Carbon

The Watcher Series, Book 2

By: AJ Eversley

Narrated by: Chelsea Stephens, Steve Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

What do you do when you become your own worst nightmare?

No longer the Watcher she once was, Sawyer must come to terms with her new reality. Her new identity. She may have new powers, but if she uses them, can she avoid losing herself in the process?

Desperate for answers, Sawyer travels to the United Isles with Max in search of help. Of someone who could be an ally. Someone who could break the connection she has to those who will abuse her power. But the haven they find can’t remain that way. And their new allies aren’t the people Sawyer believed them to be.

When the defenses of the United Isles are finally breached, Sawyer will be forced to make choices. She’s hoping to save as many as she can, but when a former lover attempts to kill her, she’ll have to fight just to save herself.

Saving her own life is only one thing Sawyer is fighting for, though. More importantly, can she save her soul? If she still has one to save.

The second book in the Watcher series picks up where the last left off. Action, intrigue, and a bit of romance will keep you listening to the end.

©2015, 2017 Amy Eversley (P)2018 Author AJ Eversley

not disappointed at all this was fab

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Review of . . . CARBON (The Watcher, #2) . . . One exciting exploration in a world of copied humans, advanced humans, protective humans, a world like none we know of. That was book one of the series. And here in book two you feel no less connected to the character. Their struggles. Their battles and more. Once I got my hands on book two of this series, I did go back and listen to book one again. I felt an even deeper connection to the depths of the characters, their stories, their battle/struggles, and the world that was built around them. You still have the question on your brain whether or not this could this be the world to come? I was excited and allured by the depth and details of this world shared via first person POV. Carbon was filled with action, intensity, fantasy, intrigue and a well thought out world to go with it all. You will want to listen to this over again. I will do just that when the next, Savior, comes out.

The narration pair did it again for me. The trading off of the dual POV's and bringing in their own styles made you feel like you were experiencing the world first hand. These two voices together made an engaging listen feel like a vivid movie playing in your mind.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by AJ Eversley. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Great second book

Carbon picks up almost immediately after Watcher ends, with Sawyer traveling to The United Isles in search of answers and help. Her travel companion, Max, is someone briefly introduced in book one.

One of the things I was hoping for with this book was the expansion of world-building, which was delivered more fully than in book one. I still wish we could have seen more, but that's just because I love the world Eversley has created so much that I feel like I'd always be wanting more.

The United Isles and the introduction of new characters were a significant change of pace from book one, where the action was almost non-stop. This gave more room for character development of Sawyer and Max, but there was still plenty going on to hold my interest. Sawyer saw a lot of character growth in this installment, with the help of an unlikely ally. Sawyer's grief and survivor guilt were handled with care and explored realistically and honestly. She went through a lot by the end of book one, so it was nice to see her begin to heal and find another part of herself beyond being a watcher.

The bright spot for me, even beyond Sawyer's growth and recovery, was Max, though. I liked his character from the very beginning of Carbon and only grew to adore him as the book went on. His background gives more insight into what happened to people who were left to fend for themselves, unlike Sawyer, who was in the compound. Max is a sweet cinnamon roll and I love him so much!

As I mentioned, there were additional characters introduced in this book, which helped to give answers about the rise of the carbons and some background on Coleman. Book three is set up nicely by the end of Carbon, which I already have, so I'm immediately moving onto it next!

Audio:
5/5 stars
Narrated by: Chelsea Stephens and Steve Campbell
Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

These are the same narrators as book one, and again, I was impressed with their narrations. As I said in my review of book one, both Chelsea Stephens and Steve Campbell are easy to listen to and able to give each character their unique voice. I'm happy to see they narrate the next one as well.

This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary review.

Hooked

Add in powers/abilities and I'm hooked! This had the feel of Watcher with the added elements of powers and new challenges. I didn't mind the teenage romance and thought it fit the story well!

No sophomore slump here

In my review of the first book, Watcher, I mentioned that I thought the beginning was a bit slow-going and I also felt that way about this book. I do want to emphasize that the pacing didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story; it just caught my attention.

Much has happened in Sawyer’s world, both her own personal existence and the larger world in which she lives. Coming to terms with her life as one of the Carbons she used to hunt is difficult, to say the least, but she’s also learning—and testing—her new-found abilities as a Carbon. What is really intense is the change in her relationship to those who mean something to her and Kenzie’s painful response to her is certainly understandable. Interestingly, Sawyer has become more appealing, with a softer side, now that she has been torn away from everything she’s always known and that growth in her psyche is what I found to be most compelling about this episode. Now that she has a new raison d’etre, a new target if you will, the action is really picking up and I can’t wait to start the next book.

