Solitary (Escape from Furnace, Book 2)

After being surprised by how much I enjoyed Lockdown, I was a little afraid I'd be disappointed in the next book(s). Especially since there's quite a few of them. I'm happy to say the Solitary didn't disappoint me in the least. Well, except for one small thing, but it's a spoiler, so we won't go there.

We left Alex and co. escaping at the end of Lockdown, but it doesn't stay that way for long. There wouldn't be a book two if everything was all sunshine and roses, now would there?

I'm not going to lie, it seems a bit like nothing happens throughout the whole book. BUT, I only felt that way after finishing. While I was reading I was too busy flipping pages to find out what would come next to worry about the fact that Alex spent fortyish percent of the story in a hole.

Solitary brings us just a little deeper into the mysterious backstory. We learn a bit more about the blacksuits, discover secret allies, and learn something a little bit shocking about the Warden.

The Nutshell: I'd say I probably enjoyed this one just as much as the first. I was still hanging on the edge of my seat flipping pages while simultaneously trying to keep my adrenaline in check which was one of the things I truly loved about Lockdown. I already have the third book in at the library and will probably be getting to it within the next few weeks! (I'm a slow reader, guys, so that actually is rather soon...)

Hit - Direct Hit

The master story telling skills of Alexander Gordon Smith made this a nail-biting gut-wrenching tale. This book was another page turning adventure that was adrenaline pumping, heart racing detail and keep you reading. The vivid characters and the revelation of new secrets works well. The introduction of new characters gives fresh directions to a wonderful bone chilling story. Looking forward to reading the next chapter in the story

Like the first book in this series, Solitary is an action-packed, tension-filled thrill ride. You might not expect that a book about a boy trapped in Solitary would be so exciting. Surprisingly, though, it totally was.

On the one hand, it's kind of ridiculous and silly that the boys still think they can escape from this incredibly creepy and heavily guarded prison. But still, it works, because considering the possibility of escape is the only way the inmates are able to keep their courage, sanity and regular personality. Whether or not the plans actually work, like the first one spectacularly did not, they do help the boys in a very real way, disregarding the consequences of failure.

Having a look at the guts of the prison was really interesting. This gets us (Alex, Zee, the reader) a closer look at what's going on in there. Still, I need some questions answered. So many of them. Somehow I suspect that won't happen until the final book in the series.

The books have been very consistent thus far. If you liked book one, you'll probably like this one just as much. Although I don't love these, they are interesting and fast-paced. I probably won't reread them but getting through the series isn't a struggle at all.