After spending 6 months in the labyrinth, she has grown stronger and more independent. Instead of counting on others to protect her, she's learned to protect herself from the monsters around every turn. She can also hunt and bandage any wounds she has. The only thing she can't do is translate the journal that may tell her how to escape. To do that, she'll have to enlist the help of the people who have vowed to kill her. 

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the first book in this series, Children of Icarus. The first book introduced the reader to a nameless protagonist who is chosen to enter the labyrinth with her best friend. According to the legends, those who pass through the labyrinth can become angles, but things go horribly wrong. That focused on the monsters of the labyrinth and politics of the world outside it. In the sequel, I hoped to learn about the journal left the narrator at the end of the first book, why the labyrinth exists and what is on the other side. 

The nameless narrator is again the predominant voice of this novel, and she now is called Fey Bell or just Bell. We also are reintroduced to a number of characters from the previous book, some allies and some enemies. There are some interesting new characters though, including the all-male warriors called the Kleos and their rivals, the all-female band called Harmonia. These two groups add some new life and excitement to the story, but overall mirror each other or characters seen in the previous book, at least through our narrator's eyes. 

The setting of this novel mostly takes place in familiar territory. We return to familiar places and see them new again through our matured narrator's fresh eyes. The reader is also taken inside of the bases of Kleos and Harmonia, although they don't feel like new settings as the narrator describes them in comparison to the other places she's been. I was a little disappointed the characters didn't venture further into the labyrinth so we could see more of that world and get a teaser for what's beyond it. Although, that did give the reader more opportunity to focus on the plot. 

Much like in the first book, I felt that the pacing was off through the book. There's a lot of action, excitement, and tension, but they're a number of small conflicts that don't progress the plot by much if at all. The progress is incremental and then at the very end of the book, there is an aggressive influx of action and information. I wish some of that had been more spread out through the story. Additionally, I was surprised to see so much of the conflict in this novel revolve around drama and petty "he-said-she-said" squabbles when the last book was life and death. I really felt that the main character lost sight of her objective, forgetting about the journal and her escape for many chapters in the middle and near the end. 

Children of Daedala is the gripping sequel to Caighlan Smith's Children of Icarus. If you enjoyed the first book, this one picks up easily where it left off. It's a fun and tension-filled read. Lingering questions about the mysterious labyrinth will pull you in and the mysterious narrator with her diverse cast of characters will keep you going. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.

I was really excited about this book based on its premise. But then I actually started reading and it turned out to be way more violent than I would ever have anticipated. Now, the thing is, I don't do well with violence in the media I consume. Like, at all. To the point where I just don't consume it. Which is exactly what happened here. Despite the fact that I was actually interested to see how the story would unfold, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Mental health above all, right?

I'm sure there will be a lot of people ready to fall in love with this book, since it's honestly so well written & intriguing. It's just, sadly, not for me.

This sequel to the Children of Icarus was just as amazing as the first. It is fast paced and with some twists and turns to the plot that keep it fresh and exciting. The labyrinth continues to amaze me with its size and the dangerous creatures that lurk with in. There are even more humans living than were shown in the first book, which really made me think about how large this place must be. We start to get an inkling into the whole history of the labyrinth and the reasons why the kids are sent into it. But there is still more to find out which will make the next book even better.

The MC continues to be nameless, to herself at least. She is still called Clara by the people from Fates that she runs into in this book, but she also has a new name, Fey Bell, given to her by one of the two other groups we meet in this book. I really like that we don’t know her name, it makes her more interesting and more of a shadow to her own story. She continues to grow and become stronger. Her training by the Executioner in the first book, serves her well. She can be a total badass when it is needed and shows others that have lived in the labyrinth longer than her a trick or two. I also liked that she wanted to be alone, but also realized that she would need help in order to find her way out of the labyrinth.

