This is the second instalment in the Above the Black series.

Conrad's Uncle is still ruling the Skylands in his place and he is forced to bend the knee and serve if he and his crew have any chance of surviving. Political turmoil abounds but they soon find themselves on a secret mission that will take them into the heart of battle and hopefully turn the tides of the war surrounding them.

This was an action-dominated book and I thought Gregson did a stellar job of crafting scenes of movement for his readers. I found them fast-paced and tense yet easy to discern. When a war wasn't playing out on the pages then one of minds was occurring behind the scenes, meaning there was always a ruse being played out, secrets being withheld, and lies to wade through. This book was anything but dull and there were few places for the reader to catch their breath!

I adored book one and the only factor making this drop a star from its predecessor is that I felt I understood protagonist Conrad a little less than before. He seemed more distant than I recall but perhaps this is because everything in his life is altering so rapidly that he barely knows himself anymore.

To make up for this though, the author ensured the surrounding side characters were imbued with heart and personality, including Conrad's sister, who quickly became one of my favourites. She was spiteful and feisty and impulsive and self-serving and yet I longed for her presence for how brightly she shined off the page.

I have greatly enjoyed this series, so far, and see the remainder being no less brilliant. This is peak YA sci-fi - high tension, higher stakes, and full of heart.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: YA Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Dystopian, SFF
Audience: Young Adults
Language: No F-bombs, but there are plenty of other words, especially variations of sh*t
Violence: I think it's similar to the first with deaths, military maneuvers, and one-on-one combat
Spice Level: Slow-burn romance with kissing

This series must be read in order to fully understand the plot. If you read the first one, you'll want to snap this up.

***AMONG SERPENTS*** is a high-octane ride through the skies on airships with monsters, betrayals, and twists!

One of the things I loved about this book is that it doesn't feel like a second book. The plot has its own twists and turns and isn't a setup just for the grand finale. I also loved how the book didn't go exactly where I expected—it veered into a new direction that was even better and more exciting.

Why is this series so good?
The characters!
I'm convinced that is the true source of the first book's popularity (it's a New York Times bestseller). The characters are so complex and interesting. I certainly don't like all of them, but I sure want to know what they're going to be up to next. And I know I can't trust all the characters, but I also keep rethinking which ones are the trustworthy ones. Being off kilter keeps me on my toes and keeps me reading. It's seriously a fast read—I gobbled it up in two days.

I can't wait for the third book!

You're going to love the adventure and fast-paced action.

Happy reading!

Excellent fast paced follow-up to Sky’s End! Familiar faces return and new friends made along the way. And if you thought gorgantauns were crazy, wait til you see…..

This book was wild, just like the first one. I was so happy to see relationships grow between characters in this book, whether they were from book one or new to the story. I thought Gregson did a great job of progressing the overall plot of the war as well as the smaller subplots. I can’t wait for the third to come out in 2026!
The formatting bothered me a bit, but I know that can be expected in an ARC copy.

I read "Sky's End" (the first book in this series) about this time last year and loved it! I loved the world, the action, the suspense, and the relationships that were built. This book takes all that and ups the stakes and the action right out of the gate. If you've not yet read the first book in this series but intend to, you may want to skip this review for now, as it may include minor spoilers from book one.

This book picks up not long after the end of the first book. Conrad has reconnected with his sister and now finds himself at the helm of a squadron of ships, tasked with fighting off ginormous sky monsters and helping to protect the people of the Skylands from the people who live below the black, toxic clouds beneath the floating islands.

When Conrad's dangerous uncle, the king of the Skylands, sends him on a secret mission, many wonder if Conrad and his crew will survive, but Conrad feels the mission is important enough for the good of the kingdom to risk his life, so he and his crew set off for an epic battle that will change their lives and the course of the Skylands forever.

Now that Conrad has established himself as a hunter and his uncle has officially announced that Conrad is the heir to the throne, the stakes are higher than ever. With the fate of the Skylands hanging in the balance, Conrad must prove his worth to his uncle and everyone in the kingdom. The journey is fraught with danger, from new (and bigger) deadly sky creatures to political sabotage and traitors around every corner. If you thought the action was white-knuckle in the first book, you haven't seen anything yet. Since the rules have been established and the world has been fleshed out, this book is all about action, intrigue, and crazy battles.

