Review: Tunnelville (Mad World, #2) by Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner

Spoiler warning! This is the 2nd book in the Mad World series and so this book will contain spoilers from the 1st book. You can read my review of Wakefield here instead. You have been warned!

Tunnelville by Erin Callagan and Troy H. Gardner

Author: Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner Website|Facebook
Published: 28th June 2013 (MuseItUp)
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 420
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Received free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Following their panicked escape from Wakefield, Astrid Chalke, Max Fisher, and their friends find themselves adrift and on the run in western Massachusetts. After picking up a young thief with a complex philosophy, and dealing with the pains of prescription drug withdrawal, they make their way to Boston.

Drained by a long trek to the city, the damaged teens settle in an underground tunnel community—a city below the city that appears to lie on the fringes of both the world above and the world of magic. Among the eccentric tunnel folk, they encounter the fabulous Angie DeVille, a self-made hipster and socialite who takes them under her neon wing and envelops them in her breathless and fast paced life.

My Review:
I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read the second! Tunnelville follows Max and Astrid as they and their fellow Wakefield patients go on the run and face the trials of life on the streets, whilst trying to escape the clutches of Dr Lycen.

The last book ended on a cliffhanger so I was excited to dive right in and pick up the story! Tunnelville opens with a prologue where we catch up on some of the happenings at Wakefield, then joins Max, Astrid and the others as they seek a place to hide. I loved the opening few chapters where the kids have to rally together and figure out what to do and where to go. There was that real survival, adventure feel about it and I could feel their fear and desperation.

Once again the book is told in alternating chapters between Max and Astrid, and it was great to see their friendship as a real backbone to the story. There was also the odd chapter from some of the adult characters which again was done in the previous book, and was very effective in this one. I particularly liked the chapters told from the view of a private investigator helping to track down Astrid. With the gang being on the run and very isolated from everyone, it was exciting to get an insight into what was happening back at Wakefield and keep an eye on who was chasing them. It definitely added to the suspense! I think the only downside was that I'd sometimes lose track of whose chapter I was reading (Max or Astrid) if I put the book down for a while and came back to it. The two are so similar that they sometimes merged.

There were some interesting new characters introduced in Tunnelville. The guys run into Colby, another runaway who certainly makes an impression. I liked seeing how all the characters bounced off him. I think my favourite new character was Timothy who I was very curious about! Then there were the host of people they met during their time on the streets who help them out. One of the nice things about Tunnelville was despite the fact that the kids were in a pretty sticky situation, they still managed to help each other out and keep the humour amongst themselves.

One thing I was really exited about in this book was exploring the kids' abilities more fully, as well as discovering more about the wider magical world. Getting out into the big wide world means they start to come across people like them and find themselves in situations that put their powers to the test. I really liked that world building and getting to see just what they were capable of. I think the premise of the series is really exciting.

I also really enjoyed the setting of Tunnelville. Wakefield was set in such a confined environment so it was great to break out of that, and I thought the city of Boston make a great backdrop to the story. It's not somewhere I've ever been or know too much about but I could completely visualise everywhere the characters ended up as they travelled around.

I mentioned earlier that Wakefield ended on a cliffhanger and Tunnelville was no different - man these books know how to grab you! The climax to the story was really exciting and left so much potential for future books. I love the urban fantasy vibe and can't wait to discover more of the world, and the characters kept me entertained throughout. A really enjoyable read!

Rating: 4*
Books like this: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Review: Wakefield by Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner

Wakefield by Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner

Author: Erin Callahan and Troy H. Gardner Website|Facebook
Published: 5 October 2012 (MuseItUp Publishing)
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 229
Amazon: Kindle
Smashwords: E-book

Source: Received free copy from author in exhange for an honest review

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Orphans Astrid Chalke and Max Fisher meet when they’re sent to live at Wakefield, a residential and educational facility for teens with psychiatric and behavioral problems. Astrid’s roommate cuts herself with anything sharp she can get her hands on and Max’s roommate threatens him upon introduction.

Just as Astrid and Max develop a strong bond and begin to adjust to the constant chaos surrounding them, a charming and mysterious resident of Wakefield named Teddy claims he has unexplainable abilities. Sometimes he can move things without touching them. Sometimes he can see people’s voices emanating from their mouths. Teddy also thinks that some of the Wakefield staff are on to him.  

My Review:
I was sent this book by one of the authors to review and thought the premise sounded really interesting! Astrid and Max are two teenagers living in a residential until for teens with emotional and psychiatric problems. Wakefield focuses around the lives and goings-on of the characters on that ward.

I found the beginning a little difficult to get into because we're introduced to Astrid and Max, and then there's some darting about in time between their current situation and Wakefield and how they first arrived. Once I settled into it, however, I really started to enjoy the story.

The book alternates from Astrid and Max's POV which I thought was really effective, because the teens on the unit spend a lot of their time separated by gender, so it gave a great insight as to what was happening with both the girls and the boys. I felt the two characters made good narrators because they're sort of observing a lot of interesting things happening around them whilst being quite quiet people themselves. Ocassionally there were also chapters from one of the staff members which I actually really liked. It helped give a perspective of what was going on outside of what the teenagers knew about, which really ramped up the suspense. I thought that was really clever even though it was unusual for a YA book.

The two main  characters become friends and it took a little whole for me to feel that friendship, but I could see that they had similar backgrounds and had a lot in common. I think there was one scene where I felt they really bonded and from then on I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I found myself more drawn to some of the other characters living with them, particularly Ally, Laura, Azrael and Teddy who all had some interesting things going on.

The real draw of Wakefield is the fact that it seems like there's a lot more going on that meets the eye. Weird things start happening to some of the characters, and as they start to talk to each other it becomes clear something bigger is going on. Why are they there? Why are they on this weird medication? Why are some of the inpatients being treated differently?

The suspense was kept up for quite a while and even though I could kind of see where things were going, I didn't mind the wait and it spurred me on to keep reading. It did feel very similar to another book I'd read in parts (The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong) but the fact I can compare it to one of my favourite books and still say it managed to pull it off I think is a huge compliment! If you've read and enjoyed The Summoning then I think you'd like Wakefield, even if that similarity does take away some of the surprises.

The ending of this book blew me away and I'd definitely be interested in reading the next book. It was a pleasantly surprising read with plenty of action and suspense! And a book I would definitely recommend.

Rating: 4*
Books like this: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong