Darkest Light by Hiromi Goto with illustrations by Jillian Tamaki

Gee's life is filled with silence. He lives alone with his grandmother, and she won't talk about the past. His sister went away to school and barely comes home. He doesn't have many friends and mainly keeps to himself. But when his grandmother ends up in the hospital and a cat starts talking to him, Gee might be on his way to finding some of the answers he's been waiting for. The answers lie in a mysterious place called Half World - and he might not like what he discovers.

Half World was a critical and popular success due to its inventive story and strong writing. I might be going out on a limb here, but I have to admit that I responded to this sequel even more. I love the character of Gee and the journey that he travels. The struggles that he faces have incredible stakes and that tension is maintained throughout the novel. The way he faces himself and fights the concept of destiny is both inspiring and heartbreaking. This is a wonderful follow-up for fans of Half World and I hope that this book brings more fans to the story.

Check out Hiromi Goto's website and Jillian Tamaki's website.

I received an advance review copy from Penguin Canada.

Find it at Amazon.ca.

Read it with:
Half World by Hiromi Goto
The Water of Possibility by Hiromi Goto
Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki