Hover (Taking Trilogy, #2)

by Melissa West

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Picking up approximately a month later, Hover starts out with Ari finishing up her healing after a near death experience. She is now on Loge, where she and many other humans were promised sanctuary from the impending war. Of course, this isn't entirely true. What follows is an action packed adventure as Ari tries to take out the Ancient's leader, Zeus, while also saving innocent lives. I do think I enjoyed this one more than the first book, but not by much. I liked that there was much more world-building, and the romance was more interesting as we got to know Jackson more as well. Unfortunately, the overall plot doesn't move forward very much and the ending is a huge cliffhanger that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I was very excited to get off of Earth and onto Loge in Hover. While there are many differences between the two planets, they're sadly very similar. I really wanted to see more of what makes Loge, Loge, but we only get a very small glimpse of the dying planet. Sure the sky and water are different colors and quite pretty from the descriptions, but that's really all that we get. Triad--the city where this book takes place--is closed off by a wall, so that explains the isolated view, but I still expected more. There are some interesting facts about the Ancient's everyday life and how their society is structured, but there are no real details. Ari at one point makes a comment about not being able to tell which of her clothes are for everyday and which are for sleep, but we never get any descriptions of the fashion beyond that. I think the author had an amazing opportunity to immerse us into Logean culture but failed to do so.

Like I said before, the plot is action packed but doesn't really go anywhere, but where Hover does shine is with its characters. Obviously we get to know Ari better, and get to see her grow and adapt to this new world. However, where most of my interest lied was with the Ancients. Jackson is harboring some dark secrets and I loved seeing his strong facade crack. It made him feel more real, and less like this perfect love interest. We also meet his grandmother, Mami, whom he loves something fierce! There's also Emmy, Ari's healer, who plays a pivotal role in Ari's growth and in the development of her abilities. Emmy is certainly a special character and I enjoyed her immensely. We also get to meet Jackson's housemate, Vill, who is a super genius, but I didn't feel like we got to know him as well as we could have. Then of course, we have Zeus: evil mastermind, dictator, and Jackson's grandfather. He is a horrible person! He is manipulative and arrogant to the core! He did feel like a bit of a bad guy stereotype at times, but over all I think he makes a great villain.

The romance takes a backseat to the rebellion and planned assassination, but it is still there. Ari hasn't forgotten that Jackson has lied to her and kept secrets, but she does struggle with her feelings toward him. They can't just disappear overnight, but she's not willing to pursue things until she feels they can fully trust each other. I liked that she stood her ground on this issue, while at the same time I wanted to her hurry up and forgive him! It's clear he cares, but he has personal issues that he needs to deal with and doesn't want to drag her into. These two do have some sweet scenes together, so not all is lost! Don't expect an epic reunion with lots of kissing, because you will be disappointed. But as much as I love me some kissing books, I liked how the romance played out in Hover.

In the end, I quite enjoyed Hover. It's still missing something for me, and did succumb to a mild case of Middle of a Trilogy Syndrome. I do wish that the aliens were more alien-y and that Loge was more distinct, but I think the author had some great ideas even if they weren't fully explored. I was engaged from the very first chapter up until the very last page, but that ending did throw me off a bit. It's definitely the kind of ending that will make you want to read the next book though!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.