It wasn't exactly what I was expecting (even though I didn't think I was expecting anything in particular -- hmm.) Mainly, I was surprised at how long we spent with these characters in their university years. It's just over a third of the book, and I spent the whole time on tenterhooks, waiting for what we know must come, but we don't know exactly when or exactly how.

Calder takes big swings with her books, and more often than not, they pay off. (At least, for me they do.) This is a book about fame and its costs, but is also about New Zealand's ecology and saving endangered birds . . . go figure? 

I don't want to say too much, not that there's much that can be truly spoiled. While we don't get a shock twist like in the previous book, we do get to map both Marcus's and Seb's emotional journeys. Much like with the travel in the book, they have both logged frequent flyer miles and run the gamut tempermentally. And however anxious they may make us, we can expect a safe landing (though there might be some worrying turbulence along the way.)

Many thanks to GRR for providing a copy for review.