Atherton: Rivers of Fire by Patrick Carman.

I was lucky enough to review the first book in this series for School Library Journal.  You can see my review here on Amazon.  Just scroll down.  As you can see, I loved it.

And while I really liked this second book about Atherton, it didn’t quite capture me the way that the first book did.  We return to the world of Atherton which is in the process of changing.  The Highlands are falling and the Flatlands are rising.  Horrible creatures called Cleaners are suddenly able to reach the human towns, and our hero and his friends find themselves right in the thick of danger as they venture deeper into the Highlands to discover the secrets of Atherton and its creator. 

Readers really have to have read the first book to understand what is happening here.  The book has a breakneck speed throughout as the main characters rush from one disaster to the next, barely staying ahead of the cataclysmic changes.  I missed the introspective nature of the first book that made it rather gem-like and special.  Those same themes are present in this novel, but are secondary to the adventure and action.

Fans of the first novel will consider this a must-read and any library with the first book must have the second.  Recommended for readers of the first book.