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The Thousandth Floor #2

The Dazzling Heights

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New York City, 2118. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible – if you want it enough.

Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a beacon of futuristic glamour and high-tech luxury… and to millions of people living scandalous, secretive lives.

Leda is haunted by nightmares of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’s afraid the truth will get out – which is why she hires Watt, her very own hacker, to keep an eye on all of the witnesses for her. But what happens when their business relationship turns personal?

When Rylin receives a scholarship to an elite upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being here also means seeing the boy she loves: the one whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

Avery is grappling with the reality of her forbidden romance – is there anywhere in the world that’s safe for them to be together?

And then there’s Calliope, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who’s arrived in New York with a devious goal in mind – and too many secrets to count.

Here in the Tower, no one is safe – because someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. After all, in a world of such dazzling heights, you’re always only one step away from a devastating fall….

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2017

About the author

Katharine McGee

16 books6,071 followers
Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and The Thousandth Floor trilogy. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. She lives in her hometown of Houston, TX with her husband.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,989 reviews
Profile Image for Jasmine from How Useful It Is.
1,498 reviews369 followers
August 28, 2017
About: The Dazzling Heights is a young adult thriller written by Katharine McGee. It will be published on 8/29/17 by HarperCollins, 432 pages. The genres are mystery, young adult thriller, fiction, and dystopian. This book is intended for readers ages 13 and up, grades 8 and up.

My Experience: I started reading The Dazzling Heights on 8/21/17 and finished it on 8/27/17. This book is a fantastic read! I love that there weren’t any characters purposely doing any drugs this time. I love the intensity of the drama. I like the realistic in how people put on a happy face when inside they feel broken to pieces. The deception are played in many different ways. I like how no matter how closely they keep their secret, that they don’t get away with it, that one way or another, someone will see. It reminds us that our two eyes can’t see everything and that we can only see what’s in front. The world building is glamorous just like the cover of this book.

This book continues on from The Thousandth Floor with flourish. It reveals what happened in each chapter so if you have read a few books between book 1, you will be able to catch on pretty quickly. This book is also told in the third person point of view, starting with the death of a character from the first book and Mariel’s plan to find justice for that death. Then it introduce a new character Calliope Brown, a con artist. Follow that is Avery Fuller and her forbidden love struggles. Then Watt’s illegal secret, then Rylin and her luck, and finally Leda with her busy life harboring everyone’s secrets or maybe sleeping with one eye open in fear of the unknown. Reading this book is like walking on tightrope because everyone is calculating his/her next move. Watt is planning a confession trap, Avery tries not to get caught, Leda wants to make sure her darkest secret is safe, Rylin wants to win her love back despite everything, and Calliope wants it all for free. A drama of the future where they party under the sea!

This book has an exciting start. I love the introduction of a con artist into the mix. I also love the forbidden love. I’m filled with adrenaline rush as I read this book. The advanced technology is still there and many of those sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to the future. I like the reminder between rich and poor and the different point of views from both extremes. I like the close calls when Calliope was almost being recognized or when Avery believes her dad was onto her. I really like Nadia, both in book 1 and 2. I still like Leda because she’s changed a lot, yet still very sharp. I like the drama in this book because it’s less drugs and more mind games. The characters are smart and they use their mind to get out of tough situations or to get what they want. It’s exciting reading this book and I highly recommend everyone to read it!

Pro: forbidden love, con artists, secrets, lies, fast paced, page turner, third person point of view with multiple main characters, action packed, adrenaline rush, cover

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Katharine McGee, publisher HarperCollins, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review
Profile Image for Laura.
425 reviews1,303 followers
September 7, 2017
no one goes to a party expecting to die.

What is fun about this series is each book (so far) begins with a character who dies and it doesn't tell us who. So throughout the entire book, you're trying to find out who will die at the end and who killed them (if it was in fact someone). There are several POVs and the book does a good job at making you care about each of them in one way or another. I either loved the character or truly loved to hate them. It's very Gossip Girl in that way. Think futuristic Gossip Girl.

