“Oh, Faith. Oh my darling. The not knowing is the exciting part. Go and find out. Make mistakes. Make memories. Do it all, because you can.”

Has anyone else ever read a book thinking there was going to be another one after it, but only to see the synopsis calling it the conclusion to a series? Just me? Never mind, then. Faith: Greater Heights is the conclusion to Faith’s origin story. The sequel does an admirable job of reiterating the events of the first book seamlessly while also diving right into Faith’s final year of high school. We get a bit of background of what’s happened over the summer—Faith’s grandmother had a few more episodes where she couldn’t remember key events in her life and got confused and Faith caved and told her best friends everything about Dakota, her own flying prowess and Colleen’s weird behaviour. From the first few pages, you’re drawn right back into Faith’s story and ready to find out what’s to come.

People who return because of Faith’s trademark personality won’t be disappointed—Faith’s understated humour and dry remarks make the pages fly by as she navigates senior life, her grandmother’s worsening Alzheimer’s, and the question where she’ll go once she’s graduated. Still furious with Dakota for what she put her through, but also missing her due to some unresolved feelings, there’s a lot going on. Not to mention that certain potential villains returning unexpectedly and new faces showing up are definitely a cause for concern. Though there are larger powers at play, the majority of the action is held back until the final quarter of the book, but the payoff justifies the slow build-up to an explosive climax for Faith’s origin story.

While some may miss the action from the first book Faith: Taking Flight, I actually really enjoyed the—for the most part of the novel—more introspective focus this time around. Struggles Faith has faced in the first book are expounded on in detail. Most of this sequel revolves around her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and, quite like with the first book in this duology, Murphy truly shines in her unflinching and utterly honest depiction of what it means to care for someone who’s slowly losing their memories. If you’ve ever known someone who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I’m sure you’ll see the raw quality in Murphy’s writing. There are no punches pulled and instead, the truth is shown: that some days, all the memories are there and nothing seems to be wrong, while others, the person you love may not even recognise you. Alzheimer’s is one of the cruellest illnesses because it takes in unproportionate amounts that you never quite expect. To this day, Murphy’s depiction of it remains one of my favourites in young adult literature because it’s so authentic.

Faith’s efforts to make everything work—living on her own, saving her town from yet another disaster and trying to figure out just what it means to be supernatural—are fascinating to follow and you can’t help but root for her. Once again, Murphy showcases that support goes both ways—when Faith relies on her friends, they in turn count on her. I loved that Faith made mistakes in this book and that her friends were there for her, regardless. Though the ending after the big reveal felt a tad anticlimactic (again, I didn’t think much of it because I thought there would be a third novel), overall it’s a heartfelt goodbye to Faith, her fantastic friends and family.

Offering a satisfying conclusion to an admirable superhero’s origin story, Faith: Greater Heights shines with the trademark Murphy narration, a mystery to keep you guessing and a whole lot of wholesome high school moments between friends and family.

It was very much a continuation of the first book. If you enjoyed the first one you will probably enjoy this one. It was a little too like the first one for my taste. I was ready for a different take but it was still fun.

Faith Herbert is ready to end her senior year as normally as possible- or as normal as can be expected for a teenager who can fly and is compelled to help keep her community safe. Even this semblance of "normal" is disrupted though when her grandmother decides that her episodes of dementia have made it necessary to move into a facility where she can have around-the-clock care. Faith is not ready for this change, but will have to tackle it along with all the other challenges that keep cropping up- like the return of her maybe-girlfriend Dakota Ash.

Julie Murphy has created endearing characters that make you root for them throughout the book. This follow-up to Faith: Taking Flight was a great way to bring readers back into Faith's world. The mystery itself felt a little contrived, but I didn't even care because I love Murphy's writing. I will be adding this title to my school library when it comes out!

