Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Stolen (Heart of Dread #2) by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston, ends 1/21

The doctors had made her believe the mark was a curse, and the flame on her chest was a symbol that nearly cost her life many times. Nat had been frightened and ashamed of her power; it had warped her, it had filled her thoughts with helplessness and destruction, but now she understood the source of that rage. It was the passion of an artist unable to paint, a poet unable to write. Denied a true understanding of the gift she'd been born with, she was unable to express her power, and so she had turned it inward, and lived with anger in her soul.

She had been groping in the dark, but now, looking at that tall white city suspended in the sky, Nat felt as if she had stepped into the light at last.

This is the second book in the Heart of Dread series, written by Melissa de la Cruz and her husband, Michael Johnston, and I reviewed the first book in the series, Frozen, back in September 2013. I liked the dystopian concept of that novel, and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Although I didn't enjoy book #2 quite as much, it was still a fun story, and it went by quickly.

Official synopsis:
Months after Nat and Wes said good-bye on the shores of the Blue, Nat is learning how to control and use her new power. She and her drakon are the last of their kind—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. When she receives a mysterious distress call, she races to help, soliciting the guidance of her new friend, the beautiful and aloof Faix Lazaved of the Blue.

Still heartbroken over losing Nat, Wes is racing cars on a New Vegas racetrack while his team is scattered and lost. When he finds out that his sister, Eliza, is being held in the golden domes of El Dorado, he does what he’s best at—running to her side—and gambles on luck to see him through one more time.

Magic, romance, and danger collide as Nat and Wes become entangled in a dark new adventure that leads right to the heart of the mystery of their frozen, broken world. They soon discover that the answer to both their quests lies in the same question: Who is Eliza Wesson—what is she capable of, and why was she stolen from her family so long ago?

This installment finds our heroes separated, at first. Nat is off with Faix, who also has special powers, and Wes is off trying to find his sister, Eliza. Their stories intertwine near the end of the book, but at the beginning, I much preferred Wes's story; he was off fighting and galavanting, so to speak, whereas Nat was learning about her powers from Faix. 

While I do love dystopian books, I think I enjoyed the first book in this series a little more because most of it took place in New Vegas, which I found to be quite interesting. The second half of this book started to get more action / fast-paced than the first, so that was good, but at the beginning I kept picking up the book and then coming back to it since it was a little slower. 

This series is a trilogy, so there will be one more book with these characters - this book definitely ended on a cliffhanger, so I'm looking forward to reading book #3. 

3.5 stars out of 5.

{To buy Frozen, book #1, click here}

{To buy Stolen, book #2, click here}

GIVEAWAY:

Enter via the widget below. Two lucky winners will receive a hardcover copy of the novel. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, January 21st at 11:59pm EST, and winners will be notified the day after, via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Stolen (Heart of Dread #2)