Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted the first book in the series a number of times but have been unable to get into it so I am unable to review this book.

When I first requested this I did not do research and it took me about 50 pages to realise that I was reading a sequel to a book I hadn't read yet. From what I did read, I loved the style of writing and even though the plot was confusing (for obvious reasons) it was already exciting. I loved the concept.

I'm sad that I wasn't able to read this book, because it was too much at the same time. I guess that his book was amazing and I would love to try and read it.
Now i will have to buy one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book is an improvement from the first novel. But not by much. I still didn't love this story as much as I had hoped. NB: you will definitely not understand this book if you haven't read the first novel in the series!

The main character - who was still Nameless - wasn't as irritating in this book as she was in the last. She came into her abilities a lot more in this novel so I wasn't as mad when reading. But there were so many new characters that were involved and they all were just so flat and one-dimensional that it was hard to tell them apart. I had a tough time telling who was an ally and who was an enemy because they all sounded the same.

There was less violence in this story but it was still unnecessarily violent and graphic at times. Now, I love gore but even I had to say that there was too much of it in this series - and that's saying something! I also thought that the book was unnecessarily long. It could easily have been a good 100 pages shorter, without losing any plot. Maybe that's because not much happens in the story. I kept wondering when things would get going but it never really did. I definitely felt that this novel suffered from second-book-syndrome in that it was just filler until the next book came out.

I also felt that there just weren't enough questions answered. The first novel left me with a lot of questions and I was hoping this one would provide some answers. Instead, it presented more questions. The story also lacked a solid backstory. I wanted to know more about how things got to be the way they were but that didn't really happen, which was disappointing. I wanted more mythology and more explanations about mythology for those people who perhaps weren't as familiar with mythology. This was definitely lacking in both books in this series.

Overall, this novel, while an improvement from the first in the series, was still not what I wanted or expected. Since it has gotten better, I'm going to give it a 2/5 stars. But I don't think I'm going to be sticking to this series.

I have tried and restarted reading the. book several times but just couldn't really get into it. I have also just later realised it is a book two in the series which did not make it any easier to get into it.

It took me a bit to review this story because I went back and read the first. These are really good and if you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series or love Greek Mythology, you will enjoy these books.

Fantasy with a dystopian undertone!
Thanks to Capstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Children of Daedala by Caighlan Smith. Slow to introduce the main character and to orient the reader to the setting and purpose, so the first book, The Children of Icarus, needs to be read before picking up this sequel. The action picks up the excitement in the story and the reader is still left trying to figure out who Nameless is. Danger and intrigue are prominent and no one knows who to trust and almost no one deserves trust. The ending is awesome and leaves me anticipating the third installment to this series. Fantasy with a dystopian undertone, 4 stars!

I had bought and read the first book 'Children of Icarus' sometime last year and loved it, so, when I heard and saw this on NetGalley I just had to request for it!

The first book was amazing and so unique and this one didn't disappoint either, bringing me back into the world of the Labyrinth with Clara/Fey Bell. I couldn't put it down!

If you haven't read Children of Icarus and you're into stories based around mythology then please do so because I'm sure you'll love it just as I did :D

A heavy fantasy that had lots of mature themes. Would recommend for older teens and adult readers.

I feel terrible because when I requested this from Netgalley I had no idea this was a sequel to another. I never recall reading that and I thought this book sounded absolutely amazing. I couldn't wait to check it out. Now while that left me at a disadvantage, I won't let that influence this review.
I loved how unique this book was. The main character herself was unlike someone I've read about. I thought it was epic to know that she basically only cares for her own survival which made her have such a strong female lead.
That is what I noticed first while reading this. Another thing that caught my attention was how well written the story line was. Now, I did have some questions but I figured it was due to the fact that this was book 2, therefore I set those questions aside until I can complete book 1. The main thing that I had troubles with was knowing the labrynith itself. Which I had assumed was all described in book 1. so again, I tried not to let this cloud my judgment on this review. The second half of this book picked up so well that it was kind of hard to put down. Our main character gets herself involved with conflicts and it was great to see the pace of the book pick up a bit.
Over all I would recommend this book, haha only after someone had read the first one.

