A retelling of Les Miserables is exactly what I wanted! This book had its us and downs but worth the read! I cannot stress what a treat tit was to read this sequel!

With Between Burning Worlds, I really enjoyed the direction the story took. I feel like it took on its own life away from the Les Mis inspiration and it was wonderful to experience. However, the book was so long. Like, way too long. I appreciate the development of the characters and that they each needed to grow and have room for that growth, but it was just a bit too much. Even though this is a fantasy book, and I fully expect those to be giant books, 700 pages just didn't feel like right size for this one. If it had been just a tad smaller and a tad quicker with more of the actual plot, I would have loved this book to pieces. While I still immensely enjoyed it, I can't say that I loved it.

I received this galley while reading the first book in the series. I did not like the first book, so I did not give this one the chance it deserved. It definitely suffered from second book syndrome.

This is a wonderful follow-up to the first book. The fantastic world-building from the first book carries over into this one, and the characters are just as wonderful as I remember.

This was a very interesting sci-fi retelling of Les Miserables! I thoroughly enjoyed this creative take on the original! I’m looking forward to more!

When the reader last left Marcellus, Alouette, and Chatine, Marcellus had agreed to help the Vangarde, Chatine was on her way to prison on Bastille, and the truth was revealed to Alouette about the Refuge. Plunging back into the epic, Chatine is forced to mine zyttrium on Bastille until forces align to assist in breaking out the most notorious prisoner on the moon. Taking her chance, Chatine hops a ride and finds herself on an unexpected adventure in the Terrain Perdu. Meanwhile, Alouette has left the Refuge to search for her mother, which leads her back to Montfer and the Jondrette, and Marcellus’s path sees him discovering his grandfather’s hidden plans for the Regime. And when these three characters collide, it’s only to discover a greater weapon that threatens to destroy all of Laterre.

Between Burning Worlds expands the universe that was created in Sky Without Stars. In terms of setting, there is more discussion of Usonia, providing a greater understanding of the system of planets surrounding Laterre. However, the best new location introduction was the planet of Albion. As this is often another name for England, it was not surprising that there was a great deal of enmity between these two planets since historically France and England had a contentious relationship. Heading to Albion also provided a look at the various technologies that govern these worlds.

Several new characters are also introduced and woven seamlessly into the lives of the three main protagonists. Gabriel Courfey (Courfeyrac his Les Miserables counterpart) and Cerise Chevalier round out the crew of four, which includes Alouette and Marcellus, as they infiltrate Albion to discover more about a potential weapon. In the Terrain Perdu, Etienne is an excellent addition to Chatine’s world, one that offers some hope for a better ending than her Les Miserables counterpart, Eponine. Roche also gets a larger role in Between Burning Worlds, and he seems to be an amalgam of Gavroche and the two unnamed Thénardiers boys from Les Miserables, creating an interesting scenario for Chatine to unravel. There are a few other names that appear with potential Les Miserables connections, including Grantaire and Jolras Epernay (counterpart Enjolras). As these final two get little page time, it will be interesting to see whether they have a larger role to play in the third installment.

Finally, in terms of the overall connection to Les Miserables, I would say that Between Burning Worlds leans more heavily into the young adult genre rather than that of a retelling. The story diverges heavily from the source material, turning instead to works like the Lunar Chronicles for inspiration. Additionally, Between Burning Worlds definitely felt like a middle novel. While new settings and characters were added, it at times felt like the story was spinning its wheels a bit in preparation for the climax of the novel. The ending was well written and certainly earned, and as a reader, I will be tuning in for the next installment eagerly waiting to see how all the pieces that have been lined up are resolved.

I loved it! I binged it in one go. Enjoyed the characters' development and the plot wasn't too slow paced. I loved both equally, which is why I enjoyed my reading experience with this book so much.

Oh, how I love this series. The second book in the System Divine trilogy is just as good as the first. Though I am reserving my complete review for when I finish the third book so I can do a full series review.

This fantastic Fantasy/Sci Fi sequel to Sky Without Stars is a page-turner. Readers will be on the edge of their seats in suspense to follow Marcaellus, Chatine, and Allouette as they race to save Laterre.

The chosen one mentality strikes again. Sure it is the oldest trope out there but man does it get old. I thought that this would be an ensemble, where people pf different backgrounds come together to save the world but nope. It has people of different backgrounds come together to support the chosen one. one to fall in love with and the others find life-changing friendships. all the cliches in one place.
Now this being said I still liked it and enjoyed it. and cannot wait for the third one. This is a place I want to visit. I want to be one of the people from the different backgrounds who support Chatine and Marcellus in their quest to save Laterre

This one started off much like the first book, full of information and a little bit slow which makes it difficult to feel fully immersed in the story. I kept thinking this was another super long book that could have been trimmed down a lot and still gotten the point across. The last quarter of the book though really made up for the first three quarters, it was full of excitement and emotion and I was a little more interested in the story at that point!

