Rise (Salvaged #2)
by Stefne Miller
Publisher: Tate Publishing; First edition (2011)
ISBN-10:1617773581
ISBN-13: 978-1617773587
Signed copy sent to me by the author.
Book Synopsis
“I’d come to a place of realizing that even if only for a time, Attie’s existence was heavily dependent upon my ability to protect her and shine light in her direction. At the same time, I had to give her enough room to live her own life. I also knew the connection was fragile and that as I navigated the space just outside her world, if her life were to start to spin out of control, I wouldn’t be able to come closer and intervene without causing more damage. I understood that I was created to be a part of her life, but only at a safe distance.
Our universe, the one that seemed to only include us, was about to be hurled into an entirely new solar system.”
—
Attie Reed has finally found some happiness after the accident that took her mother’s and best friend’s lives and nearly destroyed hers. But that doesn’t mean life is going to get easier. She may not have nighttime monsters to fight, but her world is about to spin wildly out of orbit.
In the captivating, highly anticipated sequel to Stefne Miller’s Salvaged, Attie is faced with the challenge of fitting in at a new school while figuring out her next steps. Riley continues to fight with her and for her as she encounters difficult battles. He has been her protection, but he can’t protect her forever.
When Attie’s father finally comes back into her life, she is faced with her most difficult decision yet: to stay in Oklahoma and keep the life she has made or return to New York to repair her relationship with her father and allow herself to heal. What happens will define who she is and who she will become. Can she fight this battle alone and Rise? Or will she continue to fall out of orbit and be lost forever?
Review
I was extremely excited when I found out there was going to be a book two- Rise to Stefne Miller’s debut novel Salvaged. Salvaged was an amazing book for me when I read it last year and even though I was excited about continuing on Attie and Riley’s journey, I was worried that it just wouldn’t be as good as Salvaged. I think most people worry about sequels in a series not living up the potential of the first book. Of course I worried for no reason! Rise was even better than Salvaged, which is pretty amazing since I held such a fondness for Salvaged to start with.
I know that if I’d had the time, I would have flown through this book within a couple days. But seeing as I was on a cruise for vacation and this book has some pretty emotional scenes in it, I had to stop reading. It didn’t look nice to see a strange girl on a cruise boat in theBahamas’ crying her eyes out. I was supposed to be happy, getting burnt by the hot tropical sun with something fruity to drink! So I put it aside and saved the last 100 pages or so for the comfort of my couch and a box of tissues. But I will say that I am glad I was able to read it more slowly then I normally would have. It allowed me to process more of what was happening and I enjoyed it that much more.
If you thought the problems Attie faced in Salvaged were bad (which they certainly were), you haven’t seen anything yet. I was seriously thinking to myself that if I had to go through everything she went through; I don’t know if I could have survived it. Really? How much can one person handle? But that’s a main lesson I got from this book. No matter what you face in your life or how bad things are- what matters most is who is there to walk beside you in your time of need.
Again, I loved the characters that Stefne created. All of them were so real. I think my favorite would have to be Riley. He is incredibly sweet, sensitive, and caring and oh so cute! He has morals and values and has the perfect characteristic most any girl would die to have in their boyfriend. I don’t think Riley did anything in this book that made me mad, Attie on the other hand did have me a little irritated at times (well maybe more than a little). All the other characters were amazing too; Pops, Marme and all of Attie and Riley’s friends helped make this story shine.
I think what I like most about Stefne’s writing is her dialogue. It’s so detailed and we get a lot out of it. For me, dialogue is important and it this helps you get sucked in their world. You’re a fly on the wall; seeing it, hearing, feeling for your self. That is what makes this story so real, you’re there and a part of it. You can connect and the characters and the life situations felt and not fake. I felt their happiness and their pain. I laughed out loud, I cried, I got angry, and I cried some more- some sad tears and some happy tears.
Stefne Miller has written another fantastic, heartbreaking, beautiful story that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Stefne has an amazing gift and she is an author that should not be overlooked. She has many more amazing stories to write and I will most certainly be first in line to get my hand on her next book.
Since I loved this series so much and I think everyone should read it- coming up next month (May) I will be giving away a copy of Salvage and Rise to one lucky person and I will also be having Stefne over here for an interview! So stay tuned for the Goodies to come in May!