Review: Waking Gods

*This is the second book in a series, you can find my review for the first book, Sleeping Giants, here*

Title: Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Publisher: Del Rey
Year published: 2017
How I got this book: The author sent me a free e-book, because of my interest in the first one
My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she's dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why as a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers - and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth ... and maybe even the stars.

My thoughts:
This is the sequel to Sleeping Giants, and because of that, it will contain spoilers for that book. It will not, however, contain spoilers for this book. I just want to say that I am really glad I read this book. The plot picks up 9 years after the last book ended, and during those years not much has happened, mostly just scientists researching Themis. However, this book starts with a new robot showing up in London, and no one knows how it got there, or what it means. 

Neuvel continues to use the same narration style in this book, and it works just as well as last time. I greatly enjoy this style of narration, as we get are able to look into the mind of different characters, and the pacing is quite fast, as there isn't room for a lot of description. My only concern with this kind of narration is that it is a lot of telling, instead of showing, but I think Neuvel handles that great, and he is able to keep me interested and focused throughout the story. 

In Sleeping Giants we follow Dr. Franklin and her team looking for the rest of Themis, but in Waking Gods the focus has shifted. They already have Themis, and are trying to figure out everything she can do. At the same time, Earth is invaded by another Robot, and everyone is trying to learn as much as possible about that. Because of this invasion, it gives of a apocalyptic vibe, which I enjoyed a lot. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and it was so full of suspense that I didn't want to put it down. I never knew what to expect from the next chapter, or the next page, and that is what I want from a book.

We follow the same cast of beloved characters from the previous book, which made me happy, as I connected with them in Sleeping Giants. There are some new ones, that's to be expected, but the main characters we already know. I started caring even more for the characters during this story, and some of the things a few of them had to go through, really made me emotional. 

Waking Gods really has everything a great book needs. An exciting and captivating plot, great narration, good writing, and loveable characters. I have recommended Sleeping Giants to several of my friends, and after this book, I will push them even harder to read both of these books. The author, Neuvel, has said that there will be at least three books in this series, and I am really looking forward to the next one. I want to know how the story will go from here, and if you've already read this book as well, I'm guessing you are wondering as well.


Buy this book?
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
BookDepository (worldwide, affiliate link)
AdLibris (Norway)