Daring Double Cross *My 100th Post :)

For my 100th post I thought I'd go back to the same author that I started my very first post with.   So here's a review for the superb sequel to Mind Games.

Double Cross by Carolyn Crane

*Some spoilers for Mind Games are a part of this review

This is one book where the sequel lives up to the original and in some cases is even better because now you know even more about these characters.  This book gets a definite 5 out of 5 gnomes for superb characters, a great mystery and one heck of an ending hence the double cross of the title.

The book opens with Justine being sent to interact with Ez a dream invader, sadly Justine does not wait for Packard to get there so she doesn't know that she should have worn gloves.  Now her and Packard are connected to Ez because her dream invader power is transferred by touch.  This lets Ez conference together Justine and Packards dreams so they both see and feel exactly what the other one does while in the dream.  

Otto is now the mayor of Midcity and now Justine and the other disillusionists because of the agreement Packard and Otto made are going around and disillusioning the highcaps that Otto has trapped around the city.  The big bad of this book is a group called The Dorks that is going around killing highcaps.  The mystery is that the Dorks are immune to the highcaps powers and they have some way that lets them see who is and isn't a highcap.

There is a lot of drama and mystery in this second book of the series. There's a big secret from Otto and Packard's past that must be dealt with.  Finding a way to stop the Dorks is a top priority and disillusioning Ez so she doesn't turn them into sleep walking cannibals is also something else to really worry about.

The love triangle between Justine and whether she'll pick Packard or Otto gets even more infuriating in this book if that's even possible.  There are steamy moments in the dream world and the real world which leave you wondering who she is going to pick.  At the end of the book this love triangle may make you want to pull your hair out but it will also leave you wanting the next book ASAP.

Shelby and Simon, two of my favorite characters, also have important parts to play in this book and you see more of who they are.  Justine too grows more as a character in this book and is in my opinion way too trusting at certain points.

There are some huge secrets that are revealed that will most likely change the course of Justine and all the other disillusionists.  I believe I said something along the lines holy carp and oh no out loud more then once.

I firmly believe that Justine should be with Packard, I never did like Otto. Then by the end of this book I really felt like Otto needed to be punched in the face, repeatedly.  Warning the double cross is a doozy so be prepared to yell at the book and want to throw it across the room especially with what happens on the very last page.

Overall a fast moving read full of mystery and secrets, I know I'll be waiting impatiently for the next book eager to see what happens next.