This second book in the series is more engaging than the first. The most defining feature of the series so far is the inability to decide who to trust and who is the villain. This was a bit more obvious than the first, but the characterizations are stronger so overall I enjoyed it more. Looking forward to book three, The Reckoning. As a side note, these appear to have been previously published under different names. From what I can figure out: The Awakening=Quantum Prophecy, The Gathering=Sakkara and The Reckoning=Absolute Power.