Blog Tour: The Lair (The Farm, #2) by Emily McKay

The Lair
Emily McKay
424 pages
Released: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Source: the publisher
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

NOTE: This review will contain SPOILERS from The Farm.  Proceed with caution.

Just about a year ago I read and reviewed The Farm and really enjoyed it.  It was unique and I spent most of the time while reading it on the edge of my seat, so naturally when the opportunity arose to review The Lair, the sequel to The Farm, I was all over that.  (FTC: I received a copy from the publisher for free, but that did not affect my review.)

The Lair picks up where The Farm left off - Mel is now a vampire and must come to terms with not only her new existence, but also the fact that her autism is now gone.  The world is a completely different place for her as she navigates vampirism with Sebastian - the vamp that changed her.  Meanwhile, Lily and Carter arrive at Base Camp with a very pregnant McKenna.

I was on the edge of my seat while reading The Farm and I was for most of The Lair, as well.  This fast paced follow-up is full of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.  Lily and Carter are forever trying to come up with a plan when before you know, circumstances have changed and so must their plans.  I guess it just goes to show, if you're living in a post-apocalytpic world filled with vampires and Ticks - you've got to be flexible!

Pretty much everything in The Lair was interesting to read about - there are so many things I could talk about!  Relationships are key in this series and there are two major ones that come to mind - Lily and Carter, and Lily and Mel.  Lily and Carter's romance was in high gear in the first novel, and while they are still together in the second, I didn't feel that same chemistry between them.  Maybe times are just too stressful for them to have that kind of chemistry, since pretty much everything falls on the line in The Lair.  And course - Lily and Mel who have spent all their days together until point when they are separated for the first time ever.  I admired their courage and resilience in being apart, though they never forgot about one another.

In addition, I was immediately drawn more into McKenna's story this time around since the birth of her baby as imminent.  In a world with essentially no doctors, I knew teenage pregnancy could be dangerous, but imagine trying to handle being pregnant while also fearing for life.  I can't even.  McKenna is such a quietly courageous character and I rooted her, especially in her birth scenes.

Of course, probably the most interesting part of the novel was the ending - now, obviously I cannot give that away, but there were several moments of "What?! I did not see that coming!"  The whole ending set up the scene for what I can only assume is a forthcoming third book, although Goodreads is quiet on that matter.

Four stars!  I really liked The Farm and The Lair was an impressive followup.  The only complaint I have is I wish there had been more Mel in this book, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her in the next novel.  If you haven't started this thrilling series yet, you might want to check it out soon!