Children of Daedala (Children of Icarus #2) by Caighlan Smith (2018)
-eARC Review-

YA Fiction | Dark Fantasy/Mythology | Horror
Blurb:

“Six months alone in the labyrinth has made her strong. But the search for the exit means gambling on an old ‘friend’ and going against everything she’s been taught to survive. You know the labyrinth will have yet more horrors lurking in its depths. You’ve learned few people can be trusted. But freedom is tantalizingly close. Are you ready to take the risk?”
–Goodreads 

Expected Publication Date: April 1, 2018

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Book One: CHILDREN OF ICARUS

pooled ink Review:

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

HOLY CANNOLI. GIMME A MINUTE. MY HEAD IS SPINNING. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?? WHY IS IT OVER?? WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER EON FOR THE NEXT BOOK??
*deep inhale* … *deep exhale* …x100

Okay. I think I’m ready to type my review now. Maybe.

I don’t know anyone who’s read these books but everyone should (I might be in the minority with this series but hopefully not! For whatever reason I think it’s pretty fantastic). I read the first book as an ARC and I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. (You can read my review here). But despite the fact that I swallowed it in one epic day a lot of time has passed since then. Even so when I saw the sequel pop up I knew I wanted to read it. Sure the details of the story had gone a bit hazy in my brain but I remembered being intrigued. WELL THANK GOODNESS I GOT THIS ARC BECAUSE LORDY MY LIFE IS SHOOKETH.

The main character is still nameless (which I love) although she does pick up the nickname Fey Bell due to the fact that she wears a bell around her neck and she can seemingly disappear into the mist like the rumored fey. If you’ve read the first book then you already know that the main character was a changed person by the end but holy snap she is epic in this book.

Collin and the Fates have still completely abandoned/turned against her (except for a forgiving few who pop up here and there) so when Fates is attacked the main character doesn’t particularly care until she realizes that someone is missing: Elle. The one person (half crazy though she may be) who might still care. And from there on Elle becomes a crucial game piece in the insanity of political manipulations that happen next.

But who cares about Fates, anyway? They’re cowards. Bleh. Let’s not waste our time. This book widens the world of the labyrinth to introduce two other clans: Kleos (all boys) and Harmonia (all girls). They’re both unique, fascinating, and locked in a tenuous truce underlined with hatred (of course).

As the main character finds allies new and old, warring leaders move her around like a chess piece, except that to their chagrin she actually is the one owning the board. While the warrior cloaks herself as a pawn she desperately tries to figure out which clan is lying, which should be saved, and whom (if anyone) she can trust.

Trust me, it’s intense.

Most of the time when I read I have an annoying little corner of my brain trying to guess what will happen next but honestly I was so wrapped up and reading in the moment that I didn’t even have time to think about being clever. I just strapped on the safety harness, put my hands in the air, and went for the ride internally screaming all the way. And I loved it.

But back to my favorite part: THE MAIN CHARACTER.

She’s still mostly silent but damn she’s not afraid or crying anymore. She can still fade into the shadows but it’s no longer shyness. She is no longer hiding out of fear. There is an undeniable strength behind her presence that would make any wise person pause with caution (and several well-armed icarii do just that). She is a force to be reckoned with. Trained by the Executioner herself she hunts the labyrinth alone and with careful deadly precision.

The thing that I love about her character arc is that she’s essentially the same person at her core and yet she’s also completely changed. I knew enemies had better beware when I finished the first book and I was so right oh my word it’s awesome.

(Can I liken her to Katniss from Hunger Games, Caelena from Throne of Glass, with some  Mia from Nevernight thrown in, and maybe a pinch of Azriel from A Court of Mist and Fury?? Well I’m gonna.)

Much of the story is told through the main character’s thoughts and observations like with the first book, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t action aplenty. Monsters, warring clans, hidden motives, clever liars…everything is deadly in the labyrinth and nothing is as it seems. I’m serious, this book is so much better than the last one and the last one was pretty great so…*shrugs with a giant knowing smile about to burst*

Oh I just don’t even know what to write! I’m still caught up in a flurry of emotions! My review has surely become little more than a squealing fangirl jumping on her bed and dying because there is no one there to freak out with. These books just suck me into their world and the next thing I know the day has turned into night and I’m left an emotional wreck reeling from the awesomeness my eyes have just devoured. Why don’t more people know about this series???

Are there flaws in this story/series? Quite likely.
Will everyone be a fan of these books? Highly doubtful.
Do I care? NOPE, BECAUSE I THINK THEY’RE GREAT 😄

Lord of the Flies meets a hellhole of monsters and myth in this gripping continuation of a girl’s journey from shadow to blade. Dark, thrilling, and injected with stakes that will cause your heart to pound both in fear and delight, Children of Daedala is a mind-whipping sequel to an epic series.

I anxiously (but eagerly) await the next installment.

Cheers.

P.S. I love the cover of this one!! It was part of the reason I knew I had to revisit this series!

 Purchase here: Children of Daedala

Read the rest of the series: Children of Icarus (Book #1) 

Similar recommended reads: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

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