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The Candy Shop War, Book 2: Arcade Catastrophe (2012)

by Brandon Mull(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Shadow Mountain

series

The Candy Shop War

review 1: A new amusement center has opened up in Walnut Hills, drawing in kids with its promise of something great for the few who are able to win enough tickets to earn one of four exclusive stamps. Nate and his friends didn't pay it much mind, until asked to help investigate Arcadeland. But John Dart and Mozag both disappeared doing that same thing, so Nate can't help but wonder what he and his friends can do that they can't. I tend to like the first books of a series best, but this book felt just as good as the first. He didn't just write it because the first was popular, but because he found an idea he was excited for, and that shows. He used the same four kids as before, but it wasn't just a stagnant retelling of the first story, instead having the kids be drawn into the probl... moreem through other means, and this other means showed that they were growing as characters. Nate's growth, especially, felt like a continuation of his growth from the first novel.There were some new kids introduced, and they actually started out the book before it switching back to the other kids. I'm not sure how much I liked that… I did like the story that was told with Nate and the others, but I also wouldn't have minded going on the adventure with the new kids, and having the old making appearances. The prologue of this book felt like false advertising, to me. Especially considering how Roman turned out.Also, speaking of another negative, this book kind of drags… The first book had this problem to, of dragging. I still enjoyed these books, but the story didn't really get moving until a third of the way through, and after that it continued to slowly progress. The exciting moments of the book, while few and far between, were good enough to keep me reading.Overall, this book has its flaws, but I still enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll read it again, but it was a good one-time read.
review 2: I found it quite interesting that Brandon Mull never planned on writing a sequel to the Candy Shop War, but decided to after all of the fan interest. Go fans! I'm glad their interest inspired him to continue the series. I thought it was creative and entertaining. While I did see some similarities to his Beyonder series in a very controlling manipulative villain and an impossible way for the heroes to win (spoiler alert) except they do; I still really enjoyed it. Sign me up for the next Brandon Mull series! Hope he writes a third to this one, which he seemed very much open to doing with a third evil White sibling. Yes, please! less

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