Once again the story follows Leda, Avery, Watt, and Rylin with their stories all continuing from the first book. But this time there is the new, refreshing addition of Calliope. She travels the world with her mother conning their way through fabulous five star establishments, making their way through the supertowers. I enjoyed her perspective and how it allowed us even a glimpse at what the rest of the world is like.

The Avery/Atlas thing is still happening. And honestly, Avery got a lot more frustrating this book because of it all. She's very naïve when it comes down to it.

And Mariel gets two chapters, once again getting glossed over. The thing is: her story would've been really interesting to read about in this book. I'm very disappointed it wasn't expanded on. It was a tease to begin the book with one of her chapters and not bring it back up until the end. I can't say more without spoilers.

Most all the characters are being blackmailed by exactly who you'd think if you've read the first book. The drama is at an all-time high. It is very soapy and fun. There are romances impossible not to ship. And the stakes keep getting higher for these characters. Yet somehow, this one was a bit on the slower side than the first?

Profile Image for Matthew.
1,221 reviews9,743 followers
November 15, 2018
It would be easy for me to say that this series has become my guilty pleasure, but I have no shame! I say it loud and proud – I love this series by Katherine McGee!

In my opinion, it’s so well written! Every chapter is a perfect part of the intricately twisted storyline. While some might find it a bit cheesy at times, it has exactly what I want when I go into a book like this – drama, gossip, who’s with who, who knows what, which back is the next to be stabbed, what is the next thing that will be totally misunderstood? Do you binge dramas like this? Then bring your binging tendencies over here right now because you are not going to be able to stop!

The atmosphere: I love the future world of this series! It is wildly sci-fi in certain places while being down to earth and familiar in other parts. Instead of feeling so imaginative and creative that there is no possible way we can reach this future, there is a lot of it that feels like we could easily be here in 100 years or so. But, also, on top of that, there are a few mind-blowing elements and technologies that are wildly cool and unimaginable.

The characters and story: Sometimes when I finish the first book in a series, and it is a few months until I read the next one, I am totally lost when I start the second. With this one I was right back in it within a couple of pages. It was like getting together with some old friends again . . . devious and questionable friends, mind you. Also, do you ever feel like the first 25 to 50 pages of a sequel are just a force fed rehash of the previous novel’s content? Not this one! Sure there were a couple lines of dialogue or descriptive paragraphs reminding the reader of the previous events, but it all felt smooth and natural.

Cliffhangers: Yup!

To Katherine McGee I say, “Bravo!” I will definitely be checking out book three ASAP!
Profile Image for Cindy ✩☽♔.
1,231 reviews987 followers
May 19, 2020
Rating ~3.5

Much like the first book, which I read so long ago I was surprised to be reminded of some of the revelations, this book as highly addicting. I already placed my order for the third and final book.

Can't wait to see how this all ends.
Profile Image for Carmen de la Rosa.
554 reviews367 followers
August 21, 2018
Las segundas partes no suelen ser buenas, pero este libro entra en el pequeño rango donde es la excepción, supero a su antecesor, creo que Katharine McGee se tomo el tiempo para leer la mayoría de las reseñas de "El piso Mil" porque tomo en cuenta todos esos detalles que no nos gustaron en ese libro, pulió detalles, lo cual hizo que se hiciera una mezcla perfecta con su escritura detallista y linda. Su narración es tan delicada que nos adentra desde la primera pagina en la Torre y su mundo futurista.

Este libro tiene un comienzo emocionante. La trama continúa después de los acontecimientos de "El Piso Mil", se revela lo que sucedió en el primer capítulo, por lo que si han leído el primer libro, podrá entenderlo rápidamente, comenzando con la muerte de un personaje del "El piso Mil" y el plan de Mariel para encontrar justicia para esa muerte.