This book caught up with Faith as she was trying to resume some semblance of normalcy after the crazy start to her senior year we saw in Faith Taking Flight. She was coming to terms with the crazy turn things took with Dakota. Dealing with Grandma and her failing mind. And planning the remaining part of her senior year and life after high school with best friends Ches and Matt, but for the genesis story of superheroes things can never be quite that clean cut. A string of arsons and the surprising reappearance of some old faces has faith concerned about what this year may actually have in store for her. It looks like the end of the book might just call for Zephyr to save the day one more time.
I love the character of Faith. I just love her. I can see so much of myself in Faith, especially my high school self. From the bubbly personality and long blond hair to the gay best friend, I relate to Faith on a deep level. I think it is because of that I am so happy to see someone like her having sweet love stories and saving the day. When I was younger I think I settled for being the funny, supportive, best friend. That was the best role I could hope for because that was the only role ever portrayed in any form of media that wasn’t harmful and I knew I could shine there, so I did. Stories like Faith’s show a new way for the younger generation. They get to see this big bubbly fat girl being taken seriously. They get to see her fall in love. And they get to solve the mystery and kick some ass. I can’t help but think if I had read or seen stories like this the difference it would have made on my confidence and the things I thought were possible for me. That is why representation are so important. We are giving people options. We are saying that you deserve to be in any story and you have the ability to make your life what you want it to be. So yes, Faith Greater Heights is a wonderful sequel in the genesis story of a superhero, but what it actually does to the audience that reads it is so much more impactful than simply entertainment. Faith opens the door to so many more opportunities for you fat girls by showing them what is possible.

If you enjoyed Julie Murphy's first Faith Herbert superhero YA novel, then you are primed to like her upcoming follow-up, as Faith and her squad balance both senior year with saving the world, continuing her mission from the last book. True to Murphy's style, this book reads quite quickly and is a nice continuation of the universe she's already established. She also fills the pages with rich and witty language that made it easy to want to keep reading.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I bought Faith: Taking Flight last year on something of a whim, not knowing what to expect from a novel adapted from a comic series, and written by Julie Murphy at that (my understanding, though I hadn't read them yet, was that her other books were pretty different from that one). It turned out to be a pretty fun and engaging read, which is why I was excited to see this title come up on NetGalley.

Faith: Greater Heights is a good follow-up to the original, building the world out further and incorporating a good deal of mystery. I was a little disappointed that this book didn't have more action in it, but this didn't really impede my progress — the twists that came as the mystery unraveled were enough to keep me wanting more. I remember gasping a couple times and shouting "I knew it! I knew it!" like a maniac.

The ending felt a little anticlimactic and quick to wrap up for me, and maybe this can be attributed to the lack of action I mentioned earlier, but it also felt like it didn't have much to make me want to pick up the third book in the series. I probably will anyways, simply because I enjoy this series, but there was no major cliffhanger or loose end I felt desperate about needing answers for. (And maybe this is something you like! But I felt like I wanted more.)

Overall, this was an easy and fun read that I'd recommend if you enjoyed the first book. I look forward to seeing what nefarious things are sure to appear in the third novel. :')

Going into this book, I did not realize it was a sequel! I requested it solely because I liked the cover and recognized the author. So when I began to read it I was a little confused. But using context clues I was able to power through the book and enjoyed reading it quite a bit.

My favorite part of this book was definitely the characters. Faith is a lovely protagonist. She has flaws and makes mistakes but ultimately she wants to do the right thing. Her friends and love interest are all good characters too. They have distinct personalities and complement Faith well.

Sometimes I felt like the story moved a little slowly for my taste. And then some things moved super fast which made them feel rushed in comparison.

Overall though I did enjoy this book. It was humorous and mysterious and had its fair share of heartfelt moments. Time for me to go read the first book in this duology! This wouldn't be the first time I've read a series out of order on accident. I highly recommend Faith: Greater Heights to any fans of superhero stories.

This book was FANTASTIC! Julie has done it yet again making another perfectly amazing book. I loved Faith in the first book and I lover her even more now.

