Review: Uprising (Collide #2) by Shelly Crane

Uprising (Collide #2) by Shelly Crane

"Sherry and Merrick's story continues in this sequel to Collide. 

In this installment, we come face to face with old acquaintances 

and new friends and new enemies. Things will change for all 

of them especially when a little girl is found and everyone's loyalties 

are tested. A revelation may upset the delicate balance they've all tried so hard to set. 

There's new love, new rivalries and new transformations in the continuing series of Collide"

Thoughts:

All great things come in twos……

               

Yet again Shelly Crane has written a sequel that is enthralling and excellent to the point at which I cannot wait another second to pick up the next book. Of course, I’m in the car while I am writing this so I can’t. The introduction and reappearance of new characters adds to the growth and excitement of the Collide series. Shelly Crane gets you emotionally invested the characters, making Uprising another great addition to the series.

I have always admired Sherry for her inner strength in the books, and this is no exception. She and Merrick go through a heck of a lot more in this book with the reappearance of some other characters. They are constantly ripped from each other when they think it's the safest, and they only get a little while tho enjoy the married life. I really loved the addition of Lily. She was very sweet, and she was like the glue that held everyone together. 

Cain and Lillian were very exciting to read because they had a lot of baggage and it was nice to see them as friends before any romantic relationship went on. Lillian is really sweet and sometimes comes off as weak, but like Sherry she has a loyal and brave heart. Cain being in love with Sherry wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He really wanted to try and stay away from her for Lillian's sake, but I'm worried that it won't last. I would have liked to see more of Jeff and Marissa, but I guess Shelly Crane has to prioritize.

 What I liked about the Lighters/Keepers plot is that it appears very complicated, but it is easy to follow. You know what's going on the whole time, and it doesn't drag like some other books I've read (*cough* The Host *cough*). Crane was able to incorporate a lot more action with the additional POVs, which was really enjoyable to the reader. There were some interesting developments in the story, and some mysteries that have yet to be resolved. There WAS a cliffhanger at the end, but it was a good one.  

One of the problems with having a lot of characters is giving each one a fair amount of personality and background. I think Shelly Crane did an okay job with this, but I wanted a bit more depth to the characters of Jeff, Marissa, Piper, maybe Ryan, and possibly Lana. Another thing that was hard was the fact that the switching POVs made me miss the other characters. I particularly like Lillian and Merrick's POVs, and I found myself missing the other for half the chapter. I know it's a balancing game, though, and I'm happy any way she writes it. 

Overall, great book and I CAN'T WAIT to read the next one. I like how Shelly Crane writes about lots of characters as a family, and the action doesn't overpower or is shadowed by the characters and relationships.

4 out of 5 stars

-M

P.S. I really wish there were a boxed set for the Significance and Collide series. (Wink wink, nudge nudge Shelly Crane...)

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