Me gusta el drama en este libro porque es menos drogas y más juegos mentales. Leer este libro es como caminar sobre la cuerda floja porque todos están calculando su próximo movimiento. Los personajes son inteligentes y usan su mente para salir de situaciones difíciles o para obtener lo que quieren, debo destacar aquí a mi amada Leda, ella es la reina en esto.

Se presenta un nuevo personaje, Calliope Brown, un estafador, creo que Katharine se inspiro en el papel de Jennifer Love Hewitt en la película de "Las estafadoras" lo cual fue bastante intrigante, saber hasta donde Calliope podría llegar. Avery Fuller continua con su amor prohibido y no es porque sea #TeamLeda pero esta chica se volvió una pesada en todo el libro, lamentaba más no tener a Atlas que a la misma Eris, de verdad todos sus capítulos, fueron Atlas esto, Atlas el otro, Avery no tuvo ningún crecimiento, hubo un pequeño momento en que me cayo bien, pero así como llego así se fue, espero el siguiente libro haya una evolución y su vida no gire entorno a Atlas (y por ultimo sigo deseando que no se quede con Atlas, sigue sin haber una verdadera química). Luego tenemos el secreto ilegal de Watt, me gusta mucho Nadia, tanto en el libro 1 como en el 2, aunque honestamente creo que no es muy confiable, pero habrá que ver que sucede, de regreso con Watt, muchas de sus escenas me hicieron reír, amaba la interacción de él y...cierta chica, solo espero que ambos terminen juntos y él no la lastime a ella, luego tenemos a Rylin y su suerte, quiere recuperar su amor a pesar de todo, pero no lo tendrá nada fácil y finalmente tenemos a mi bebe Leda con su vida ocupada abrigando los secretos de todos y durmiendo con un ojo abierto por miedo a lo desconocido, me encanto su evolución, sin duda es mi personaje favorito en la historia.

Me encanta la introducción de una estafadora en la mezcla. También amo la nueva relación que se ha introducido en dos de nuestros personajes principales (no, no hablo de Avery y Atlas). Estaba llena de adrenalina mientras leía este libro. La tecnología avanzada todavía está allí y muchos de esos escenarios son sorprendentes. Me gusta la separación entre ricos y pobres y los diferentes puntos de vista de ambos extremos.

Aunque contiene más de 500 páginas, no tiene contenido de relleno por lo cual, se lee bastante rápido porque no dejan de suceder cosas y los capítulos son bastante cortos, cada uno con un distinto personaje (ya sea Leda, Avery, Watt, Calliope o Rylin).

Respecto al final, estoy esperando el futuro, estoy esperando como continua, solo puedo decir que estoy deseando leer la tercera y última parte de la trilogía para ver cómo se resuelve todo. Sin duda The Towering Sky (The Thousandth Floor, #3) sera de mis libros más esperados del 2018.

En resumen Watt planea una trampa de confesión, Avery trata de no ser atrapada, Leda quiere asegurarse de que su secreto más oscuro este seguro, Mariel quiere justicia, Rylin quiere recuperar a su amor y Calliope lo quiere todo gratis. ¡Es emocionante leer este libro y recomiendo a todos que lo lean!

¡Bien hecho Katharine Mcgee!
Profile Image for Chelsies Reading Escape.
631 reviews402 followers
October 12, 2017
This exactly what I needed after reading an 800 page Adult Fantasy. This was an entertaining read filled with lies and betrayals.The futuristic technology was amazing. Forever puppies, tunnel in the sky, YES please! I also liked Watts sarcastic artificial intelligence. Despite all the technology, the writing wasnt difficult to understand. Now that Ive read this book, the cover and the title totally make sense. Both books start and end with a bang but the plots a little slower toward the middle. With all the different points of view I was impressed with how easily I could tell them a part. Each voice was unique and compelling.

The characters are rich and spoiled, but they all have their own drama thats really fun to read about. The new character Calliope was a great addition to the sequel. I thought she added a nice amount of intrigue and treachery. I liked reading about the mother daughter relationship. It reminded me of my relationship with my mom. Not the conning part, but the partner in crime part. I also enjoyed Watts hateful relationship with another character. I appreciated the diversity, but the characters are flawed and some of them are pretty extreme. I consider myself part of some of these groups and I personally didnt mind the representation.

