Sawyer Is Awesome
4 out of 5 stars
If you haven’t seen my review for Watcher, please check it out here. And check out the review of the full series here.
Carbon is the second book in the Watcher series by AJ Eversley and it jumps in right where Watcher left off. We are following Sawyer as she is trying to learn to control herself, her new body, and her emotions. The intro to the story has us following them to the United Isles which is where I thought that Eversley’s writing really shined. As she was describing the shore where they landed, the people, the houses, and the castle I felt like I was taken to another world. The setting, while drastically different from Watcher, was still one of the strong points of this book.
Understanding that this is a YA dystopian book I go into it expecting a few things. Love interests and sometimes triangles are going to be there. Young men and women who don’t completely understand their bodies, emotions, and hormones will also usually be in play. Carbon has all of those things but doesn’t feel like it’s falling for the same typical tropes as well. I was chatting with Paul from Audiobook Reviewer and I told him that I felt like I knew/understood where the love interest was going to go but I actually had no idea how the book and the main story was going to end. I was genuinely surprised by the ending.
Another strong suit of Eversley is her actual storytelling. She jumps around a bit but it’s so that you can see the story from both sides. You get to know Sawyer and all of her goings on (princess, Max, etc) but then we jump to Coleman and his minions. Seeing it from both sides doesn’t always help you guess or figure out what is going to happen. There were numerous times where things were said that I thought “Woah!”
Having a dual narration for each “side” of this issue helped with the back and forth as well. As I believe I mentioned in my original review I thought that Chelsea Stephens absolutely kills it in her narration of Sawyer – she just is Sawyer and it’s perfect. Steve Campbell’s voicing of the “bad guys” in this was perfect. He has a deeper (but still young sounding voice) that I think lends itself not only to this story but to YA in general.
Overall, I thought that Carbon was good but not great. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There were some typical YA themes within, but if you’re a fan of other books in this genre with strong female leads – you will not be disappointed by this series.
4-stars is nothing to scoff at and I’m genuinely waiting for the third book to come out on audio. Eversley, Stephens, and Campbell give us a sneak peek at book 3 at the end of Carbon’s audiobook – but I skipped it hoping to enjoy it beginning to end in early 2019.
Looking at the cover again and re-thinking about the first two books. I could see a younger Mila Kunis playing Sawyer. This has nothing to do with my review – I just wanted to point it out if this ever becomes a movie! 🙂
Book Description:
What do you do when you become your own worst nightmare?
No longer the Watcher she once was, Sawyer must come to terms with her new reality. Her new identity. She may have new powers, but if she uses them, can she avoid losing herself in the process?
Desperate for answers, Sawyer travels to the United Isles with Max in search of help. Of someone who could be an ally. Someone who could break the connection she has to those who will abuse her power. But the haven they find can’t remain that way. And their new allies aren’t the people Sawyer believed them to be.
When the defenses of the United Isles are finally breached, Sawyer will be forced to make choices. She’s hoping to save as many as she can, but when a former lover attempts to kill her, she’ll have to fight just to save herself.
Saving her own life is only one thing Sawyer is fighting for, though. More importantly, can she save her soul? If she still has one to save.
The second book in the Watcher series picks up where the last left off. Action, intrigue, and a bit of romance will keep you listening to the end.
Carbon by AJ Eversley
Narrator: Chelsea Stephens, Steve Campbell
Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
Series: The Watcher Series #2
Published by Self Published on December 10th 2018
Genres: Dystopian
Format: Audiobook
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Also by this author: Watcher, Savior
Also in this series: Watcher, Savior