Narrators Chelsea Stephens and Steve Campbell continue to bring Sawyer and Kenzie, as well as other characters, to life and both have good tonations and pacing. They are a pleasure to listen to, so important in audiobook storytelling, and they are a large part of why I want to continue with the trilogy.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by AJ Eversley. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Great series - best if read in order

I chose to listen to this audiobook after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I read this series a while back and was happy to listen to it when I had the opportunity. It’s definitely worth reading more than once and this was a good way to read it again.

Carbon picks up where Watcher left off. Sawyer is on a ship on the way to the United Isles to find out more about being a Carbon and breaking her tie to Coleman. He can control her and all Carbons when in close proximity but she’s told there is someone who has broken the tie. She plans on learning how to do that so she can go after him to seek her revenge and to save the rest of humanity.

Max is sent with Sawyer to assist her but she doesn’t like him at all. He’s constantly teasing her and she’s not in the mood. All she wants to do is grieve the loss of her friends and the love of her life. Eventually, she realizes that he’s trying to help her let go so that she can do what she set out to do. As time goes on, Max grows on her. The relationship between the two becomes a close friendship and maybe more if she can let go of Kenzie. I liked this relationship because it’s one that has grown over time and not “love at first sight.”

I had forgotten how much this book made me cry! It contains heartbreak, betrayal, loyalty, and strong female characters. There are also some interesting revelations. It can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading Watcher first. I just got the code for Savior so I can get right back into the story.

The narrators do a great job. The primary narrator is Chelsea Stephens and she’s perfect reading Sawyer’s part with good timing and inflection.

truly amazing

I've read this book, but sometimes it's good for Someone else to read it to you. I enjoyed this version as much as I enjoyed reading the book itself. would definitely recommend it to anyone

Sawyer Is Awesome

Carbon is the second book in the Watcher series by AJ Eversley and it jumps in right where Watcher left off. We are following Sawyer as she is trying to learn to control herself, her new body, and her emotions. The intro to the story has us following them to the United Isles which is where I thought that Eversley's writing really shined.  As she was describing the shore where they landed, the people, the houses, and the castle I felt like I was taken to another world.  The setting, while drastically different from Watcher, was still one of the strong points of this book.

Understanding that this is a YA dystopian book I go into it expecting a few things.  Love interests and sometimes triangles are going to be there.  Young men and women who don't completely understand their bodies, emotions, and hormones will also usually be in play. Carbon has all of those things but doesn't feel like it's falling for the same typical tropes as well.  I was chatting with Paul from Audiobook Reviewer and I told him that I felt like I knew/understood where the love interest was going to go but I actually had no idea how the book and the main story was going to end.  I was genuinely surprised by the ending.

Another strong suit of Eversley is her actual storytelling.  She jumps around a bit but it's so that you can see the story from both sides.  You get to know Sawyer and all of her goings on (princess, Max, etc) but then we jump to Coleman and his minions.  Seeing it from both sides doesn't always help you guess or figure out what is going to happen.  There were numerous times where things were said that I thought "Woah!"

Having a dual narration for each "side" of this issue helped with the back and forth as well.  As I believe I mentioned in my original review I thought that Chelsea Stephens absolutely kills it in her narration of Sawyer - she just is Sawyer and it's perfect.  Steve Campbell's voicing of the "bad guys" in this was perfect.  He has a deeper (but still young sounding voice) that I think lends itself not only to this story but to YA in general.

Overall, I thought that Carbon was good but not great.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There were some typical YA themes within, but if you're a fan of other books in this genre with strong female leads - you will not be disappointed by this series.

4-stars is nothing to scoff at and I'm genuinely waiting for the third book to come out on audio.  Eversley, Stephens, and Campbell give us a sneak peek at book 3 at the end of Carbon's audiobook - but I skipped it hoping to enjoy it beginning to end in early 2019.

Looking at the cover again and re-thinking about the first two books.  I could see a younger Mila Kunis playing Sawyer.  This has nothing to do with my review - I just wanted to point it out if this ever becomes a movie! :)

Twists and Turns

There are several plot twists and turns in this second book of the series. Sawyer is definitely dealing with some internal struggles and feelings of depression regarding her self-identity and the lost of those she cares about. Can she ever allow herself to let people in and love again? I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next audio book to be released.

Just as good the second time around

This is the second book in the series, authored by AJ Eversley.
The action picks up right away, and you're drawn right back into their world. Sawyer is struggling, but in new ways. Very well written and I was captivated throughout the entire story.

It's mostly a YA but any age would love this story. Well written, well narrated, and all in all a great experience. Will look for the next one!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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Carbon

A fantastic series. In Book 2 Carbon there have been some changes Sawyer has to face. Theres also some twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout the whole read. This is definitely a must read serious. The Characters are brought out so well. Its like the come alive on the page. And the Narrator does a fantastic job as well.
A definite must read.
Shauna Joesten