My favorite character from the first book was the same for this one and I was rooting for her romance to work out. Im not going to say who because that might spoil which one of them died in the prologue of the first book. In both books we get to see the ending in the prologue before going back a couple months to figure out how they got there. I loved the mystery of trying to guess who died. Despite the prologue, the ending surprised me. Im still not sure how she fell from the roof in the first book though because I thought there was a railing. If you like drama, Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars than this a must read.

*received for honest review consideration*
Profile Image for Dannii Elle.
2,145 reviews1,736 followers
August 29, 2018
First Read: September 2017, Rating: 4 Stars
Second Read: August 2018, Rating: 4 Stars


This is Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars, and I am 100% here for it!

Following on for the traumatic events that the first instalment, The Thousandth Floor, closed with, this begun in an altogether more sombre mood. Every character has their own secrets to hide, but that doesn't stop them attempting to out each other. Relationships and friendships seem forever severed and the charmed life of this elite cast is transformed into hell set in a thousand-story sky-scraper.

By following the same large cast of characters, as well as a few new inclusions, and allowing each of them to record the events in their own chapter-long perspectives, this withheld the serialised TV show feel that the prior book had. There remains something... trashy about this series. But of the best possible sort. Think reality TV and your favourite TV series combined.

Despite the futuristic setting and multitude of exciting and innovative gadgets that fill the lives of this elite cast, there remained something essentially understandable about these characters. Their troubles were real and their pain was authentic. Their stories might differ but heartache, grief, and love are timeless emotions experienced by characters and readers alike. I think that's what makes this series so special - it is a seamless blend of the exciting unknown and the relatable.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Katharine McGee, and the publisher, Harper Collins, for this opportunity.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
339 reviews677 followers
September 22, 2018
This series is honestly so addicting. I cannot manage to put it down. The characters are so trashy and bitchy but I LIVE for this level of drama. I love every single character so much. I was a bit uncertain on Leda but she was such a star in this book. I love the new addition of Calliope too. THERE ARE SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS AND UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENTS. I need book 3 right now. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you enjoy Gossip Girl or rich teen drama then this book is made for you.
Profile Image for Megha.
289 reviews95 followers
September 26, 2018
3.5 out of 5

This book was even more dramatic, crazy, and intense than the first one. As if that was possible!

Everyone was out to get each other. They all had their claws out.

Okay, so the world is still fascinating with the futuristic element. The plot was a little slower and some parts seemed excessive but still enjoyable. And the characters are all very different. There are some you will like and some you definitely won’t. My favorites/likable characters would be Watt, Rylin, Leda (yes, you read that right), and Cord. As for Avery, she is just so whinny and naïve. And Calliope is good deep down but I don’t like what she does no I don’t like her, but she can redeem herself I think (maybe).

And the thing that bothered me the most in this book. The relationships (well one in particular, the second one I grew to like)

Avery and the guy she’s with. Like no. No. Nooooo. Its disgusting. Doesn’t matter if they are blood or not! Its just a big no no. Every time they are together it made me sick to my stomach and had me wanting to throw up. That is just not okay.

And then Leda and her guy. At first the closeness between Leda and the certain someone bothered me a little. Cause you know Leda was a manipulative b**** and the other person was just so nice. But towards the end Leda redeems herself, I mean what she did was still totally wrong but I was happy with her change and her relationship with that person. They are actually really cute!

All in all, it’s a crazy world. The stakes are high. There are some romances that are hard not to ship and there are others who make you cringe. Regardless I am gonna finish the series cause the drama in these books are my guilty pleasure.
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
4,895 reviews1,374 followers
May 8, 2017
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“Even if nothing happens between you and Atlas, you aren’t really going to let that girl get away with trying to seduce him and steal from him, are you?”


