Sea of Stars (Kricket, 2) Paperback – March 31, 2015

This was an amazing sequel that sets up the third book in the Kricket series perfectly. Honestly, this was one of the best sequels I have read, and I can't wait to see what happens in Darken the Stars! Sea of Stars is action-packed, full of twists and turns, and sweet, beautiful romance that will sweep you off your feet. I couldn't put this book down, and you won't be able to either. The writing was gorgeous and just as her previous books, Amy Bartol has a supreme talent that will leave you breathless. Every scene is richly described and you feel connected with the characters in a way that few authors can manage.Kricket herself is stand out in this novel. She grows so much in this book, and is no longer meek and mild. Kricket speaks her mind, does what she wants, and fights with everything in her for those she loves and cares about. She is willing to go to any length to fight for what she believes in, and Kricket is truly one of my favorite female leads. We also begin to understand more about her powers and exactly what she can do. There are major changes in this book, and I can't wait to see how her powers are furthered explored in the third book. I loved her relationship with Trey--the just mix so well together, and are meant for each other. Put simply, they have magic.Trey is just swoonworthy, and the heat that comes off the page in this book is like no other. You will definitely be fanning yourself while reading some scenes because they are HOT, HOT, HOT! Sea of Stars is definitely NA rather than YA, so this is something to keep in mind before picking this sequel up. But don't let this prevent you from reading it because the few scenes are very tasteful and excellently written. The other boys: Jax and Wayra are wonderful as well, but they did fade to the background a bit. I hope we see more of them in the next book. However, the scenes they were in, they had me cracking up and added some levity to the book. Kyon, well he's Kyon...what can you expect? He's evil and slightly crazy, but we see a softer side to him so I have no idea what to expect from his character after reading this.The action is on point in this novel, and the violence is definitely at an all time high. As I said, there are major changes in the Ethar world that is sure to make for some very exciting and heart-stopping moments in the next installment in this series. This book has it all, and I highly recommend reading this if you enjoyed the first book. This book elevates the series to a whole new level, and you will be begging for the third book. At least we don't have too long to wait!Happy reading :)

I was super jazzed for this book. I LOVED the first book, Under Different Stars as well as Amy’s other series The Premonition series.I had a weird reaction to this book. I loved the beginning. Good action and character interaction. I super loved the last third or so. Again lots of great character interaction, push and pull between them and enough mysterious happenings to keep me on my toes. In between that I was eh. It was too much action (and not the good kind in my opinion) and moved a bit slow for me. I thought I would fly through this but I kept putting it down, picking it up, putting it down, etc. Regardless it was awesome and ended on a high note. Also there is so much going on and so much spoiler-ish type stuff so this will probably be brief so I apologize in advance.We start right where we left off. Kricket and Trey are together. But not for long, that would be too boring. So lots of craziness goes down and they are torn apart, brought back together, torn apart, etc. In between we see her with Kyon and also a new guy. He is neither part of Rafe or Alameeda but more like an underground movement. It is hinted at but not very clear whether this is yet another love-ish interest. During all of the shenanigans going on Kricket is having her go ice cold see the future business. A lot of what she see is of the undesirable type and she tries as best she can to change these outcomes. We are left wondering just how much she is able to change.“Open your chakras, meditate— get in touch with your spirit animal”Kricket is awesome and I was so happy to have her back in my life. She is a pretty kick ass chick. She can take down high ranking officials, escape from the stalker-ish Kyon, and find time to fall in love – all while still being new to Ethar. Plus she can go all icy and nonsense and see the future. Then figure out how to change it. I mean come on, she is the best.“I’ll risk everything to stay with you.”Kricket and Trey are so cute. I love them as a couple. Again kick ass is appropriate here for both of them and their romance. They have been through so much separately and together and that really bonds them. I love that she (and us too!) gets to meet his parents in this installment. I was happy that we get more of Trey’s back story and why he is the way he is.“You are the brightest star among the Sea of Stars”Then there is Kyon. And he is so the bad guy. Kricket is his and he will not give up on it. Everything is about getting her back. He was slightly less bad, or at least was a bit more likable? I don’t know. I am totally drawing parallels to the Premonition series here where the bad guy becomes almost understandable in his badness. Anyone else notice this?Then third guy. I think he will play a major role in the next book and I am excited to see where this is headed.“I swear that I will darken the stars forever.”OK so I have no idea if any of the above was coherent. Either way , in the end I wound up loving this. The end really pulled through for me. It definitely has be amped up for the final act to this series and wondering what is going to happen.

I have spent many a nights staying up way too late cause I don’t want to put this book away. Love this series.