There are a few characters from the original book that she meets and interacts with. Mostly two boys that I still am not sure I totally trust. Ryan I started out not trusting at all. I was just never sure about his motivation and his feelings for our Fey Bell. By the end though I was beginning to think that he was more trustworthy than Theo, who I think was using her for his own reasons. Both boys seem to be attracted to Fey Bell, and she to them, but this is certainly not a main theme in the book. It is more like, hey we are hormonal teenagers and find ourselves attracted to each other even though we are trapped in this hellish nightmare. It is done well though, and it felt more authentic than most teen attractions in YA. Elle is still the most troubled and troubling character in the books. She is somewhat delusional, but at times I wonder if she knows more about the labyrinth and what it all means, but is unable to handle the truth, so retreats into her delusions.

We meet two new groups in the Labyrinth. Kleos is mostly boys (maybe all boys, it is unclear) and Harmonia is all girls. They have been fighting each other for a long time over territory and resources. It isn’t long before Fey Bell is drawn into the war. It is interesting how these groups have formed and as if they don’t have enough to deal with, like the horrendous creatures that lurk in the labyrinth and kill them, they kill each other over very minor things. It appears that almost everyone in charge of the groups in somewhat mentally unstable to the detriment of the groups. Gammon, the leader of Kleos, is especially crazy, and paranoid to some extent. At the end we find out why, but wow, he is totally out there. Harmonia’s leader is not much better, but her second in command is the real crazy in that group. There are some good people in each group, but for what ever reason they never stand up to the people in charge, even when they know that they are not doing what is good for the group.

This is a sequel that was done right. It kept you just as interested in the characters and the story as the first. I took a peek at the Goodread comments before writing this and many of them stated that they didn’t know it was a sequel before they read it, but still liked it. Which I think is a testament to how good it is. I will warn you that this one ends with a hell of a cliffhanger. It will be a really long wait to see what happens to all of the kids in the labyrinth and whether or not they can escape it.

This book is not for everyone, I had some reservations after reading the first (I was taken by surprise the violence in that book) one but I was also dying to know more. This book is definitely not as violent (in many different ways) as the first one but it still has its fair share of violence and death. Our nameless MC is on her own now since the death of her mentor when thrown out of Fates so violently and we find her exploring the labyrinth and also aware of more groups other than Fates. Unfortunately these two groups are at odds and Nameless finds herself in the center of the dispute with no way of knowing who is lying to her and who is telling her the truth. Stronger and more wise than she was in book one our MC still has a lot to learn just how much the labyrinth can change a person and still makes some pretty frustrating decisions. Still a huge improvement to who she was in book one, that being said. I still have absolutely no answers to anything from book one and only more questions due to book two and my heart really can’t handle cliffhanger endings the likes of which this one stopped at. Seriously, I’ll be haunted by this because I have to wait for book three to find out what’s going to happen after that ending. It’s not fair.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, just not to everyone. Like my review says at the start, it’s not a book for everyone. At least not something I’d give without warning as to what to expect at least.
Thanks for giving me this chance to read.

I haven’t read the first book in this series. I searched for the e-book high and low, but couldn’t find it. I didn’t want to shell out $20 for the first book at Chapters without knowing if I would like it. My local library did not have a copy, there was no ebook available on Amazon.ca or KOBO. If the publisher or author somehow see this review – please consider making the first book more readily available. I ALMOST didn’t read Children of Daedala because I didn’t read Children of Icarus. Now that I have read the book, and know that I LOVED it, I will go purchase the first book.

When I reached the final page of the Children of Daedala e-book, I discovered the author was born and raised in the same province as me, and is attending the same University that I did! I had no idea Caighlan Smith was from Newfoundland, but now that I do, I will most certainly purchase and read everything she writes. Be assured, my opinion of this book was formed well before I knew the author was a fellow Newfoundlander. As I was reading, I kept raving to my husband about how much I was enjoying the story, characters, and monsters.