A lot is riding on Conrad's shoulders this time around and that is where the book shines, but also where it falters (I'll explain more about that in a bit). Conrad has grown a lot. He was quite cynical and kept everyone at arm's length in book one, focusing on taking down his uncle and saving his sister, but with the reveal at the end of that book, there's a new threat looming. This time, Conrad is focused on being a leader and fostering the relationships he built in the first book. The entire lovable, rag-tag crew is back. We even get more from the evil Sebastian - and yes, I still wanted to punch him in the spleen. I appreciated Conrad's emotional growth and maturity in this book, but as I said earlier, this is also where the book felt a little weak.

Conrad was so laser-focused in the first book that he refused to let anyone get close to him. This time around, he tries too hard to protect everyone, and his moral compass is his downfall. I appreciated his protectiveness toward his friends and crew, but I felt he was a little too lenient with some of the more dangerous people. He tried too hard to always be the upstanding captain, and after a while, it got old. I wanted more levels. I wanted him to show some of the hardness that he showed the first time around. He went from one extreme to the other in this book and just kind of stayed there.

Aside from that gripe, everything else worked really well. The pacing is breakneck, and a lot happens in the nearly 500 pages of this book. Twists and turns abound, the battle scenes are insane, and new revelations and shocking deaths kept me on the edge of my seat.

Even though Conrad's moral high ground started to get on my nerves after a while, it wasn't enough to ruin this one for me. If you're a fan of book one, you'll definitely want to check this one out. I love the world that Gregson has created, and the action is non-stop. This is an excellent continuation of an adrenaline-fueled series. I can't wait to read book three.

This story takes you on an edge of your seat thrill ride for most of its pages. I love when a sequel takes the reader to new places and reveals new depths to the characters. Which is certainly the case with Among Serpents. Lots of twists and turns and surprises. In addition Gregson does what many other authors fail to do and that is really make me despise, nay, even hate, the villains. Great follow-up and I look forward to the final book.

The perfect sequel! Among Serpents was everything I hoped it would be: an action-packed high stakes adventure full of complicated, complex characters, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and immersive world-building. From the very first page until the last, Among Serpents was a wonderfully-paced ride. Marc introduced me to new and beloved characters, whom I can’t wait to root for in the third installment.

Not to mention that ending! I can’t WAIT to see where this story goes next. For those who see themselves in Conrad, Pound, Rod, and beyond: Together, we rise.

Thanks to NetGalley & Peachtree Teen for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great sequel to an already awesome series! I like how Conrad continues his development from the first book. And we get to hang out with his sister! And his evil uncle! Lots of great worldbuilding as well--from both sides of the war.

I guess the only "bad" thing about the book is that it never slows down. It's kind of hard to slow down with the constant war looming over their heads, but I do think the month time skip toward the end could have been used to slow the story down and flesh out the side characters more.

Still love the title being a double joke, the flying serpents they fight AND political serpents they fight...namely, Conrad's nefarious uncle.

Can't wait for the third book to do what I've been wanting to do for ages--yeet Sebastian off the ship.

This book doesn't take a breath. It's fast-paced and action-packed, filled with intense fight scenes and pure adrenaline—a brilliant sequel and a great setup for the trilogy's conclusion. Even still, the slower moments manage to find a way to establish themselves. As always, the character dynamics are the highlight of this book for me. This cast is filled with so many fun characters. More importantly, some of the gripes I had with the first book—like Conrad's character and motivations—heavily improved. Of course, there were moments I wanted the story to slow down, particularly toward the end (i.e., those last few action sequences), but this was so fun and so thrilling. I would absolutely recommend continuing this series, especially if you loved the first installment!

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this digital ARC!! 4.25 / 5.0 ⭐️

The first book in this series presented the reader with an interesting world and a society apparently ruled by personal merit and not by wealth or influence. Of course, soon we learn that such a concept, Meritocracy, is not as simple as it sounds. Wealth and influence always play a role, a very important role, in the life of a person. So, even if Conrad, the hero, at first appears to embody the concept of “those who deserve it will get it regardless,” this second book soon shows us that nothing matters as much as having power and wealth and influence, because when you have those three things, you make the rules.

Full disclosure, this book was not exactly my cup of tea (so take my review with a grain of salt and consider that I may be harsher because of that fact). Also, importantly, I’m not the target audience, which goes a long way in explaining why this book was not exactly my cup of tea.

Among the things I found good, I liked the world. This vertical division and the mystery of the black bellow is certainly original. The beasts and the magic/science that has turned them from the planet’s regular fauna into monstrous weapons is a very compelling background for a story where violence and survival are at the core of everything.

Yet, often, I found the battles and fights interrupting the flow of the narrative more than adding to it. Soon, the sequence started to feel repetitive. A tiny bit of character development, a tiny bit of advancing the plot, a lot of fighting for survival either against a monster of the giant armored kind, or a more human one, then repeat.

