I read and loved Twitch last March and then introduced it to school where it became an instant hit with my class who chose to have it as their daily read (my review is here) so I was thrilled when I saw that Spark was available on NetGalley.
It is Jack who takes the lead in this book and we see him at the beginning heroically carrying a cat to the vet who has been shot. From there, he discovers that this is not the first cat to have been shot recently so he decides that this could be the second case for the Twitchers to solve. However, when he goes to tell everybody, Twitch is preoccupied by the imminent arrival of a bearded vulture, a very rare bird, to the area and the investigation gets lost in the excitement. This means that it's up to Jack to lead the investigation into the shootings but this leads him into a criminal plot that could prove deadly if it isn't stopped in time.
Despite the excitement at the end of book 1, Jack seems to be wrestling with some issues at the beginning of Spark: he is struggling to find his place in the group and is also finding it difficult to identify the birds he sees. Despite Twitch's reassurances that he is just impatient and needs to find his spark bird, Jack is upset that the others are more occupied with the bearded vulture than his investigation. He is determined to get to the bottom of things, even if he has to branch out without the whole team and this undoubtedly causes friction amongst the group. As a result, we see Jack grow as a character and, although he makes mistakes along the way, he grows in strength and determination as the book progresses. He is brave and his fear of the consequences of abandoning his search is what drives him on.
As with Twitch, Spark had me hooked from the beginning and I simply loved the pace and the peril that are woven into the plot. It is a glorious sequel and it was a delight to be back with the group - I really enjoyed getting to know Jack more. It's a pacey plot which I know will be a huge hit with my class when it is released. And I have to say an additional thank-you to MG Leonard for getting me through a night flight back from Crete! I found it impossible to sleep and was incredibly pleased to have Jack, Twitch and the others to keep me company whilst everybody else slept!
Spark is due for release on the 1st September.
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