Book Reviews

Book Review: The Reckless Rescue (The Explorers #2) by Adrienne Kress

Media Type: Ebook (ARC)
Title: The Reckless Rescue
   *Series: The Explorers #2
Author: Adrienne Kress
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: Hardcover; 208
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Source: Publisher
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Content Screening: Nothing of note.

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who have been eagerly awaiting the next adventures of Sebastian and Evie!

Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

More mystery, more bravery, more danger, and one amazingly reckless rescue await in the second book in the Explorers series! The perfect read for fans of The Name of This Book Is a Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society!

Reader! Your attention is greatly needed. We have left things unresolved! What began as your average story of a boy stumbling upon a pig in a teeny hat and a secret international explorers society has turned into an adventure of epic proportions.

* The bad news: The boy (Sebastian) has been kidnapped by a trio of troublesome thugs.
* The good news: His new friend Evie has promised to rescue him!
* The bad news: Sebastian has been taken halfway around the world.
* The good news: Evie has famous explorer and former Filipendulous Five member Catherine Lind at her side!
* The bad news: There’s still the whole matter of Evie’s grandfather (and the leader of the Filipendulous Five) somewhere out there in grave danger.
* The good news: Pursuing Sebastian will lead Evie and Catherine to another member of the Filipendulous Five, who might be able to help!

This missive is a call to action and an invitation to join in mystery, bravery, and danger. There will be new people to meet, new places to see, and some dancing along the way. And one amazingly reckless rescue.

Huzzah! Another excellent installment in The Explorers series! To say that I’ve been waiting eagerly for this book is an understatement. When last we left Evie and Sebastian, they had both grown so much as characters. They had struggled with their views of the world being thrown in chaos, come out the other side, and found themselves in situations that they never could have expected. If you missed my review of the first book, I’ll quickly tell you that I loved it. I’ve been so ready for more, for so long.

This book did not disappoint! It starts with a bang as we find our characters on separate, but equally harrowing, journeys. I have to say, the amount of character growth that Adrienne Kress manages to fit into this second installment is admirable. Instead of leaving Sebastian and Evie at the level of that they achieved at the end of the last book, she pushes their limits even further. I loved watching Evie, our brave but still nervous heroine, learn to believe in her abilities. Equally so, watching Sebastian overcome his fear of being in the spotlight made me grin from ear to ear. There are so many lessons to be had in this story, but they never overpower the action and adventure on the pages. In fact, this book is beautifully balanced. I loved it for that.

As for the plot, there’s a ton of forward movement in this story. We meet a new member of the Filipendulous Five, and find new clues in the mystery surrounding Evie’s missing grandfather. We visit strange new lands, and dive further into the imaginative world that Kress has built. I’ll admit, since I wasn’t sure how many books will be in this series, I was worried that this story might suffer from middle book syndrome. It did not. It was fun, fast-paced, and full of wonder. As an adult reader, I was enhanted. I can only imagine how much fun the age group this book is aimed at will have!

Long story short, this book is wonderful. It’s an excellent second installment to this series and, once again, I can’t wait to see what happens next! If you haven’t started adventuring with Evie and Sebastian yet, please do! There’s a pig in a teeny hat waiting for you, and so much more.




FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.