Thank you to both the publisher, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Faith: Greater Heights. I read the first book, Faith: Taking Flight, about this time last year and quite enjoyed it. This sequel does a fantastic job picking back up, where it reminds you of all the characters and plot points you need to follow without wasting any of the action on recapping everything. I was drawn right back in to Faith's world and was excited to see where she would go next. Julie Murphy is also fantastic at making me read at lightning speed and pouring through pages without realizing how quickly I'm invested.

So much of this story revolves around Faith's grandmother, and finding her appropriate care. I do feel this is a critical portion of her "origin story" as the series goes. I was surprised at how much time was dedicated to this - not in a bad way, just that it's not as superhero-y as the rest. I think a lot of readers will easily relate to the family side of this story, whether they've had to find care for a loved one or are even dealing with turning 18 and obviously still needing tons of family and adult help in literally every area of life but also kind of aging out of official guardianship. Plus, living alone vs. *being* alone is such an important contrast that gets fantastic page time. This is all a sticking point to me, and it's not lost on me that Faith's efforts to help others and keep disasters at bay in her town and school are a whole different kind of guardianship.

(I could see though, unless you're hot off reading the first book, how you wouldn't feel like you're dipping into a fast-paced adventurous read though. I don't think this story would work as a standalone or as your first introduction to Faith.)

I was surprised, in a less great way though, how little Faith's history with fandom and conventions and writing/pop culture etc. played into this part of the story. I know the story is focused on a lot and it's not like Faith has time to be blogging while literal dumpsters are on fire, but I actually gasped with recognition when my Kindle clicked over to 50% of book read and there was a fandom reference in the chapter, which hadn't occurred until then. It's one of those things that felt important to nod to, since it's so foundational in the first book.

Without any spoilers, I do think that most of the "action" is reserved for the later quarter of the book. I like getting to know more about Faith's friends and family and her ambitions (or even fear of having them, given all that's going on -- which is so relatable) but if readers are looking for action sequences galore, they're later (with a few tastes throughout.)

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Amazing story with themes of love, friendship and family. Faith has the ability to fly. In between caring for her grandma who has dementia she's fighting bad villains and trying to save her classmates. This is part two of the series, we have new characters you will love and your favorites are back.

This is an inclusive super hero story with a plus sized hero. Fantastic! You will not be disappointed. Can be read as a standalone.

Julie Murphy uses lovely and honest prose to help readers see a new superhero and realistic way of being heroic. Highly recommended for young readers.

First off, Goodreads & NetGalley need to stop advertising this series as a graphic novel...it's not...lol.

Secondly, thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, DNF at 15%.

Faith: Greater Heights is a sequel that continues to follow Faith's super-adventures after the first book. Faith has the ability to fly, but in this book, she has to pick up the pieces of the last adventure while juggling her much-changed home life.

I tried reading the first one after finding out this was a sequel and I was already approved for it...I couldn't get very far. I do think that the writing has greatly improved in this sequel and that's a great sign, but I wasn't a fan of Faith as a character and had a hard time reading because of her. I can't really pin it down too much, but I guess I feel like she didn't have too compelling of a personality to keep reading? I could use more of her internal dialogue that isn't about television shows to get a better feel for her.

The dialogue is witty and snappy, the characters interact with one another in a fun way, but this series is just not for me. I like how this one has some darker content in that Faith has to deal with her grandmother's memory issues while thinking about what she wants to do in the future.

I don't really get why Faith doesn't fly half as much as she should, she's really missing out on that sweet superpower...

Faith is back!

After uncovering a drug ring designed to find psiots, people with super powers, she’s still reeling with all the changes.

Her grandmother, Lou, is sinking deeper into dementia and may need more care than Faith is willing to admit.

When Lou considers a swanky retirement community, Faith’s suspicions are aroused by the owner and other things that just don’t add up.

Faith is left to navigate the final months of her senior year living solo. She’s struggling to figure out mysterious happenings involving fire, the sudden reappearance and changes in Colleen Bristow who disappeared last fall, other surprise guests, her future and more.

Faith is a truly enjoyable character. She is flawed like people are and still figuring out who she is and what she wants. She loves deeply and tries to always fight for the good.