This was a YA futuristic story, which followed on from the first book in the series.

Avery continued trying to make things work with Atlas in this book, even though he was her adopted sibling, and even though there seemed to be no shortage of girls after him. Things didn’t go too smoothly though, especially when Avery worried that her father might have found her out.

Leda continued to be quite manipulative, and continued to blackmail people, especially Watt who she had extra plans for, and also continued to believe that Eris had been sleeping with her father.

Rylin got a scholarship to the same school Leda attended which didn’t go down well, and there wasn’t much interaction between Rylin and Cord in this book, which was a little surprising.

The storyline in this was mainly about a new girl called Calliope who was a con-artist, and was trying to con the teens in the tower out of money, and mainly had her sights set on Atlas who she apparently had met previously when the pair had been travelling round Africa. This relationship didn’t go down too well with Avery though, whilst Calliope started to have second thoughts about leading the life of a con-artist.
We did get a little bit of romance in this, with the shaky romance between Avery and Atlas, and from another more unexpected source as well, but there wasn’t a lot of romance. I did find the pace in this book rather slow though, although the mystery over who would end up dead kept me reading.

The ending to this left us with yet another death!



6.5 out of 10
Profile Image for Luca.
79 reviews60 followers
March 13, 2018
The Dazzling Heights is the second book in the thousandth floor series. Now, I can tell that I really really liked the Thousandth Floor. This series is absolutely perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, the It Girl, Pretty Little Liars etc. With the insane amount of drama and absurd lives of the rich teens that live in the futuristic tower with thousandth floors these books simply become addictive.

In the Dazzling Heights we start off almost immediately after the events in the Thousandth Floor, and thus our main characters are still pretty shocked about what has happened. If that is not enough already, we meet Calliope, a highly mysterious new girl in the tower with an unknown past.

Concerning the story, I thought this book to be a typical ‘second-book-in-a-series’. Some things from the first book where wrapped up and the storyline was set up for continuation in the third book. Because of this, the book was slightly less interesting/captivating than the first book. Nevertheless, the book was still so good. It got me hooked from the beginning all the way to the end, which was just one sitting because no way that I was going to put this book away.

My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,094 reviews156 followers
December 14, 2018
5 Dazzling Stars!!

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The phrase kept echoing in her mind like cymbals. A fall for a fall, a voice inside her added.

Just as twisted and dark as the first book!! I felt every emotion possible reading this one and it was fabulous!!



There are a couple new characters this go round and they brought something totally new to the atmosphere of this world. The author did an amazing job of keeping this story just as manipulating and conniving as the first. Some of the characters from the first book that I wanted to see get a heavy dose of HELL... I somehow ended up sympathizing and liking in this one... Crazy right?!?! Kudos to McGee for keeping the drama going!!


I am so excited and sad to read the last of the trilogy! I feel a book hangover in the near future :(
Profile Image for Katie.
Author 12 books3,499 followers
February 3, 2018
ugh such a trashy series but soooo addicting
Profile Image for Feyre.
1,226 reviews117 followers
January 12, 2019
Auge um Auge, Zahn um Zahn. Die Worte hallten wie ein Echo in ihrem Kopf wider.
Sturz um Sturz, fügte eine innere Stimme hinzu.

4,5 Sterne
Eine tolle Fortsetzung des ersten Bandes (den man übrigens am besten vor dem Band hier nochmal liest, ich musste mich erst wieder hineinfinden, was das Buch aber gut löst, weil vieles nochmal kurz angerissen wird). Trotz der viele Perspektiven liest sich das Buch unheimlich gut und ich konnte es nicht aus der Hand legen.. Watt und Avery sind meine Lieblingsperspektiven gewesen, aber auch alle anderen waren sehr spannend, vor allem um Calliope wehte ein interessanter neuer Wind. Ich bin sehr gespannt, wie es mit den FIguren weitergeht!
Profile Image for Elle (ellexamines).
1,112 reviews18.9k followers
Shelved as 'zzzzz-coverporn-etc'
January 16, 2018
I, personally, love getting killed off as a plot device in every form of media ever
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nikki.
316 reviews255 followers
January 8, 2018
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The phrase kept echoing in her mind like cymbals.
A fall for a fall, a voice inside her added.