And that’s why I think I could not really get into the story, because the parts where I wanted to sink my teeth into and enjoy were not meaty enough.

I suppose, those who like military sci-fi and fantasy, and those who love fast paced epic fights won’t have the same problem as me, because there’s lots of good stuff on that side of this story, it’s just that I would have like to have more of the other side the side where emotions are not just mentioned but shown to have a reason, where pain and happiness are integral to a character’s reactions and not just the background of them.

I’m sure I would be in the minority with my opinion. I can see why a lot of people will enjoy this book very, very much, I’m just not one of them.

Among Serpents is a strong follow-up to Sky's End. It's action packed (pop some popcorn folks - you will not want to put it down) and establishes the setting for the third book well. I love that this series reads upper YA/NA, and is entirely enjoyable for readers that generally read adult fantasy (me). The world-building is detailed and intriguing without being cumbersome.
I have no idea what is going to happen next and can't wait to find out in book 3.

This book was ok. I like the world building expansion. I think this book have second book syndrome and is just trying to setup for the final book. I still enjoyed the book in overall.

This still manages to scratch that dystopian itch I've been craving. I will say this sequel didn't pull me in quite as much as the first book, what with politics taking a larger roll and some characters getting a bit annoying. But I still enjoyed the overall vibes of the story and appreciated the expansion of world building. I hope the third book really amps things up and gets us back to the excitement of the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, “Among Serpents” was a classic example of “second book in a trilogy”— it was just trying to set up for the final book and final confrontation to the detriment of *this* book. It was definitely not as good as the first one. It also felt like it did a lot for shock value, which felt inauthentic compared to the legitimate drama of “Sky’s End.” It was like they were trying to keep the tension ramped up, but added things that weren’t strictly necessary to the story in order to achieve that. It was kind of disappointing to be honest. Also, there were a lot of internal exclamations (eg. “Oh hell!”) that really took me out of the story every single time they came up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!! I loved the first book and the next installment is just as good. More giant monsters, violence, and flying ships that fight giant monsters. Little bit of romance and a lot of feels. It does feel a bit like the second book in a three part series though. More like a bridge until we get to the end game.

I don't think I've ever hated a sixteen-year-old boy more than I hate Sebastian ... my commitment to my beef with a fictional teenager is probably concerning, to be honest.

Among Serpents is the thrilling sequel to Sky's End, and I still think it totally matches the vibes of the Ascendance trilogy. While this book takes on a more political focus, the worldbuilding is expanded immensely, and the stakes are higher than ever.
Conrad is now the Prince of the Skylands, but he's still the Captain of the Gladian as he is sent on a mission to find a secret weapon to save the Skylands. Once again, the story was incredibly fast-paced, and there were a ton of twists and betrayals. I called most of the twists, but I was still pleased with them. I really enjoyed the high stakes and the action scenes, and the ending of the book leaves me excited for book three.
The cast of characters has expanded as well, and I think it definitely worked in the book's favor. I really liked seeing Conrad's character arc and his internal conflicts. Bryce's backstory was interesting, and I like her as a character, but I hope she gets more page time in the next book. Roderick and Keeton are my favorites (I'm praying for a happy ending), but I also really like Pound and his arc. Ella, Arika, and Yez were interesting, but they're not my favorites. Sebastian can die in a hole. Or, better yet, we can feed him to the gigataun.
The stakes are raised in this second installation to the Above the Black series, Among Serpents.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.25/5

Review: An awesome follow up novel to Sky's End. The author writes for the Brat-pack but this attempt at YA is strangely palatable. Most of the characters behave reasonably well within the context of the story line. No odd crushing coupled with erratic behavior. Just straight "I like you, you like me" directness. The author could not help himself throwing in some lesbians. Standard fare if you want to push sales across a broad audience.

A slight downer from the previous novel is Prince d-bags development. It has steadily trended into the mundane world of whining and constantly caring too much about others that he is often hurt when these sacrifices occur. YAWN. "My new Famwy needs me! I will never let them down!" over and over and.......... This trend is relentless in presentation. The always questioning of "self" does not a confident character make. Perhaps that is the point that stabs relentlessly into your back.

There is a solid continuance of progression coupled with great movement and world building. This novel has it all, and if you are not into YA (like me) you may still enjoy the ride.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

3.6/5

This series is so freaking thrilling. It is such a wonderful fantasy, and it's dystopian edge brings everything to another level. It doesn't fear going big, in throwing itself headfirst into battle after battle, and continuously offering new beasts to fight.