Children of Daedala, inspired by Greek mythology (Icarus and Daedalus), takes place in a labyrinth filled with deadly creatures. The story begins six months after our female main character was kicked out of Fates and entered the soul-crushing maze. She has not given us her birth name, but we know she has been called Clara, and Fey Bell, by other Icaari. Fey’s mentor, the Executioner, has died, and she’s been surviving on her own. Within this giant labyrinth there are other groups of Icaari: Kleos, a group of male Icaari led by Gammon; and Harmonia, a group of female Icaari, led by Polina.

While hunting, she comes across a group of Icaari from Fates. Members of this group have treated her badly in the past. She tackles Ryan and holds him hostage. She wants to trade him for another Fates member named Addie. They make an agreement to meet for the exchange. Fey arrives hours early, without Ryan, to spy on them when they arrive. Collin comes with a few others, but no Addie. She overhears them say they were never going to do the trade, and Collin made the deal so he could try to capture Fey.

Fey returns to her secret underground base where she left Ryan bound and drugged. As she opens the door he knocks her down. After a struggle, Fey manages to get his arms and legs bound. She confesses that she wanted Addie to decipher a journal she found. Ryan says he knows some Ancient Daedalic and thinks he can decipher it. They make a pact to help each other escape the labyrinth. The war between Harmonia, Kleos, and Fates complicates Ryan and Fey’s plan to decipher the map and escape the labyrinth.

Can we talk about the cover? WOW! Isn’t it fantastic? I absolutely love it. The story is told from Fey Bell’s first person perspective, which effectively leaves the reader out of the loop. Fey Bell is a badass female protagonist who has become hard, calculating, cunning, and extremely skilled thanks to her training from the Executioner and Fey’s time alone in the labyrinth. There are a lot of characters introduced early on in the story from both the Kleos and Harmonia groups. Ryan is one of my favorite characters, but my absolutely most favorite is the Mud Maid. The short chapters and suspenseful writing worked together to create a thrilling page-turning story. I will warn you – you may end up staying well past your bedtime wanting to read “just one more”. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

There are only a couple of small things that hindered me from giving Children of Daedala 5 Stars. I don’t like Elle at all. I found her terribly annoying, and I couldn’t care less if she was kidnapped or killed. Which is problematic because I think I was supposed to care about her. I would have loved a map at the beginning of the book to help visualize the labyrinth. Some of the dialogue was a little clunky and didn’t feel authentic.

Children of Daedala is a dark tale filled with conflict that reminds me of Lord of the Flies, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games, all rolled into one.

After attempting to pick this book up a few times since I was approved I have finally decided to put it down and DNF it at 16%. This book just didn't pull me in at all.

i read this book but found it hard to get in took me a while to read i think that will be a lot of people that will love the book. The book was not for me

After reading the first book in this series, I was really scared the second wouldn't live up. Thankfully that was not the case with Children of Daedala. Also thank to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book.

I loved the change to the main character from the first book to the second book. I had really been hoping all she needed was a mentor, and I was right. In this story our main character (still nameless) moves from being the traumatized victim of the labyrinth to being the strongest most baddass character ever. I loved that the main character doesn't speak much on top of being nameless, it makes for a unique twist in the story. I loved her mentor, The Executioner and their relationship was really great.  And the cliffhanger at the end of the book is just crazy. 

There were a few things that I could critique the story on. Like with the first book there should be a trigger warning. All the male characters are evil pieces of shit and they made me really angry.  I hated seeing Ryan being turned into somewhat of a ''good guy" and I didn't like it that he shames the MC for making him feel guilty about almost raping her. Like really, he deserved more than being guilt tripped for it. Of course he makes the excuse that he was never going to do anything, but he still hurt and terrified her and threatened to rape her and that's not excusable in my book. But I also liked that no one could take advantage of her in this book, she plays everyone and is able to look out for herself. You can really see her growth as a character throughout the story.

All in all this was another 4 star book for me, and I'm looking forward to reading the third eventually.

