Grip is the second book in the Slip trilogy. I would recommend reading the first book in the trilogy to understand what happened in the second as a lot of the plot expects you to understand (and remember) what occurred in the first. I read the first book back in 2015 so I only have a vague recollection of what happened.

The things that I confused about the most in this story is whose perspective we were following. We have multiple different characters that we follow (all in the same group to just add to my confusion), and at times I wasn’t able to tell when the perspective shifted until halfway into there segment. This lead me to getting very confused and frustrated as what I was previous had read had been with the wrong idea as to who is pertained to. The actual writing style was fine, but I feel like something was missing that would get me latched into the plot. I have no emotional investment into what was occurring and I didn’t feel like the stakes mattered for the characters.

A well written book, but I could not get into it and struggle to understand what exactly was going on.

I didn't enjoy Slip but I thought this would be better, and it was!

Although this is a middle book, I liked this one more. No spoilers, but I liked the turn the character arcs took in this one and the world-building was much better!

These covers crack me up. They are of Dylan O'brien, right? Or is that just my imagination. Once again this is a good installment to the series thus far. Love the plot and the characters. Will be visiting this world again for the third book.

Keeping on catching up with my NetGalley readings. I finished the first book earlier this week, now on to book 2, which was also a good one in its own way, and not the dread ‘second book syndrome sufferer’ I usually fear in such cases.

It does pave up the way to the ‘grand finale’ of book 3, of course, among other things by introducing new developments and therefore a third way, so to speak. It’s not about the hunt for Slips only, not anymore; the Lifers are also involved, and no party is all black or all white. The action is not only about running away/reacting this time, although the book does have its share of such scenes since they’re part of its premise, however the characters also start making moves of their own, instead of only the villains setting plans in motion. And even if said moves are a little on the clunky side, the characters are clearly proactive and taking on their enemies now.

The story has its share of twists. Like in the first book, they are partly predictable (e.g. the one where only the audio part is played), yet at the same time some of them are of the gritty kind, that I wouldn’t necessarily have expected in a YA story (this is not YA for 12-year-old, for sure). And as far as I can tell, there’s one major twist that is a definitive one, there’s not going to be any ‘surprise, I’m back’ scene (I hope there won’t be because it was a sad moment, and retconning it would cheapen it).

The ads and propaganda inserts are interesting, too. At first I didn’t care much for them, but little by little they’re helping draw a more comprehensive picture of the world (the technology people have at hand, the comments—both published and deleted—on newspaper articles

The characters keep evolving, Harrison especially is going on a path I like: at first he felt to me like he was ‘just there’, some kind of afterthought patched onto Benson’s story, yet here he takes action, initiates moves that have their own ethical backlashes, gets to go through ordeals as well, discovers betrayal... At the same time, while he does resent his father and seems to unconsciously prevent himself from properly grieving, he’s also accepted his brother like, well, a brother. He’s an interesting counterpoint to Domino: both children had very similar backgrounds (a Slip sibling, one parent being constantly away to take care of the Slip), but Harrison is going a completely different path. On the other hand, I don’t care that much for the Destroyer, perhaps because at this point he’s so broken that even his fighting against his leash doesn’t look like there’ll be much development her, apart from ‘yay I get to be a psychopath 100% of the time now’.

A few new characters get introduced, like Destiny (another Slip, who goes through her own dark moments because of the mistakes she made, and has to learn to outgrow this—all the while showing her inner strength and resourcefulness in terms of survival techniques, -she- didn’t have a Michael Kelly to craft a false ID for her after all!). Or the Agriculturists, more in the background for now but with an agenda of their own.

Conclusion: A solid second book that furthers the overarching plot.

Grip is the sequel to Slip and I honestly thought that this book was going to suffer from middle book syndrome but it definitely doesn't. After reading Slip I couldn't wait to get into Grip as soon as possible. Grip, if possible, is even darker than Slip, with higher stakes and even more twists! It completely exceeded my expectations!

The main things I need to say about Grip are it lived up to what I was hoping. In my Slip review I did mentioned that Harrison and Michael were lacking character development compared to others and Estes definitely fixed that in Grip. Harrison really steps up to the plate. I didn't agree with all his decisions and choices, but I am loving his evolution. He does remind me a lot of his father but so much smarter in so many ways.

