This book seems to focus more on feelings rather than action, in my opinion. It's a pretty good book, I just wish there were more going on. I plan on finishing this series because I am interested in what happens at the end. ( )

Okay so we all know the saying "nobody likes a bone but a dog" THAT'S how I feel with this series. Give me MEAT. I keep chewing on this bone hoping to atleast get to the marrow but...sigh. This is not a horrid book it just lacks substance. More of the same I care more about what happens than about the characters with the exception of Nipper. The very idea a sheep cat. I want one!! ( )

I read the first book in this series, The Line, a couple of years ago over spring break. Although a little slow moving at the beginning, I thought, at the time, that it had some promise, that it was doing some interesting things that intrigued me and made me want to give the second book a chance. So here I am.

Unfortunately, I do not feel any sort of a connection to this book. Away bored me from the beginning to the end. The cool elements, like the powers some of the Others have, are largely ignored, and the ones that get used to any fairly significant degree are lame.

The writing, too, was utterly uninspiring. I suppose it must have been in the first one too, but being less entertained this time, I could not help noticing it now. The simplistic nature of the writing might make this a good book for reluctant readers that do not like too much action in their books. If you like the works of Lisa McMann, you might like Teri Hall's fairly sparse writing style.

To be completely fair to Away, I have only the vaguest memories of The Line, so maybe I have forgotten something crucial to the enjoyment of the second book. Whatever the case, it's safe to say that I will not be returning for the next installment. ( )

Rachel is now in Away, on the other side of the line, the primitive side. She is accepted by some of the Others who live there because she brought medicine that saved Malgam's life. The intensty of the novel increases and doesn't let go when Rachel learns that her father is alive, but being held hostage by the Roberts, a mean-hearted group in Away. When she and her new friends rescue her father, she is exposed to the violence of Away. Yet there is good, too, especially in friends like Pathik and Indigo of Away and Ms. Moore of her old life. The government is not to be trusted; Rachel learns to trust her own heart and mind. I was concerned about having this in my elementary school library, but I think kids are exposed to much worse on television and video games and at least this story is honest in its portrayal of humanity, both the good and the bad. I would recommend it to kids who want to read The Hunger Games, but are not old enough for its more mature content. ( )

While I enjoyed Teri Hall’s The Line, I feel like the sequel (2nd in a proposed trilogy) did not live up to the promise of the first book. The story picks up just after Rachel has crossed the Line. One would expect things to start getting interesting at this point, and to an extent it does, but the writing felt a bit flat and the characters all seemed like copies of one another. There were no real striking or stand out personalities and even Rachel, who was fun to read about in the first book, seemed to diminish a little. The powers that some of the Others have seemed underplayed and underdeveloped, which just added to a serious lack of detail and a sluggish pace that made it seems there was little to no forward momentum in the novel. As far as the ending – I don’t know that I’d call it a cliffhanger, as that word brings to mind a feeling of wanting to read more. This was just sudden and stark, and fairly forgettable. Of course, I’m a finisher-of-series, so I’ll read the third. I won’t buy it, though – my library will be getting my patronage for the next installment. ( )