s debut novel Shadow Fall and is a superb follow up to its predecessor that is filled with action, danger and thrilling moments of excitement and romance.

Maia Greystone made one rash decision that left her a prisoner of the Empire and dozens of innocent people dead. At the mercy of a cruel overlord, Maia’s only hope is escaping her prison and joining the Rebel forces determined to overthrow the Emperor. Yet when she eventually reaches the Rebels, Maia finds herself labelled a traitor. The two people she cares for more than anything in the world either do not remember her or want nothing to do with her and those around her ostracize her for her believed loyalty to the Empire. The Rebels plan to wage war against the Emperor, but with Maia sure there is another way, will she have the courage to fight for the Blood Throne to take control of the Rebels? Or will Nicolai and his army bring the world to its knees in its thirst for revenge?

Having adored the first book so very much, I was once again entranced with Shadow Rise. I very much enjoy this perilous dystopian world author Audrey Grey has created and can’t help but get lost in it. After loving the first book so, I was stoked to jump back in and have appreciated seeing new elements introduced and explored in this sequel, including the Fienian Rebels.

From the very beginning, I have found myself adoring the strong willed and tenacious heroine featured in this series and the complex world she inhabits that is full of danger; both in the form of the political and monarchical uprising that is going on and the looming threat of the asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth and is getting closer every day. Audrey Grey seems to have taken all my favourite elements of dystopian/apocalyptic novels and woven them together to give us Shadow Fall—and by golly is it brilliant! Personally, I just love it.

There’s so many fantastic characters in this series, including a lot of new ones in the form of Rebel members we meet in Shadow Rise. Maia finds herself some true friends in Teagan and Lash who often made me smile throughout the story and who were honestly likable and fun. Riser continues to be my guy (I’ll always be Team Riser) and Maia is still the incredibly strong willed and likable character we met in the first book.

There’s plenty of action, sizzling chemistry and danger fuelled moments within Shadow Rise. Alliances form and war is imminent with Audrey Grey ending Shadow Rise is excellent fashion. Highly entertaining and so addictive, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book as soon as it’s released!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

It hurts me so much to give "Shadow Rise" such a low rating because I completely loved the first book, "Shadow Fall". It was so different, beautiful, disturbing and dark but Shadow Rise was just such a let down. There is still darkness and the writing is still amazing (honestly, Audrey Grey could write about taking out the trash and it would be fascinating) but absolutely nothing happens in this book! There is hardly any advancement to the plot!

It could have been written in a couple pages and I would have been caught up for the next book. [Maia escapes from the archduchess, she finds the rebels, gets branded a traitor, Riser has lost his memory of her, and she spends the whole book trying to win back the rebels and make Riser remember her again, that's it. (hide spoiler)]

I won't give up on this series. I have to find out what happens but I really hope the last one is as good as the first because otherwise I'll be heartbroken.

This book picks up right where the first one left off. This time the rebel headquarters are explored in some detail. I had no trouble visualizing people or places.

There were a lot of emotions, conversations, and a few rough fight scenes. However, it seemed that a lot of the problems the main character experiences could have been solved if she had just been a little more communicative to the right person.

When it comes down to it, I'm not sure this book is all that important for understanding the rest of the series. Could be wrong, or course. Also, the pace felt a little slow to me. I started to think the meteor was taking too long to arrive. I'm hoping things move a little faster from here on out. The end of the book seemed to be setting the stage for a lot of action.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy.

There were so many things about the first book that I didn't like that I just wasn't sure if I would want to check this one out. Even so, I went for it. Fortunately, it was much better. I still do not like Maia because of all the stupid decisions she makes or actions she takes though.

Having been caught, we begin with Maia's torture at the hands of the archduchess. She suffers horribly each day only to be healed and have it all begin again. When she is finally able to escape, she finds herself taken by the rebels. Though not treated as a prisoner per se, she is definitely treated as a traitor. She does not fight for their acceptance though because she doesn't actually want to be one of them. What she fights for would be Riser's throne. She has only a couple friends there but has finally learned that she cannot get to what her father hid and save everybody on her own. The rebels have this competition where the winner takes the crown and rules for a day. Seeing how nobody in charge will listen to her, let alone help her, she sees this as her only chance to get what she needs.

When Riser was rescued, he barely made it out alive. But when they healed him, they also stole every memory of Maia from him. She feels betrayed by this and wants to hate him, but she just can't. As for Riser, he becomes more and more interested in her with their every interaction. And me? I really enjoyed them together this time too. Especially at the end when Riser finally remembers her.

While I love Riser, there was a new character who was hands down my favorite here. Lash was assigned to watch Maia pretty much 24/7 as punishment. He was just so much fun and a great guy that it was impossible not to love him.

A very important person from Maia's past shows up, and while I was glad for this, I hated how she treated them. It was completely ridiculous. And needs to stop.

The ending surprised me a quite a bit with the interesting twist we get. And while I am not going out of my mind with excitement, I am definitely more interested in the next book than I originally was with this one.

*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

I was kind of undecided about continuing this series when I finished the first book since there were some things I didn't like about it, but ultimately the things I did like won out, and I couldn't help but give this one a try.

I have to admit, for the first half of the book or so, I did still have some issues. The way it was written made me feel kind of distanced from the protagonist and the story because it was kind of choppy and jumped from one moment to the next without much explanation sometimes. I was confused about exactly what was going on and how much time was passing. I also didn't understand Maia's reasons for some of the things she was doing, like why she didn't tell the rebels the truth about what happened, that she wasn't a traitor, or why she didn't tell a certain person who she was.

I will say, however, that while the first book was kinda slow for a while, this one didn't have that problem. It jumped right into the action and plot, picking up where the first left off. And then, as the story went on, things started to flow more smoothly, make more sense, and feel more natural. Things also got more intense, and I got more gripped.

My favorite thing in the first book was Riser, and he was still interesting---not quite as feral, but kind of smooth and observant and predatory. And I liked the chemistry between Maia and Riser, especially since *SPOILER* he didn't know who she was, so it was kind of like they were starting over, and there was a bunch of tension. *END SPOILER*

As for Maia, the whole being another person thing threw me off in the first book, but this time she just seemed to be herself, so I found her easier to understand and connect with. And I liked her; she stayed focused on what was important, even when the decisions she had to make were tough ones.

There were also some great new characters, like Lash, who was friendly, playful, and so likeable. And Maia's friendship with Lash and Teagan was something I really liked. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of Maia's relationship with *SPOILER* Max (her brother) *SPOILER* as she gets to spend more time with him since it started out rocky in this book but then became sweet. They clearly care about each other.

But a warning for anyone reading this review who hasn't read the first book yet, things in this series are very extreme, especially when it comes to violence and dangerous situations. So sometimes things get pretty gritty and graphic, and the author doesn't shy away from putting her characters in worst case scenarios. Sometimes it's a little over-the-top, but, well, either you can just accept that as part of the series or not.

So overall, I did end up enjoying this book. I liked some of the characters, the touching moments among them, and the intensity of the story as it went on. I think that at this point I am invested and want to see this series through to the end.