I also loved the fact that the whole family is reunited in this novel, seeing Harrison and Benson together for the first time was so beautiful. The scenes with them together were my absolute favorites. Then there's Janice she has her boys back again. She actually shines in parts of this book, and the scenes with this broken family were done so very well.

The book shines just as much as Slip. In Slip there was a great twist at the end and Grip carries it on with twists and turns all over the place. I also found this book to be a lot more emotional than Slip and I read it in a single sitting. Highly Recommended and I can't wait to read the finale.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, David Estes, and the publisher, Createspace, for this opportunity.

This is the first instalment in a science fiction trilogy, set in the dystopian, fictional future of our own world. Rising sea levels and diminished resources means the human species is under threat of extinction. The only way to save the entire human race is to sacrifice a few. The ruthless government organisation, known as Pop Con, have theorised that for our species to continue to thrive our numbers must be capped. For one to be born, another must die. Any born outside of this algorithm are labelled as illegal 'Slips', and all these slips must be neutralised.

This book is proof that you shouldn't give up on a series! From 2 stars given to the first book, to 4 stars given to this one! I had no reason to continue with this series after largely writing off the first book, but I liked the concept and, as the books were fast reads, I thought I would continue on and give this book a try.

The factor I disliked in the first book was the lack of any forward momentum of the plot. Here, however, intrigue worked alongside the action, that heavily dominated the previous instalment, to make this book as thought-provoking as it was thrilling.

It is heartening to see a trilogy that deserves to be one. This book did not fall into the trap of the 'middle book syndrome', and provided enough to satiate my hunger for both plot progression and character development, without loosing the feel of the series other readers loved from the first book.

When I read the first book I gave it so much praise and was very disappointed that it did not have as much attention as it should have. Now, I want to scream because this series needs to have so much more publicity.

Usually moving on into a series the books are never as good as the first, however, this book was better than the first. My heart broke multiple times, I was on the edge of my seat, my fingers could not swipe the page fast enough and I was left with a serious cliff hanger. If you like books similar to The Hunger Games and survival PLEASE go get this book.

I'm not sure I am prepared to read the last book. I am not ready for the series to end and I am nervous about he outcome.

Book: Grip
Author: David Estes
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this free galley in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to thank David Estes for providing me with a free copy of Slip-almost two years ago-which got me hooked on this series.

So, as many of you know, this is not my first David Estes book. I have written a number of reviews for his books and will keep doing so. I am a fan of his writing and books; I strongly encourage you to get him on your author radar. He does have a lot of talent.

Grip picks right back up where Slip left off. I really do think it is important to point out that Grip is in the middle of a series and you do need to read Slip prior to reading Grip. Anyway, we dive right into the action. Benson and Harrison are back in action and are together. The stakes seem higher in Grip than they do in Slip. The world is on the break of ending and it seems like everyone is trying to hold onto the way things were before all the Slips were made public.

Harrison shows a lot of character growth. I really wasn't a big fan of him in Slip, but in Grip, he seems to have outgrown that little bit of bratiness he had in Slip. He may not always make the best choices, but he has grown up and stepped up to the current situation. He is still his father's son, but is kind of drifting away from that. He really is becoming his own person.

We see a family reunited. Harrison and Benson are together for the first time in their lives and it is great to see how their bond forms. They do have struggles, but the bond is still there. Janice just seems so happy to have her boys back together-something she thought would have never had happened. She just shines. The family bits of the book were probably my favourite.

Besides the family scenes, the ads were probably my favourite. I enjoyed reading the ads that the government put out in the first book and really enjoyed them here as well. They just add so much to the world and make it seem even more real. Plus, all the comments added to them made it seem even more real.
So, why four stars and not five? Well, like I've said, I have read a lot of David's books. I have given both Fire Country and Strings five stars. To me, Grip did not rank up there with Fire Country and Strings. It's still a good read, but I still prefer those other two books.

Now, I have also been approved Flip and I am looking forward to reading the finale!

When Benson was born in book 1, Slip, He was raised in hiding... Now he is a teenager in this book. His new role, and figuring out secrets, while trying to avoid The Destroyer and stay alive, bring home a powerful, highly tense and gripping edge-of-your-set excitement to life and takes you on many twists and turns. This was really an amazing follow up to Slip, and I am beyond honored that I was allowed to be an ARC reader for David.... What a unique idea, so creative, fun amd really has you cheering Benson on the whole time!