A review by danielled75
The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

4.0

Just like the first book, this one is told in multiple points of view, with a new character added into the mix this time.

Despite the ending of The Thousandth Floor, everyone is trying to going on with their lives as best as they can.

Avery is still pining after Atlus, despite the issues that they face on a day to day basis. The strain of keeping their relationship secret is becoming harder and harder and when their father makes an announcement about a new tower being built and Altus’s involvement, it makes things even harder. Avery seems so naive with this relationship and holds unto a childhood dream of them running away together.

Leda is still being manipulative and holding what she knows over others heads, despite her fighting her own nightmares of what she knows. Her hold on Watt gets tougher and more controlling at the start of the book, but things take an odd turn between them.

We are introduced to Calliope, who is the “new player” added into the game. Calliope and her mother have traveled the world conning men and women out of their money and items.

It felt that Callipoe was the main focus of this story despite there already being a foundation of everyone else that carried over from The Thousandth Floor. I didn’t care much for her or her mother, since they had one main goal in mind, which to me felt like it dominated the book. It didn’t make sense to me that with all this technology in the book, no one found out what she was up to until way later in the book. I know she wasn’t around all of them unless it was at a party or something, but how can you seriously believe that anyone would be that trusting of a girl that just appears out of nowhere.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about Rylin and her placement in the book either. I understand she got a scholarship thanks to her sister, but once she was in the school it just felt strained. Things were awkward with her and Cord, it felt forced when Rylin was trying to apologize to Cord and explaining what happened. The tension between Rylin and Leda and seeing each other in each class was forced also (but we know why). Then there is her situation with one of the teachers, which I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

I did like the fact that there was one other person that was watching everything from the background, and you don’t find out who it is until the end of the book. I can’t blame said person for hiding and watching everything going on around them. I didn’t like how they went about doing what they did though. Even if they got the answers they wanted and even dropped a surprise on one of the other residents of the Tower in the end.

I do hope there will be more to this series, since I feel there does need to be some type of closure for everyone involved.