I entered this book wanting to kill Leda and finished this book wanting to kill Leda some more.

I was afraid of starting the sequel because I forgot 98% of what happened in The Thousandth Floor. I vaguely remember bits and pieces, but not enough to confidently start The Dazzling Heights without the fear of being lost in the narrative. These fears were placated, however, when I actually started reading! Each perspective starts with a quick recap of what happened to them in the first book, which triggered more pieces to the puzzle I was trying to figure out. I ended up being able to remember fully what had happened in The Thousandth Floor and felt prepared to immerse myself in the bedazzling (haha pun) sequel!

Safe to say, it was an interesting read! We have all the same characters save for one addition that spiced up the story even more. People have described this series as Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars and even if I don’t really follow either shows, I could see the parallelism! This series is Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars in a technological futuristic setting. The details are crucial to understand just what kind of world everyone is living in because it is much more advanced than where its readers are now.

For the characters, I had mixed feelings about them. I greatly disliked most of them mainly because to me they were stuck up, entitled, and rathe petty. But then again, what kind of book would this be if it didn’t have characters that made you want to pull all your hair out? Each character is its own personal headache yet they are so interesting that you can’t help but want to read more about them—even if it means losing a few brain cells in the process.

I liked the projection of the story. I didn’t find any parts boring, which is a great plus because sequels tend to suffer the second book syndrome and I’m glad to let you guys know that The Dazzling Heights delivers with great results! They have dug their own graves too deeply to get out of it unscathed.

At the end of it, headaches and all, I gave this 5 stars because I was able to zoom through it with great excitement. I highly recommend this series if you like modern contemporaries filled with drama, love triangles (even squares?), and most of all, people dying for what they know about those in power.

Review originally posted on https://bookallure.com/2018/01/08/the...
Profile Image for recontraluchita.
306 reviews1,597 followers
March 17, 2023
me encanto el enemies to lovers que surgió en este libro y que la autora lograra que terminase queriendo al personaje que más odiaba en el libro anterior 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Profile Image for Krystal.
2,012 reviews438 followers
December 9, 2018
If you've read my bio, this series is the perfect example of lovable trash.

RICH KID DRAMA. It's so freaking cliche but I love it! It's my guilty pleasure because it's so bad it's good. That being said, I probably enjoyed the first book more. Way more drama.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for The Thousandth Floor, my review for which can be read here.

Book 2 begins with the same kind of dramatic opening we had with the first book, but here it just felt like there was no heart in it; like it was included for the gimmick. Was only slightly curious this time. Maybe it was just not as exciting as someone falling a thousand floors, I don't know. *shrugs*

All the characters we love to hate are reeling from the death of Eris, who they were all pretty sh*tty to in the last book. DON'T ACT LIKE YOU WERE A GOOD FRIEND, YO. I must say, though - I also missed Eris. She was such a fun, edgy character. She was kind of a terrible person so much fun drama. Her girlfriend was a nightmare though so thank god she's barely in this one. Eris gets plenty of mentions, but it's just not the same.

Then we've got new girl, Calliope, whose name sounds made up and actually is. Her and her mum are here to cause DRAMA so excuse me while I get some popcorn. I fully support their nefarious deeds. Much fun. This is the spoilt rich drama I came for. Plus, Callie has set her sights on Atlas, and I'm much more inclined to ship that relationship than Atlas and his sister.

I am still not cool with the sibling romance, FYI.

Atlas may have been adopted, but they were raised together. They grew up together as siblings, they live in the same house, they have the same parents, and they introduce one another as BROTHER AND SISTER. But they are also torn apart by the fact that they are deeply in love but no one will allow their relationship? GUYS. YOU'RE RELATED. OF COURSE THAT SH*T IS MESSED UP.

