Cover Image: Red Sky Burning

Red Sky Burning

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Red Sky Burning is the second book in the series and picks up right after the last one finishes and throws you right back in to the action. So a quick re-read of the first one is recommended. Sometimes you find that second book does not live up to the magic of the first. This is not the case with Red Sky Burning, Teri Terry really knocks it out of the park with this book.

Was this review helpful?

I read this book months ago, the second the proof hit my kindle, and it was everything I hoped it was going to be and more. Dark Blue Rising, the first book in this series blew me away and left me desperate for the sequel; the same is true of Red Sky Burning.
It picks up where Dark Blue Rising left us: Tabby is on the run after losing her mother in a huge storm and discovering some terrifying things about her school and her other family members. Red Sky Rising is dual perspective, joining Tabby's story to that of her school friend Denzi.
Denzi's dad works for the government and is heavily involved in the government's management of The Circle and the ongoing climate crisis. Denzi lives with him and his other dad. He spends much of the book analysing his relationship to his mother, why she wasn't there for him and what happened. Through this he discovers a link between himself and his classmates: The Penrose Clinic, an IVF clinic which forms much of the mystery of this book. I loved trying, and failing, to work out what was happening at the clinic and why it kept popping up all over the place.
Tabby is not in a good place. She is scared of everything and everyone, except the sea. She finds so much comfort in being by the sea, which I loved initially. As the book goes on though, she becomes increasingly obsessive about being near the sea and struggles to be away from it. This adds even more tension to an already stressful read. We are aware that Tabby is bbeing followed and constantly on edge expecting her to be caught. There is a very real sense of danger, and it is hard to trust anyone in Tabby's life at this point.
Climate change is a huge theme in Red Sky Burning. There are climate change protests and many of the disasters are thought to be caused by protestors. The government are reacting badly to this. There are a lot of echoes to real life, and it's not the first time I've read one of Teri's books and wondered if she has a crystal ball.
Red Sky Burning is a phenomenal sequel to Dark Blue Rising. I loved the development in these characters and their story. I am obsessed and I need to know what happens next. Immediately.

Was this review helpful?

This is the second book in the Circle Trilogy, and is a YA thriller with a certain weirdness factor and it picks up straight after book 1.

There are a group of teenagers with strange swimming abilities and an affinity to the sea (and dolphins), and a shadow organisation which may be both eco terrorists and into genetic modification.

The question about how the IVF babies were created (and how exactly dolphins may or may not have been involved) has still not been answered but the answer seems to be somewhere between Sci fi and fantasy!

This book alternates POV between 2 characters (which is nice as I assumed one of the 2 had met an unfortunate end in the first book), and involves a lot of running away from the bad guys while trying to figure out what's going on. All to a backdrop of climate related terrorism, and a question of who really are the bad guys.

I very much enjoyed this, and it's a fast read. I'd rate it 4.5 stars. The only downside is now waiting for book 3!

Was this review helpful?

Another page-turning topically themed thriller from Teri Terry - I love the way she weaves personal stories with people you care about, together with environmental issues.

Was this review helpful?

Another thrilling read from Teri Terry. It did take me a little while to get into this, purely because I couldn't remember all of the details from Dark Blue Rising. The action picks up immediately after the end of the previous book, so a quick re-read or plot review is recommended if, like me, it's been a year between reading the two. This time the narrative is split between two characters, Tabby who is on the run from the sinister Circle/Penrose Clinic and Denzi, her friend from swim school, who is one of the few survivors of the storm surge which destroyed much of the coastline at the end of the previous book. Both have questions that need answering, both have problems with knowing who they can trust. This is a brilliant, twisty thriller, and I can't wait to find out how it all ends.

Was this review helpful?

I was on the edge of my seat for the whole of this book! Teri Terry has taken climate change and IVF and spun them into this explosive thriller series. I am already looking forward to the next book. The best part about Teri Terry's novels, brilliantly showcased in Red Sky Burning, is how scarily plausible her plots always are! I

Was this review helpful?

I love Teri Terry’s writing. This is the second book in the Circle trilogy and it was just as good as the first.

It kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next and in the authors true fashion kept me reading until the end. 

I already loved the characters in this book but I felt like Red Sky Burning built on their arcs and made them even more believable and addictive.

I can’t actually wait until the last book in this series comes out. I’m a little sad I’ve read this so early because I have longer to wait!

Was this review helpful?

I'm not sure I can even summarise this one! Let's give it a go.

Denzi is coincidentally away from the school when the hurricane hits. Desperate to find out what happened to Tabby, he starts searching in places that may be better left untouched. Tabby is on the run from the hospital, trying to find someone she can trust to help her figure everything out. Who are Penrose and why are they so interested in the students from the school? Together or apart, Denzi and Tabby will have to figure out the mysteries of their pasts.


I know I often mention not remembering what happened in earlier books. That's extra true in this book. I was a few chapters in before I started remembering who anyone was and what had been going on in the previous book. I wish recaps were more normalised in books.

Once that was past I really enjoyed this. I see some story beats that echo the Dark Materials trilogy, but that's no harm. The action in this one flowed really well, and I was able to follow the revelations and information we were getting - sometimes faster than the characters, but I'm outside the story.

I enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the third one - I just hope I remember this one by then!

Was this review helpful?

red sky burning
teri terry
4/5 stars

the fast paced atmosphere from dark blue rising definitely wasn't lost as we continued into the sequel. i really enjoyed reading from both tabby and denzi's point of view and getting more insight into denzi and his family. in no way was this book slow and dragging on as some second books of trilogies tend to do and i thoroughly enjoyed it. this was a very solid sequel to a very original first book and i can't wait for book three.

Was this review helpful?

I was very quickly gripped by Tabbys story in dark blue rising and the pace doesn't let off in red sky burning. You do really need to read these books in order. There is a certain symmetry to Terris trilogies (all trilogies?) that means book two can drag along a little but the originality of the story here really helps minimise this. I'm just annoyed that book three isn't out yet so I can buy it "for my daughter".

Was this review helpful?