So good! I'm loving this series! I can't wait to revisit this world!

While this one wasn't quite the emotional ride the first book was, I loved the character growth in this one. Now we see the main character as a stronger, more confident version of herself. She has learned to survive on her own, but has also learned to stand-up for herself, and when to care for others, and when to keep to herself.

While this story is very gory, and contains a lot of violence and abuse, I love how Fay Bell deals with it, and grows through her experiences. I actually don't think this one was as violent as the first one, but there are still some really gruesome parts.

I love the world created in this series. The Labyrinth is such a dark and bloody setting, and the longer the Icarii survive, the more ruthless and powerful they become. So much in-fact, that the oldest are often unstable and cruel to the younger Icarii. Fay Bell learns this lesson first hand at the hands of some such characters. She must decide if any of the other children she meets are worth trusting, and if so, how far to trust them.

Content Warning: Gore, Bullying
”Six months is a long time in the labyrinth.”

There’s always a lot riding on sequels in a series. If certain aspects aren’t delivered in the first installment of a series, I hope that the sequel will shed some light on those areas that I think are important to touch on as the reader. Unfortunately, Children of Daedala simply didn’t deliver as much as I had hoped for. While some aspects were much more tolerable, the plot did not develop as much as it needed to the really engage the reader.

World Building

The entire plot of Children of Daedala takes place in the labyrinth. Little information of the labyrinth itself is given and it is difficult to get a good sense of where the characters are. I constantly felt lost, which is ideally the point (since everyone is lost), but it's also difficult to tell a story not really understanding the surroundings.

The society within the labyrinth itself takes on a different form. The Icarii literally enter a new world when they entered the labyrinth and they must learn how to survive. The best way to survive is by strength in numbers. Several pods of Icarii are developed, where the groups' members look after and protect one another.

But where there are people, there is treachery. Supplies are limited in the labyrinth, including hunting grounds, freshwater, medical supplies, and weapons. It isn't uncommon for fighting to happen between the groups for these resources. These fights, however, aren't always provision-related. Bad blood exists between Kleos and Harmonia, two groups with a long and dark history. When the main character finds herself being shoved between the two groups after Fates is ransacked, she must dig to the bottom of the mystery in order to discover who is at fault.

Within these groups exists hierarchy. Being out on her own for six months had made "nameless" a sought out legend among the other Icarii. Nicknamed "Fey Bell" (after the silent bell she wears around her neck) she tries to remain elusive as she searches for the labyrinth's exit. However, she can only make it so far without help. She must take measures into her own hands to have the mysterious journal the Executioner left her translated. The leaders of the groups have their own agendas and are constantly taunting her when they cross paths. Wanting to remain out of the drama, she tries to limit her interactions with them, but can only succeed for so long.

Pacing & Readability

The pacing mimics Children of Icarus. It is slow, slow, slow. In three hundred plus pages, not a lot happens. Even during the climax in the final pages, nothing grabbed me. Without having many variations in the pacing, it made this a difficult read to get through because it was slow and unengaging.

Point-Of-View & Characters

The point of view is again from the perspective of the main character, who again remains nameless throughout the entire story. "Nameless'"--I'll refer to by her nickname of Fey Bell--character grows tremendously from Children of Icarus--but only in her capabilities. In many ways, she still acts quite immature for her age, which becomes tiresome to read. Honestly, I think I stuck it out through this book just because I want to find out what her name is! Otherwise, I don't think I would have made it this far.

There are several characters in this series, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. With little distinction between them physically, many of these minor characters blended together.

For me, Ryan was one of the more interesting characters in this series. Sadly, his character became rather flat in this sequel. I felt he could have been utilized in more effective ways to keep that initial intrigue going, but that simply didn't happen.