As much as I love Avery causing drama with her raging jealousy - such a contrast to her good-girl personality - it was not enough to make me okay with this. I cringe. I make disgusted faces. This relationship IS NOT COOL.

So excuse me if I don't shed a tear for Avery and Atlas and their tragically doomed relationship. I'm so done with these two.

I have all the time in the world for Leda, though. I didn't like her in the first book because she was such a psycho, but I really enjoyed her in this book because she was such a psycho XD She is the star of all the best drama so she makes things a lot of fun. So moody, so nasty, so savage. What a queen. Plus she knows everyone's secrets so she's the real star of the show.

Rylin was one of my favourite characters in the last book (even though she was an idiot) so I was a little disappointed that she didn't have as big a part. Her drama is so minimal and dull and I honestly just wanted her and Cord to get back together because he is the perfect man <3 But no, minimal partying for Good Girl Rylin. *sigh* She needs a Sandy-at-the-end-of-Grease transformation. Cord deserves some hot action. He's taken everything on the chin like a champ.

Then we've got our geek-who-is-not-a-geek-just-super-smart-with-computers Watt. Definitely still too chill to be a proper nerd. I loved the nastiness between him and Leda, though. That was good times. I want him to get involved with more people, though; branch out a bit into the friendship circle. His MIT drama was too cliche and boring.

It was nice to see that these kids to actually go to school occasionally, even if there still wasn't enough school drama for my liking. I love the parties that lead to drunken mistakes, but there could easily have been more. I mean, I love this series for how ridiculous the drama gets, and this book was pretty tame compared to the last one. I needed more scandal and regret.

Honestly, I can't relate to any of these characters so it's kinda fun to just sit back and watch their lives fall apart. Sadly, they all mostly kept themselves together in this one.

I'm really hoping for some top notch scandals in the next book, and much more drama. I want more random hookups and terrible choices and mistakes and dirty little secrets. I'm not here to mess around.

Average drama, but still highly addictive trash. No way am I walking away from this guilty little pleasure of a series.
Profile Image for Chrissana Roy.
426 reviews430 followers
January 24, 2021
Sigue manteniendo ese estilo de gossip girl futuristica, con secretos, chantajes, mentiras y la llegada de Caillope y su madre estafadoras profesionales, al estilo la película de las seductoras.
1,065 reviews70 followers
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August 22, 2017
Warning: spoilers for book one. Spoilers for this book are marked, so only click on those if you want the ending to be ruined.

Okay, I found this book incredibly frustrating, in the worst way. I had some issues with the first book: I found most of the characters shallow, there was too much focus on unconvincing romance, and the ending is blatant example of the Bury Your Gays trope in which one of the only queer characters is killed off for no real reason except shock value, when it could have been literally any of the other characters. However, I did like the worldbuilding, and since I was auto-approved for this on NetGalley, I decided to give it a go in case the series redeemed itself.

It did not.

This book has a continuation of book one's cool worldbuilding: there is a lot of cool tech with imaginative uses, and we get to see more of it at work here. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the various uses to which futuristic technology was put, whether for communication or fashion or utility. Moreover, the characters were largely more interesting and less insufferable than in the first book, because due to what happened at the end, they had actual issues and trauma and weren't just thinking about parties and love triangles all the time. That said, it was difficult to get attached to any of them when there were a gazillion different points of view and the narrative didn't stick with anyone for more than a few pages. But on the whole, some good stuff. Intrigue. Double-crossing. Blackmail.

And then. Then there are the issues, and basically all my issues are with the LGBTQ representation. First up, after randomly killing off one of, like, two entire queer characters in book one, the remaining one is given a POV chapter at the very beginning of the book and then basically disappears from it until right near the end. She doesn't even overlap with the other characters; she's just not in it. We see her grieving her girlfriend and suddenly she's not relevant for the vast majority of the narrative. Great. Way to remind us that we, as queer people, only exist in the background of your life.

