Book Review: The Stalk (Book Two in Rove City) by Ariele Sieling

Title: The Stalk (Rove City Book Two)
Author: Ariele Sieling
Genre: Retelling; Science Fiction
Publication Date: Janurary 2, 2020

Every year, members of Jack's community are invited to meet with the wealthy founders of the Stalk, the living space elevator that casts its massive shadow over every part of her life. Every few years, one of the chosen is a Digger like Jack--who returns to the community only to throw themselves to their death.

Jack doesn't want to think about the Stalk. She doesn't want to think about the friends she's lost. But this year, it's her turn—and refusing the invitation isn't an option.

When she arrives, she only has one goal: stay alive. But as she encounters a mix of people in the highest positions of power and other ordinary citizens like herself, she begins to realize that the truth about the Stalk is bigger than all of them--and darker than she could have imagined. And she's the only one with the power to stop it. 

 

 

Rating

*A Thank you to Booksirens and the author for allowing me to read this book. This is my honest and unbiased review*

Hello Fellow Readers,

Since I liked Ariele Sieling's first book in the Rove City series, Midnight Wings, I decided to dive straight into the second book in the series. I was excited because it's based off of Jack and the beanstalk, which is not a retelling you really read to often. I was hoping to like this one more than Midnight Wings but it just didn't have the same magic the first book had. While this one had science fiction elements it also straddled the fantasy line as well. 

 

In The Stalk you are not on Rove City but the planet Jord where Jack is a digger who feds the stalk everyday, until she is chosen to go up the stalk, only problem is that anyone who goes up the stalk kills themselves the next day. Jack doesn't want this to happen, so she does everything she can to fight against it. the idea behind the stalk is interesting and the horror that gets uncovered was interesting as well, but honestly I saw the twist a mile away. 

I will say that unlike Midnight Wings this book did not end as abruptly, and didn't leave me yearning for more closure. It didn't appear to have a rushed ending, and was surprisingly action packed at the end. I did enjoy the book, and I will be reading the next in the series.

Overall, not as great as the first book, but still an interesting take on Jack and the Beanstalk.