Theo becomes a more prominent character in this sequel. Becoming a “sort of” love interest, he’s constantly riding the fence of being trustworthy. Because his character also suffers from flatness, I found him and his motivations to be transparent and without surprise.

Elle’s character blossomed before my very eyes. I think I didn’t recognize her in Children of Icarus because I was so distracted with all of the gore and overall treachery. While she doesn’t have a massive role in the plot, what she represents makes her all-the-more important to bring up.

The main antagonist against is the labyrinth itself, but later on shifts to other characters as well.

Major Themes

⇒ Survival
It’s easy not to take chances when the price is someone else’s secrets.

Survival is the entire point of this series. Survival in the labyrinth, survival from one another, and survival from oneself in specific instances is constantly on the characters’ and readers minds.

⇒ Mental illness
”Elle is the beautiful one. I always knew it, but at first I thought it was just her exterior. I thought what was inside Elle was cruel. And it is. Elle has a cruel side, an inhumane side, a manipulative side, but that like her physical beauty, is just something else in the way of the beauty inside. A part of Elle, deep down, is still the child she was when she entered the labyrinth. That child is inside all Icarii, but most Icarii kill that child to survive. Instead, Elle killed her sanity, and used its corpse to shelter the child. Because of that, a part of Elle will always have her innocence. A part of her will always have Prosper.”

Represented by Elle’s character, mental illness becomes a large theme throughout this installment. This theme also exists in the first book, but I think I was too distracted by everything else to really notice it. While I believe this adds an interesting addition to the plot, I’m not sure if I actually like the way Elle’s character is represented. Perhaps it is because I feel that her (and everyone else’s) character is left incomplete. In a positive way, however, I feel that Elle’s able to bring opponents together.

“But thank you. For looking out for Elle.”
“It’s easy to look out for Elle,” Risa says, then gestures to the gauze in my hand. Maybe not always easy, but it’s easy to want to, you know?”

Overall Feelings

Things that I liked:
⇒ The main character's growth from the first book.
⇒ We finally get a little more explanation behind the Icarii.

Things that I didn’t like:
⇒ Still not having a good sense of the world or where the characters are at. Scenes blend into one another.
⇒ The slow pacing and anticlimactic end which was supposed to be a massive "cliffhanger" for the next book.
⇒ While we get a better idea as to how the Icarii started, the entire backstory needed a lot more explanation.

Overall, I wasn't thrilled with this sequel, and found it to be without much purpose. I really was hoping for more progression, but this entire book felt like a "time filler" until the next book in the series is published.

Vulgarity: Minimal. Only five words were counted.
Sexual content: Minimal - kissing scenes only. However, there are some references to more going on between some characters.
Violence: Quite a lot. While this installment isn't as gory as it's predecessor, there's still a decent amount.

My Rating: ★★

Children of Daedala continued the story of the main character now nicknamed Fey Bell. Six months have passed since the Executioner’s death and Fey Bell has been living on her own in the Labyrinth. She found two different groups, far from the Fates. Kleos is a group of boys, lead by Gammon, a charismatic and insistent. Harmonia is a group of girls, lead by Polina, cold and austere. Then, she runs into a group of scavengers from the Fates and ends up taking one of them as hostage. A lot happens after that but you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Firstly, I have to mention the big change on Fey Bell. Her time with the Executioner made her strong and fearless, very different from how she was in the first book. So, if you didn’t like her attitude in Children of Icarus, you can still read Children of Daedala.
The new characters were outstanding. I really liked Gammon, right from his first encounter with Fey Bell. Polina was also a great character. The way those two lead the two groups was great to see. There were other characters introduced, from both groups but the only thing I’m going to mention is that all of them were intriguing and well-developed.
The plot was brilliant. There was conflict, character development, twists, everything. The author also included romance in this novel, something that didn’t happen in Children of Icarus. When I first noticed it, it caught me off guard but I quickly got into it. I usually don’t care for romance in books like this one but the way Smith weaved it into the plot was amazing.
Overall, this was a great sequel to Children of Icarus. I can’t wait to read the next one.

