Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

Angel Arias is the sequel to Burn bright, if you have not read Burn bright then be warned that there are ***SPOILERS*** in this review.  If you want to read the books in order then don't read this until you have read the first book.

Naif and her friends are away from Ixion and living with others that Ruzalia the pirate has rescued.  It should be a time of relaxation and coming to terms with what they have learned, but instead it is a time of unease and tension.  The other young people around them are growing restless, pushing at the boundaries that Ruzalia has set in place, boundaries put there to keep them safe.  When the anger and resentment boils over into an all out attack, Naif and her friends find themselves searching for safety. 

That search eventually lands Naif and Markes in the last place they might have expected - they have returned to their homeland of Grave.  They are on a dangerous mission to discover what the connection in between Grave and Ixion, two places that seem at first to be polar opposites, but there are secrets that will blow that illusion away forever.  While Naif searches for the answer to their questions in Grave, Lenoir is struggling to keep control in Ixion, control that is slowly slipping through his fingers with each passing day.  As both Lenoir and Naif learn what is really going on, it may alrady be too late to stop a dangerous slide into disaster - for everyone.

This is the second book in the trilogy, and apart from one mistake where one of the characters is called by the wrong name, it is another deftly written book and moves along at a rapid pace.  In some ways this series is very lightly written, lacking some of the depth and detail in other series, but it keeps the pace moving along and there is enough story to keep things interesting and engaging. 

At times Angel Arias does seem to suffer a little from “second book” syndrome, reminding readers of important parts from the first book and then dropping hints about what is to come in the concluding book.  Naif is still the central character of the story, with the focus on her while the other characters revolve around her and come in and out of focus as she works her way through Grave, but it works for this story.

Don’t expect too much from this series except to enjoy it and you will – expect too much from this series and you will be disappointed.  The relationships at the centre of the story are at times breathtaking in their dept, but at other times the friendships echoe everyday friendships that we all have.  Bring on book three to see how this trilogy finally ends – especially now that some of the dark secrets of both Grave and Ixion have been revealed and you know some kind of big event is going to happen.

If you like this book then try:

• Crave by Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns
• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
• Blood and chocolate by Annette Curtis Klaus
Tinker by Wen Spencer

Reviewed by Brilla