I had read the first novel in this series and was just curious enough to request to read the second. In this sequel, I definitely see improvement. There is more forward motion, a more likable protagonist, and better writing. Smith has evolved in her second book to create a more enjoyable read that teens can get into. While the first book was littered with holes and ambiguity, this sequel fills in some of those holes and finally names our protagonist. I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first, but still do not think that I will wait for more. Trying to get teens into this series just to get to the second book would be a feat. I will keep an eye out for future endeavors to see how much more Caighlan Smith can grow.

unfortunately I didn't realize this was book 2 of a series until after I requested it so i have not read it yet.

I went back and read my review of Children of Icarus before writing this review, and it turns out I found the main character really passive. Luckily, that wasn’t the case here. She makes a lot more of her own decisions and does a lot more on her own. Consequently, I enjoyed this book far more than the first.

That said, while in the first book we learn something about how the labyrinth works and the why of the labyrinth, we don’t learn anything new here. We do learn that there are more people in the labyrinth and that they don’t get along, but no progress is made beyond simple survival. I like survival books, though, so that worked pretty well for me. The overall plot of the series, though, doesn’t really advance.

There is a love triangle, which worked less for me. Honestly, it seems like the main character has other things to worry about besides which boy to kiss. But I guess not. Because she spends a lot of time worrying about boys.

The ending also annoyed me a bit because there isn’t one. Cliffhangers are trendy, I guess? But they do nothing for me. A book should be able to stand alone, even if it’s part of a larger arc, and this one really didn’t.

But if you like survival and kids plotting against each other, you should probably read this series anyway.

When I first started reading I wasn't aware that this was the second book in the series. Not having read the first book it took me a long time to be able to get into the story and to relate to the main character. I regret not having read the first book because it would have provided more context. I really enjoyed reading about the relationships between the characters and within the different groups. The writing was excellent and the story was full of action, drama and heart! I am only giving this 4 stars only because of not understanding everything without having read the first book.

I wanted to love this book with all my heart, as the premise sounds amazing and very intriguing. But I couldn't follow it at all and everything seemed to jump around in the story. I could not relate to any of the characters and had no clear picture of what they looked like in my head. There also didn't seem to be enough background to explain who anyone is, why they're in the Labyrinth and why they're broken up into factions. Very disappointing.

I've received a copy of this novel from netgalley for an honest review. Going into this book I didn't know it was a sequel so I feel like there were probably some things I missed out like word building, etc. I still found this book easy to get into. I really enjoyed it. If you love dystopian YA novels you should pick this up. I definitely will be buying a physical copy next year and I will be picking up book one very soon. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

I, like many of the reviews I read, did not realize that this was the second in the series until after I started reading it. While it is possible to still enjoy this book as a stand-alone, I think it would definitely be best paired with the first and probably the one after (which has not been released or announced as of this writing). It really didn't take me long to catch on to what had happened in the story and understand dynamics in this one. That being said, it's a pretty intense ride. There is action from beginning to end and I had a hard time putting it down when bedtime rolled around. In a few ways it reminded me of the first Maze Runner book, which is the one I enjoyed the most. I will definitely be checking out the first book and watching for the continuation of the series.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Six months alone in the labyrinth has made her strong. But the search for the exit means gambling on an old ‘friend’ and going against everything she’s been taught to survive. You know the labyrinth will have yet more horrors lurking in its depths. You’ve learned few people can be trusted. But freedom is tantalizingly close. Are you ready to take the risk?

My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I absolutely loved the first book, and immediately after finishing that started on this one. The story begins six months after the last. The main character has been surviving on her own after her mentor died, and has adopted the nickname Fey Bell. Obviously she's been doing something right if she's survived this long. She's discovered two more tribes of Icarii, who have been battling each other for who knows how long in the labyrinth. Fates is still active and although she hasn't run into them since escaping their cruel plan to kill her, she's worried she will one day. She still hasn't found an exit.