Rating 4.5/5

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I read the first in the series, Sky Without Stars, this time last year. I think sometimes that anticipation and expectation does mean that you can sometimes run the risk of being bitterly disappointed but that was definitely not the case with this book if anything it exceeded my expectations.

In Between Burning Worlds it definitely breaks away from its original inspiration and becomes this suspenseful and engrossing adventure of a book. You can still recognise that it stemmed from Les Mis, some of the characters names and the characters arcs are similar but start to really come into their own and weave a story that has had me utterly gripped. Which is impressive as it is quite an intimidating book at over 650 pages long but once I got sucked into the world of the System Divine I hardly noticed.

One thing that I was so grateful for at the start of the book; and I really do think that authors writing series should include more; was a recap of each character, which helps you remember where everyone was at the end of the first book and helped me recall some of the key plot points. It meant that I didn’t feel like I was having to try and figure it out whilst reading the first few chapters and could actually just enjoy getting back into the story.

Chatine continues to be my favourite character, I love her strength and determination even though she faces some very bleak situations. I’m glad to say that I’m happy with where Marcellus’s journey is taking him, that he is becoming more of his own person. I am also pleased that Alouette has more character in this book, I wasn’t really all that sure of her in the first book but she actually has a purpose now and there are a lot of intriguing questions about her past and her future that made her sections a lot more enjoyable.

There are also a host of new characters that have popped up in this story, which I am enjoying especially as it plays with the dynamics that were created in the first book with the main three. There are also a lot more stressors in this book, the power plays are coming from all angles, there are some surprises and it makes for some very intense reading as we discover new parts of this world.

Between Burning Worlds is an amazing continuation of the series, it has the same wonderful world-building but with even more drama and tension and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

I wanted to love this one but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t relate to any characters and that is a huge part for me.

Such a remarkable book, I love how this second book immersed me back into this magical world of Paris. The storyline behind the third estate and everyone involved keeps me coming back for more. I am looking forward to the third book!

This book was a good conclusion to the first book. I was a huge fan of the characters quite a bit, and i loved how much they were devoloped. The plot was awesome, even if it kinda did seem slow at times, but it's amazing!

The one thing I have to complain about is that I wasn't too much of a fan with the romance, but it's seriously really amazing and I'm surprised that not much people have read it!

Between Burning Worlds was just as good as the first one! I loved being back in this world. I loved being with the characters again. Everything about this series is so well done! I can't wait to see how it will end!

This was a super intense read and an excellent follow up to Sky Without Stars. As the plot continues were it left off from the first novel, this book gets even a little crazier and leaves the reader thirsty for more. You won't want to sleep because knowing is so much more important!

I really enjoyed the first book.

THIS ONE IS SO MUCH BETTER (which I never say about a second book). The new characters are fabulous, the story telling is better and the pacing is much better.

I am loving this series! Fun, rich characters, lots of great twists, and just the right amount of romance. Really wonderful reimagining of the French Revolution as a futuristic cyber/space world. Les Mis meets Cinder is the perfect description.

4.5*
This sequel to Sky Without Stars is as good as the first book. The retelling of the classic Les Miserables adds new characters and other worlds as Marcellus, Alouette and Chatine try to thwart the General (Marcellus’ grandfather) who has a new weapon in production that will create even more havoc on Laterre. The authors have expanded upon the Hugo tale by bringing in fresh and creative twists. Alouette’s father, a key player in the original tale, is not included here and he is missed. But there’s so much to like that one can overlook his absence.

New characters include a “criminal mastermind” (or so he self-describes himself), a flashy hacker from the Second Estate, a dashing guy from the outer realms and a new rebel leader who is bent on revenge. The adventures go beyond Laterre and the Bastille (the mining prison), to other planets and to the outer reaches that are thought to be uninhabitable. The new characters bring lively dialog as they trade barbs with members of the original cast. The world building continues to impress as the story expands to other areas in a creative and fascinating way.

As Marcellus works to outwit his grandfather, he is repeatedly reminded that his grandfather is always two steps ahead of him and, just like with their chess games, he’s continually bested by the older man. It will take a Herculean effort for him and his band of friends to stop his grandfather’s evil plan. Fortunately, Chatine, Alouette and Cerise have talents of their own that make them a formidable team. No doubt, it’s the women who shine here. Chatine is especially remarkable for her daring, her savvy and her gritty determination. Her character also develops in interesting ways. Alouette comes to appreciate the training she received at the hands of the Sisters and learns more about her who she really is.

As the book closes, there are new revelations and a twist that will leave everyone with a burning desire to read the next installment as soon as possible. This series has so much action and intensity that it will leave readers breathless. Riveting story with great writing – a true tour de force.