September 17, 2018

On My Bookshelf: The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee drew me in just as quickly as The Thousandth Floor, the first book in the series. I loved the continuation of the characters plus the addition of a few new ones, and just like The Thousandth Floor, the novel begins with the ending, a mysterious death, which makes you wonder the entire time that you are reading who the next victim of the high life will be. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: New York, 2118. Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a breathtaking marvel that touches the sky. But amidst high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets…

LEDA is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’ll do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden—even if it means trusting her enemy.

WATT just wants to put everything behind him…until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free of her for good?

When RYLIN wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

AVERY is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She’s desperate to be with him… no matter the cost.

And then there’s CALLIOPE, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.

But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. And in a world of such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall.

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee drew me in just as quickly as The Thousandth Floor, the first book in the series. I loved the continuation of the characters plus the addition of a few new ones, and just like The Thousandth Floor, the novel begins with the ending, a mysterious death, which makes you wonder the entire time that you are reading who the next victim of the high life will be. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
Why I liked it: The Dazzling Heights drew me in just as quickly as The Thousandth Floor, the first book in the series. I loved the continuation of the characters plus the addition of a few new ones, and just like The Thousandth Floor, the novel begins with the ending, a mysterious death, which makes you wonder the entire time that you are reading who the next victim of the high life will be.

Watt continued to be a favorite character and I enjoyed watching the development of his (mutual) love/hate relationship with Leda. Rylin takes on a larger role as she wins the scholarship in memory of Eris and is less shadowed by her past relationship with Cord. Avery remained a fairly flat character for me, but I shared her distaste for Calliope and was pleased when she and Leda mended their friendship. The ending of the novel followed the pattern of the first in the series, so I don't know if I liked it better or if it was just less unexpected.

Classroom application: This series is appropriate for high school students due to mature content (sex, drug and alcohol use). As with The Thousandth Floor, since the novel is set in the not too distant future, the novel could also serve as a springboard for students to develop their own "utopian" worlds with consideration to economics, government, education, transportation etc.

Two of the new characters are a mother daughter con artist team. A fun after reading project would be to research famous real life con artists or teams. Allow students to present their findings and then vote on the "baddest" one of all.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Dazzling Heights for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee drew me in just as quickly as The Thousandth Floor, the first book in the series. I loved the continuation of the characters plus the addition of a few new ones, and just like The Thousandth Floor, the novel begins with the ending, a mysterious death, which makes you wonder the entire time that you are reading who the next victim of the high life will be. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.


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