A Sequel That Glitters

I've never written a sequel to anything...BUT I have read & watched many and seen several of my writer friends go through the process. Here's what I know: Sequels are hard (and harder to do well).

And people, Talia Vance's GOLD is aptly titled. 

It's sequel GOLD. 

As Veronica alluded to yesterday, when people approach the later works in a series they want the elusive "more of the same, but different." As you've heard from the other Muses this week, Talia delivers on this in spades and apparently effortlessly. She has the same feel as SILVER with...

• Old and new faces. Many of the characters you knew and loved, but with new too--and some even more likable (or despicable) than SILVER.  
• Amazing setting. Talia not only brings you to Ireland, she makes you feel the wetness of the fog, the pull of the ocean, and the taste of the food. 
• Deeper mythology. Often times speculative fiction sequels fail to grow the world much in Book 2. Authors spent most of Book 1 world building and just fall back on that. Not GOLD. It continues building the bandia world even smoother than before. 
• Bigger stakes. On Wednesday, Talia mentioned she wanted bigger stakes. And boy, did GOLD deliver. 
• Hotter romance. I'll admit there were times when this ole' dog blushed. Additionally, it was one of the most authentic romance threads I've read in a long time. I'm not the biggest fan of romantic angst in YA, but I was right there with Brianna when she getting all worked up. 

So in summary: go out and get your copy of GOLD...a sequel that truly glitters and is both new and the same.