Becoming more and more interesting! The series starts to develop with more characters and plots. Love story more intense and heated :P

Wenn Amy schon nicht an der Premonition-Series schreibt...Gott, ich liebe die Geschichte um Kricket.Normalerweise ist es eigenartig, Buchserien der gleichen Autorin zu lesen.Ich bin ein großer Fan der Premonition-Serie und finde Amys Schreibstil da wunderbar filigran, stark und anmutig.In der Kricket-Serie ist er frisch, tief, emotional und keck.Das zweite Buch ist anders als das Erste, nicht zuletzt finden es viele gar besser. Meiner Meinung nach sind beide Bücher nicht vergleichbar, ein erster Teil muss immer irgendwie in eine Buchserie einführen und man hat deswegen schon ganz andere Erwartungen daran.Wie auch immer, Sea of Stars ist ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel zwischen Kricket, Alameeda und Rafe.Dieses hält freilich die Spannung oben und veranlasst dazu, das Buch nicht weglegen zu können.Eingestreut werden typische etharische Begriffe, die einen zum Schmunzeln anregen. :)Klare Kaufempfehlung!

Sea of Stars (Kricket #2) by Amy Bartol5 stars!!“If this doesn’t work out for us, Kricket, know that I’ve loved you from the moment I held you in my arms on Ethar, and every moment in between. I will love you even after my final breath.”I am in total awe of Amy Bartol, every book I read of hers just gets better and better. This series needs to be a film, seriously!! I feel the same about the Premonition series too...Amy has this incredible talent for scene setting, she brings her books to life through words, but so vivid and descriptive are those words that you can picture yourself in these places in the midst of battle and you cannot help but be drawn in to these worlds that she painstakingly creates. Ethar is no different, while reading I felt as if I was there watching the action unfold before my eyes, I could feel it and I could see it.“What good is seeing the future if you cannot get out of its way?”This book continues where Under Different Stars ended. The political discord in Ethar is reaching an all-time high and Kricket is unfortunately at the centre of it. With Alameeda declaring war on all houses the battles that ensue are epic. With Rafe and Alameeda fighting each other Kricket has to use all her powers to keep ahead of the enemy, an enemy that want Kricket and her powers all for themselves knowing that they could tip the balance in their favour. As we found out in Under Different Stars there is a prophecy that one house in Ethar will rise and the other will fall and Rafe and Alameeda are both determined that they will not be the fallen, no matter the cost or the consequences.“Think about what I said. You need me to bring the future back to you.”Trey and Kricket’s relationship gathers momentum in this instalment and while their priorities are firmly set on survival there are a few moments where we are treated to the Trey and Kricket show. The few amounts of down time that they have are not wasted and Trey is one guy that you cannot help but swoon over. He will do anything in his power to protect Kricket and this is not through allegiance to Alameeda but is born from the sheer love that he feels for Kricket and the feeling is reciprocated. Even though Kricket knows her mere presence puts everyone in danger, Kricket cannot help the pull or the love that she has for Trey and this is one instance you will be rooting for love conquering all.“It’s a paper heart now, like I told you before, and your name is written all over it.”It was great to catch up with the others that are totally behind Kricket and Trey’s adventures, especially Jax and Wayra and Amy Bartol introduces a host of new characters that are just as intriguing as everyone else and I am sure have an interesting story of their own to tell. Kyon is still hot on their heels determined to make Kricket his no matter who he has to destroy in the process to get to her. This man is resilient and persistent, however, even though I shouldn’t I can’t help but have that twinge of “like” for him. This is one thing that frustrates me with Amy’s writing in the nicest possible way, she has this knack of making you like the bad guys too and you feel guilty for doing so.“You are the brightest star among the Sea of Stars, Kricket.” - KyonTrey is such a fantastic character, you cannot help but fall in love with him, his fierce sense of loyalty and protectiveness can you bring you to your knees, he is just a good guy inside and out. Kricket really develops in this book, she has to mature and adapt quickly and is so far living up to everyone’s expectations. She does have her moments where she makes some rash and silly decisions but you can always see the method to her madness. I love Kricket with a passion and for someone who is feeling love for the first time you cannot help but hope she gets her happy ever after.“Since when are you afraid of anyone or anything?”“Since I found something I don’t want to lose.”“There is no chance of you losing me.”“You must not have heard about me. I’m trouble.”I seriously cannot wait for book 3, Darken the Stars. Even though you have that deep seated sense of foreboding you always have that sense that good will conquer evil and I cannot wait to read this series climax.

Book 1 and Book 3 are great!! Book 2 is really good, but sometimes a bit slow compared to the other 2 books. Its a great series and I couldn't stop reading!!Its set in another world which connects to earth but people live longer, have more powers and technology, and different social structures. Its a great book that lets you explore this alternate world - definitely a page turner!