After killing a group of screechers, she sees the last people she ever wanted to see again. The kids from Fates. They treated her terribly, and I wouldn't doubt that they'd do it again. She saves them from the attack and they're still unwilling to treat her any differently. She takes one of them hostage in exchange for someone of more value. They don't cooperate and she ends up stuck with one of them under her wing who doesn't want to do anything but make things more difficult for her.

This book, like the first one, is set in the labyrinth. It's exciting and full of action. The characters have changed a lot, but they're still the same people despite the time jump. She gets to know some of the other groups of people in the labyrinth that weren't previously discovered, which is cool. It gives it another side to this massive labyrinth. They’re alive and kicking, they're fighting each other, and she has to play into that to get what she needs, a friend, and a way out of this hell, hopefully.

Overall this book is everything I wanted it to be and more. I need to know what happens next! Some books lose quality throughout the series, but this hasn't even a little bit. I loved every page and I wish I could read more but this one hasn't even come out yet so I've got a bit of a wait ahead of me. I definitely recommend checking it out in addition to the first book because I want you to love it as much as I do.

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

I want it to be noted that I read this book not realizing it was a sequel. At the time of this review, I have not yet read Children of Icarus which I have 400% intentions of doing because this book was freaking AWESOME.


"We feed traitors to the monsters"


This book has monsters, a big ass maze, warring teenagers, Greek mythology, and characters that I have real and very raw emotions for!

The MC is a hardened, quiet, self-determined, and intelligent young woman who the reader is given no name for. Instead we know her as 'Fey Bell'. The strength is ridiculously admirable but her adolescent musings and emotions all pore through the cracks as well and holy cow I want her to be my best friend.

She's not the only character I have intense feelings though - Ryan, my gorgeous, scowling gem and Risa -but seriously I also want a Risa for myself, because she is precious and darling and dear me, have my children?

There will be monster slaying, there will be human slaying, there will be feuds and peril and serious serious trust issues (wouldn't you if EVERYONE HAD A SWORD OR SPEAR OR ARROW???).

My only gripe was that the world building - the stories of Icarus and why the Icarii, the characters backgrounds in Daedala, the losses that my beloved characters endured but I didn't - these are things that I wanted MORE of. But now, in hindsight and with the understanding that this was a sequel (I have NO IDEA how I missed this because it's the second thing mentioned on the book's NetGallery page? I am 130% assuming that I was distracted by the SO-SCRUMPTIOUS-I-WANNA-BITE-IT cover), I have faith that this has already been established in the first book of the series.

And so, I will be back with an update. CoI has already been ordered (at 3am this morning upon finishing CoD) and I will return with my update and hopefully so much further applause for Smith. Because honestly I am in love.

To see my Twitter ramblings for this book, click here.
A HUGE thank you for my ARC from NetGallery, Caighlan Smith, and Capstone!

Children of Daedala (Children of Icarus #2) by Caighlan Smith is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I want to thank them for letting me read this good book. I did enjoy this book and all the characters in it. I didn't read book one and this left me at a disadvantage and lost for a while. I don't feel the author helped me get caught up in the story. I finally pieced things together enough but I feel I lost a great deal of the story. Advice, read book one first. I love mythology and the premise of this book. I liked the characters but it seemed a bit disorganized and confusing. I liked the creatures too. Loved the cover! I did enjoy the book and feel it is worth the read for sure just read book one first.

Received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazeballs!

I'm so happy and honored that I got to read this book before it even comes out! Even though I read it out of order I'm not even mad. Because I honestly had no idea there was a book before this until after I read it. If that doesn't scream how amazing this book is then I don't know what else will. And now I really want to read Children of Icarus. I also secretly hope there will be another book added to this series because you cannot leave me hanging like that.

Other than that I loved the main character. I get that I didn't read the first book and if I did I would assume that I would fall even more in love with the MC but since I didn't.. I will have no idea until I read it.

Children of Daedala will give you adventure, monsters, and even more than you can imagine. It was an epic read. It will blow your freaking mind. You will love it. Go read it.

Yes, please! I'll take COD for the road! SO, SO good!