Villains Rising (Cloak Society Series #2)

by Jeramey Kraatz

Overview

Alex Knight struggles to find a place between superheroes and supervillains in this explosive sequel to The Cloak Society, which School Library Journal says has "the same wide appeal as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books."

The Cloak Society has just pulled off the greatest takedown in Sterling City's history—but twelve-year-old Alex Knight has turned his back on the supervillains who raised him, and is fighting for the other side. Working with the superheroes is easier said than done, though . . . especially when your new teammates aren't sure your days as a villain are over.

Praised by Publishers Weekly for its "rapid-fire, comic book–style action," the Cloak Society trilogy delivers high-stakes battles, extraordinary superpowers, and an original twist on the superhero stories readers know and love. Fans of the 39 Clues and the Alex Rider Adventures will be hooked!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062095527
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Series:	Cloak Society Series , #2
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	879 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jeramey Kraatz is the author of the Space Runners series and the Cloak Society series, and he is a graduate of the MFA writing program at Columbia University. Jeramey lives in Texas, where he sometimes teaches, sometimes writes cartoon scripts, and is always up for queso. You can fi nd him at www.jerameykraatz.com or on Twitter @jerameykraatz.

Editorial Reviews

Kraatz continues to please readers who love comic book action with high-tech gadgets, fierce battles, and characters boasting an inventive arsenal of super abilities.” — School Library Journal

Praise for The Cloak Society: “Readers should find it easy to dig into the rapid–fire, comic book–style action.” — Publishers Weekly

“An original fantasy world with a detailed backstory and myriad intriguing characters. This debut novel is a strong start to a series that will likely find the same wide appeal as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.” — School Library Journal

“The Cloak Society must have zapped me like kryptonite, because the moment I opened it, I was frozen in place, reading long into the night, unable to move until I turned the last page.” — Christopher Healy, author of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

From the Publisher

The Cloak Society must have zapped me like kryptonite, because the moment I opened it, I was frozen in place, reading long into the night, unable to move until I turned the last page.

Christopher Healy

02/01/2014
Gr 5–8—The battle for control over Sterling City has ended and the evil Cloak Society has won. Most of the good-guy Rangers of Justice have been trapped in the Gloom, an alternate dimension. The City's only remaining super-powered protectors are seven teenagers: three young Rangers and four former Cloak members who traded villany for heroism. Struggling to regroup, the teens must learn to work together despite their past differences and rescue the trapped Rangers. Adding to the group's trust issues are two new superpowered teens who want to join the team but whose true motives are suspect. Kraatz does a good job keeping readers guessing who may betray the heroes. Favorite characters from the first book return including telekinetic Alex, shape-shifter Kirbie, and tech genius Gabe. Kraatz continues to please readers who love comic book action with high-tech gadgets, fierce battles, and characters boasting an inventive arsenal of super abilities. Fans of the first installment will enjoy the continuing adventure and eagerly await the next in the series.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

School Library Journal

Fugitive young superheroes and former supervillains inch toward an uneasy bond following the opener's climactic disaster (The Cloak Society, 2012). Huddling in a secret hideout, former dastard-in-training Alex and his motley group of junior Rangers of Justice allies work toward rescuing the adult members of the Rangers, who have been trapped in the other dimensional Gloom by the shadowy Cloak Society to which Alex's villainous parents belong. That work is hindered by Alex's nagging fears (justified, as it turns out) that not all of his teen and preteen associates are on the up and up. To a cast already well stocked with costumed good and bad guys wielding flashy superpowers and high-tech gear, Kraatz adds new characters endowed with prehensile hair and the ability to control insects. But this episode lags. Though he also trots in a trio of fiendishly clever assassins to provide the episode with a few stylized, indecisive fight scenes and real, or seeming, betrayals, not only does the overarching plotline barely budge, but Alex's continual doubts and frets make for glacial pacing and much waiting around for the action to start. Loyalty issues fuel an emotionally turbulent but slow-moving middle volume. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews