Hindsight product reviews

Sequel to the stunning and somewhat surprising Diamond Eyes, this tales kicks off only days after the tail end of the last. Mira is facing the strong possibility of freedom, despite the hinderances thrown in her path by the red tape brigade and the strange man who can hear the future. Planning a future with the man she has fallen in love with, and making enemies in the process is all part of "life on the outside of the walls" as far as she in concerned... but when those enemies turn out to be far more determined, and powerful, than anyone dared to think, life is starting to seem like an impossible mission, with "peaceful and loving" sheer folloy to even dream about.

Full of dramatic tension, twists and machinations impossible to predict, this is certainly a rollercoaster of a read... and frankly, if it hadn't been, I would have been very disappointed. As it was, I was thrilled to receive it and simply couldn't wait to dive in. Life, of course, has other plans even for the most dedicated reviewer... and it took me a few weeks more than planned to get around to it. Once I did, however, it was rapidly consumed with great glee, as every sentence read demanded I read just one more paragraph, one more page, one more chapter... until, with great sadness, I found myself staring at the final page thinking "OK, so what happens next?" and fervently wishing A.A. Bell has at least one more volume up her sleeve... Mira really is a character who's special gift allows the author to span centuries of events without ever running short of some plot element to consider and explore.

Overall, though I plowed through this all too rapidly, I could easily sit and read through it all over again. I doubt I would garner anything new from the plot - unlike watching a movie for a second time, a book doesn't really have that "stuff going on in the background" to pick up on - I would still consider it time well spent in pleasurable literary escape. An excellent book to have on hand for sitting outside in the early Summer evenings when you want something physically restful to do, but won't put you to sleep.