Book one in the series was incredible, and somehow Williams has managed to raise the bar with this new installment! Tension, intrigue, excitement, and unforgettable characters and locales fill the pages of this book. You get drawn right in and dropped in the midst of everything. I was very interested to see where everyone landed after the end of book one - and where the magical war they'd all been roped into would take them next. It really feels you're right alongside each character as they share their POV. It adds a lot of depth to the story, seeing how unique each one's take is. The action scenes will definitely get your heart racing, but there's plenty of tension from cover-to-cover to keep you reading. If you enjoy fast-paced, multi-layered, YA paranormal suspense and mysteries, then you'll want to grab this!

Brace yourselves for a long, dragging read with an endless search for adventures and answers. The book can be read as a standalone despite being a sequel. However, there are so many subplots upon subplots, it slowly becomes tiring. The storyline felt like it could have ended so many times.

Characters come and go and then suddenly return. There is little character development, which is a negative in a story with lots of protagonists and antagonists.

If you are a fan of fiction and adventures, I say give it a try, but have patience, because there are a lot of unresolved questions; even the characters themselves must wonder throughout the story where this plot will go.

Twists and turns are expected, but all the introductions of new villains and settings lack impact.

If you are an avid reader, I still recommend it, as it tried its hardest to be exciting, unique and readable. But I guess it came up a little short for my taste.

Secrets of the Highlands is book two in the Beacon Hill series. The book picks up where book one left off with Jack’s life in danger from carrying Eden’s Star in his body, and Emma’s powers restored and growing. As Jack and Emma travel with their friends to distant locations and other realms, they discover that there are ancient artifacts of the seven Cherub tribes they have to find before those in the Merikh do first.

This book packed in as much action and adventure as the first book. Travelling to exotic locations and other realms was exciting, and the world building and magical powers became more defined as the story progressed. The treasure hunt to find the rest of the artifacts has me excited to read the next book in the series.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and Tyndale House & Wander in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An adventurous and mysterious quest to find the truth. Young friends must decide who they can trust and forage for the ancient artifacts, This is part of a series so it would be helpful to read book one first, but not required, you can catch up pretty quickly. Good world building.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley

A new author for me. While D.J. Williams’ speculative novel SECRETS OF THE HIGHLANDS (book 2 in the Beacon Hill series), is outside my usual genre, I wanted to read for my teenaged grandson. Even though I jumped into the fray—having not read book one—I was caught up in the fast-paced story.

Readers of supernatural, faith-based mystery and thrilling suspense will enjoy this book. The author’s familiarity with exotic locales sometimes lost me and I wish I had a map, however there was enough action and intense “what will happen next” to keep me reading.

While I give this book a strong four stars, I suspect my grandson would give it a five. Looking forward to the final book in the series. And yes, I want to read it!

An ARC was provided by the publisher for my honest review.

ARC Review

Secrets of the Highlands by D.J. Williams is a supernatural new adult novel. It's the second book from the Beacon Hill series.

It's a great book filled with mystery, action and suspense. A well-written story with very detailed descriptions of the scenery
and everything that happens. Which makes it easier for those who are not familiar with the series to understand what's going on.
It has a slow and steady build-up with a few surprises along the way. I like how the author mixes the modern world with the
fantastic one. This book is perfect for teenagers and older readers.

If you like fantasy novels then you'll enjoy this one as well. I will rate it with 4 stars.

Action and adventure, supernatural, mystery. To be continued... A better option for teens than a lot of what's out there, in my opinion. Not really theologically correct, but not sure that the author is really going for that. I read it as a "made up" story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This was a strong sequel from Hunt for Eden’s Star, D. J. Williams does a great job in creating a good supernatural novel. I was invested in the plot and thought the characters worked overall. I loved the cover and glad it was just as good as Hunt for Eden’s Star.

These are not your usual Scottish Highlands - they are invisible to all but a few! This is the second book in a series - Hunt for Eden's Star introduces the characters - Jack, Emma, Eliska, Tim,Vince and their friends are fighting a war against evil forces with supernatural powers who do not care who they kill or what they destroy in their search for hidden artifacts.
Jack and his friends instantly travel through deserts, the Highlands and other countries in search of weapons to defeat the Merickh, the forces of evil led by Jack's father, Addison, and Jack's former roommate, Will. They inject the blood of Cherubs who have magical healing and defensive abilities into their own bloodstream to take these gifts for themselves.
Who will win?