As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
Happy release day to The Dazzling Heights--one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and at the tip top of my list of favourites of the year. After the shocking end--that death, that cliffhanger--in the stylish and intriguing first installment of Katharine McGee's dazzling series, The Thousandth Floor, I was completely and utterly hooked on what comes next. Although I was deeply saddened by the death of one character (who, of course, happened to be my favourite) I knew I had to get my hands on all future installments.
Between The Thousandth Floor and Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, the Gossip Girl hole in my literature-loving heart is being filled slowly but surely. I'll start off by saying that Katharine McGee has this undeniably smart, sizzling and steamy (so much S!) quality to her writing that is fun and compelling. It's intelligent and mysterious. I feel instantly captivated by it and maybe a little nostalgic.
Reading The Dazzling Heights felt like I was reuniting a part of myself that had been long MIA. I anticipated the release not unlike I used to for new books in the Gossip Girl, The A-List, Pretty Little Liars and Private series.
I have been waiting for this one for so long (a year can seem like a long time, okay?) and McGee did not disappoint me in the least. She hooked me from the first moment and it felt like no time had passed at all since I picked up the highly addictive first book.
Picking up almost immediately where The Thousandth Floor left off, The Dazzling Heights is just as stylish and fun as the previous installment. This time, we are witness to more emotions and scandal.
How are our main characters facing their lives in the aftermath of what happened at the end of The Thousandth Floor and what comes next as lives begin to tangle together tightly after one fateful night? You guessed it: drama. Fireworks. Heartbreak. New additions. New lives. New scandals. And of course, a lot of complexities in the lifestyles of the rich and bored teenagers of this futuristic NY.
I loved how the story developed further on the previous book. All elements of it were explored and built upon. I'm not saying that it was perfect or unique or whatever else you want to look down on YA for, but it was entertaining and fleshed out quite a few of the characters more. Plus, I enjoyed the fact that Eris' presence is still infinite in the story and that Rylin becomes more entangled in this world. She and Watt were two of the biggest the outsiders in the previous book. After the night that everything changed, they are thrust deeper into the others' lives.
I do wish we had seen more of Calliope and her mother's backstory. I thought the introduction of these two was really fun and needed to spice things up in the narration. We have a gap where Eris was and while the leads are all fun it was just a spot that needed to be filled. Another thing I wished for would be a deeper look into Leda's addiction and how Mariel is really coping after Eris' death. I can't complain, though, because this didn't break the novel in any way.
Long review short: The Dazzling Heights is highly entertaining and will certainly quench readers' thirst for a good old fashioned scandalous-rich-kids-in-action romp. Katharine McGee is a total queen.