Trapped (Here Trilogy #2)

Trapped by Ella James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ella James has surprised me again. This continuation of the Here series picks up with a bang.

There's no break in the action as Trapped picks up right where Here ended. There is a new character, Vera, who throws a bit of snark and humor into the mix. The action really picks up in this one. Our characters are on the run from the bad guys and end up getting caught. Sadly, the book descends into the common trope of the humans being the stereotypical "we are going to slice you up and study you" sort. Milo is also held captive. But here's where the realism steps away somewhat. It tends to get unbelievable here - not in a bad way, but in a common way. Where the first book Here was really inventive, this book is more about the characters dealing with the circumstances. Although Nick and Milo behave like normal teenagers, the whole science fiction aspect of the story is really pronounced. The realistic feel is sacrificed for action scenes, which move the plot along. I didn't mind overall because I liked where it was going.

With the introduction of Vera, we get a much broader back story of Nick. Who he is and why is explained much more in depth. And in this, James is able to keep Nick a sympathetic character in the way he explains things to Milo. He never is condescending but struggles to find the appropriate language to communicate concepts. Milo spends much of the book being intrigued by Nick and scared of him. And along the way she falls in love with him, which also plays into the story in a beautiful way. The relationship they began in the first book continues and grows in this book. Personal wants are set aside for the bigger cause. But the romance isn't sacrificed. It gets pretty sticky, which provided the tension that kept things going until the plot twist at the end. I thought I had the whole thing figured out only to be surprised yet again. This book is anything but predictable in that way.

Allison McLemore narrates this book as well as the first one. She has wonderful expression in the way she relates the characters. Her phrasing is spot on. My only criticism of her (and it is a small one) is that when a character is screaming or yelling, the narrator should also be doing that. Narrators seem reluctant to do that in many cases. They kind of "whisper yell," which lightens an otherwise tense situation. This was the case in some of the scenes in this book. Overall, some of the intensity was lost.

That said, the narration was again excellent. It made the book better.

There is talk of a third book in this series, but the author is apparently busy with other projects. This sequel took two years to follow the first book, which was a shame since the first book ended on such a cliffhanger. The ending here wasn't convenient or simple, but it did leave things open for another book. This story isn't finished. Hopefully James will take time to write the third book and finish the series. Milo and Nick's story is definitely not finished. I look forward to what comes next.



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