I loved the first book in the series and I loved this sequel just as much!

Clara/Fey Bell/Bell is one of my top favorite heroines if all time! She’s had so much development since the first book and I loved that she’s still her quiet self just stronger. Her selective mutism is what made her stand out to me in the first place and I relate so much to her struggles with talking to people.

I loved the setting as well, it’s dangerous and amazing at the same time. There are all sorts of crazy monsters within the maze and adding to that you have three different groups of teenagers and children who don’t exactly get along.
I really liked Miss Smith’s writing style and descriptions. Throughout the book there was a lot of action and adventure and I found the book pretty fast paced and I never got bored. I’m hoping we learn Clara/Fey Bell/Bell’s real name and get some answers in the next book.

Rating: 5 Stars!

Recommendation: For fans of The maze Runner and The Hunger Games ages 13 and up

FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

She's been stuck in the labyrinth for six months now and every moment has been a struggle, but her time there has made her stronger than ever. There are many more hidden horrors in the labyrinth. That means she'll have to turn to a "friend" and go against everything she knows if she wants freedom.

Children of Daedala by Caighlan Smith is the second book of the Children of Icarus series. When I was approved for this novel on NetGalley I had no idea that this was actually a sequel, but I figured it out and took the time to read book one. If I hadn't I expect I would have been very confused by many plot elements here. Unfortunately, I was not impressed to say the least with the first book in the series. Actually, Nameless, our main character, irritated the heck out of me. Luckily, I read it just shortly before I tackled this so the storyline was still fresh in my mind as there was no recap. In the end, though, I think I liked this sequel a bit more - and a good deal of that was because I wasn't actively angry at the lead. Plus, I'm already familiar with the author's style so that helped. Regardless, I still think the book could have been cut down in length by 50-100 pages in length because not all that much actually happens. We are also introduced to many new characters, and for me, most of them were nearly impossible to differentiate between since they all sounded the very much same. My biggest issue though is the fact that maybe only one question of my many, many questions actually gets answered. We also came away with a few more questions in this installment, if that's possible.

Children of Daedala by Caighlan Smith is the second book in the Children of Icarus series that drops you right into the middle of the story. Just to warn you, if you haven't picked up book one before this one you will definitely feel out of the loop - and the experience may be a bit rocky, especially your response to our mostly silent lead character. While I think I enjoyed this sequel a bit more than the first, there are still quite a few issues preventing me from enjoying the story more. I wish I could say that we got more answers. Unfortunately, I doubt that I'll be back for any future installments of this series.

OMG! This book was AWESOME! I absolutely loved it!!!

As with Children of Icarus, the author did a great job world building, and this book was very well-written.

This book also kept me guessing. I couldn't put it down, and it had many twists and turns throughout the book.

My only issue with this book was the ending. It ends with such a cliffhanger! I'm just upset that I will have to wait a long time to see what happens next. The next book in the series is not listed on GoodReads yet, so I am not sure when book #3 will be released.

I loved Clara in this book. In the last book, she got on my nerves some, because of how weak she seemed. She has a complete transformation from the girl we meet at the beginning of Children of Icarus and the girl that is in this book.

If you haven't read Children of Icarus, you should read it now so that you can follow up with this book!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I am pretty sure when I saw that this book was available for request you could hear me screeching from about three states away. I LOVED the first book, staying up way past when I should just so I could find out what would happen with our main character. Now I have my tablet charged and ready for me to read the second installment in the Children of Icarus series. I am absolutely giddy with excitement.

Our story picks up basically right where it left off. The main heroine is still unnamed. Throughout the book, she is called still Clara and the new nickname of Fey Bell. She is living alone in the labyrinth now that the Executioner is dead. She has basically become a bad-ass. With what the Executioner taught her she is able to down screechers by herself and kill diggers. She likes being alone. She carries a ton of weapons: a chain, ax, arrows and a bow, and a spiked ball and chain to name a few. She also weaves spikes into her braids so anyone who attacks and grabs her hair with slice their hands. All of that changes when one day she runs across her old Fates family. The people who rescued her when she was dumped into the labyrinth on that fateful day. One thing leads to another and she takes Ryan captive. She specifically picks him because she wants to use him as collateral to get the person she really wants, Cassie. Cassie can read an ancient language so she can translate a journal that Clara has. Ryan admits that he can also read the ancient language. Will they ever get out of the labyrinth? Will she use Ryan as a hostage to get Cassie?

OH.MY.WORD. This book ended on such a cliffhanger. I am chomping at the bit to read the next book in the series. Why do I have to wait so long?! Again the author delivers a well-rounded book. The author finally gives the main character a slight romance. Hopefully, more will come of that during book three. The author creates a world that you can see in your mind’s eye. The horrifying creatures, especially in this book the lion that the main character fights, leap to life. The descriptions that she provides are amazing. The small romance that is written in is so cute. She is awkward when it comes to romance and you can totally feel her anxiety over it and her internal “What do I do?”. I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Hopefully, I don’t have to wait too long to find out.

After spending 6 months in the labyrinth, she has grown stronger and more independent. Instead of counting on others to protect her, she's learned to protect herself from the monsters around every turn. She can also hunt and bandage any wounds she has. The only thing she can't do is translate the journal that may tell her how to escape. To do that, she'll have to enlist the help of the people who have vowed to kill her. 

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the first book in this series, Children of Icarus. The first book introduced the reader to a nameless protagonist who is chosen to enter the labyrinth with her best friend. According to the legends, those who pass through the labyrinth can become angles, but things go horribly wrong. That focused on the monsters of the labyrinth and politics of the world outside it. In the sequel, I hoped to learn about the journal left the narrator at the end of the first book, why the labyrinth exists and what is on the other side. 

The nameless narrator is again the predominant voice of this novel, and she now is called Fey Bell or just Bell. We also are reintroduced to a number of characters from the previous book, some allies and some enemies. There are some interesting new characters though, including the all-male warriors called the Kleos and their rivals, the all-female band called Harmonia. These two groups add some new life and excitement to the story, but overall mirror each other or characters seen in the previous book, at least through our narrator's eyes. 

The setting of this novel mostly takes place in familiar territory. We return to familiar places and see them new again through our matured narrator's fresh eyes. The reader is also taken inside of the bases of Kleos and Harmonia, although they don't feel like new settings as the narrator describes them in comparison to the other places she's been. I was a little disappointed the characters didn't venture further into the labyrinth so we could see more of that world and get a teaser for what's beyond it. Although, that did give the reader more opportunity to focus on the plot. 

Much like in the first book, I felt that the pacing was off through the book. There's a lot of action, excitement, and tension, but they're a number of small conflicts that don't progress the plot by much if at all. The progress is incremental and then at the very end of the book, there is an aggressive influx of action and information. I wish some of that had been more spread out through the story. Additionally, I was surprised to see so much of the conflict in this novel revolve around drama and petty "he-said-she-said" squabbles when the last book was life and death. I really felt that the main character lost sight of her objective, forgetting about the journal and her escape for many chapters in the middle and near the end. 

Children of Daedala is the gripping sequel to Caighlan Smith's Children of Icarus. If you enjoyed the first book, this one picks up easily where it left off. It's a fun and tension-filled read. Lingering questions about the mysterious labyrinth will pull you in and the mysterious narrator with her diverse cast of characters will keep you going. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.

I was really excited about this book based on its premise. But then I actually started reading and it turned out to be way more violent than I would ever have anticipated. Now, the thing is, I don't do well with violence in the media I consume. Like, at all. To the point where I just don't consume it. Which is exactly what happened here. Despite the fact that I was actually interested to see how the story would unfold, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Mental health above all, right?

I'm sure there will be a lot of people ready to fall in love with this book, since it's honestly so well written & intriguing. It's just, sadly, not for me.