But that's not all! And here's where the spoiler tag comes in.

I very much doubt I'll be picking up the sequel to this. The author had two chances to make an interesting narrative decision, and instead on both occasions made the same unpleasant and unoriginal choice, one that hurts LGBTQ teenagers who want to see themselves represented in fiction. So why should I expect any better from a third book?

If you need a palate cleanser after reading this, I have a shelf called "Unbury Your Queers" that you might want to check out. I'd begun to think it was too low a bar to set to require queer characters merely to survive a book, but apparently not.
Profile Image for Jano.
795 reviews514 followers
October 16, 2017
Reseña completa en: http://elcaosliterario.blogspot.com.e...

Katharine McGee escribe genial y es muy detallista, algo imprescindible en una novela futurista de este tipo que requiere situarnos a la perfección en este gran edificio con tecnología tan moderna. Sus descripciones son una maravilla y utiliza un lenguaje muy bonito cuando describe los lugares.

Los personajes, al igual que en “El piso mil”, son bastantes aunque es cierto que en esta segunda parte el peso importante recae en 6 o 7 y los demás personajes tienen apariciones muy puntuales. Creo que esto es un punto a favor ya que en el primer libro se presentan muchísimos personajes y la mayoría no aportaban nada a las tramas. He disfrutado mucho con todos ellos y he notado bastante evolución además de una personalidad más marcada. Sus tramas están mucho más centradas y son más fáciles de seguir que en la primera parte de la trilogía.

A pesar de tener más de 500 páginas, se lee bastante rápido porque no dejan de suceder cosas y los capitulos son bastante cortos.

Respecto al final, solo puedo decir que estoy deseando leer la tercera y última parte de la saga para ver cómo se resuelve todo. En inglés se publicará el próximo verano.

En resumen: los ricos del futuro mantienen el listón en esta segunda parte de la trilogía que vuelve cargada de misterios, nuevos personajes que dan mucho juego y una multitud de tramas que mantienen al lector pegado a sus páginas. Sin duda es una de mis trilogías favoritas. Lo tiene todo.
Profile Image for Aarushi.
294 reviews86 followers
October 3, 2020
To people who think the Selection is a guilty-pleasure read: that's got nothing on The Thousandth Floor trilogy.

I think this sequel was phenomenal. I say this about a lot of sequels, but I really felt The Dazzling Heights did not have second-book syndrome; in fact, quite the opposite.

In this review I will be talking, of course, about my five topics: characters, world-building, plot, anything else, and my overall review (which can be found at the bottom, for people like me who do NOT like to read very long reviews lol).

First up, I'd like to talk about the characters because the characters in this book make up a very huge part of the entire story, if not all the parts. In TDH, we follow (almost) our same characters: Avery Fuller, Leda Cole, Rylin Myers, Watt Bakradi, and (replacing Eris) Calliope Brown. Let's do what we did in our last review and describe the long list of characters in a sentence (or two, if they're too complicated).

Avery Fuller- perfect. The girl who lives on the Thousandth Floor with the richest people in the world- her parents. White girl with blonde hair and blue eyes (of course). I'm not gonna lie, she's a bit vanilla. Avery thinks the world revolves around her, and she's partly right, because at least her upper-floor life does revolve around her. She's nice to everyone, but is caught up in her problems a lot (but, to be fair, her problems are pretty big). If she went to my school, I would hate her. I was never one of the popular kids (far from it) and I had a group of friends I could crib to, and Avery would have been subject to it. On the other hand, if she walked up to me and made me her best-friend (actual best friend, not a fake one) I would, because she sort of awesome, in a weird way (is it just me? probably). She's one of our POV characters.

Atlas Fuller- Avery's (ADOPTED- this is a very big thing to understand if you don't want to be creeped out by him and his sister) brother. Oh, did I mention they're in love?. It's weird. It's incest. Nothing more can be said about Atlas, because he's the one vanilla character MORE vanilla than Avery, if that's possible. He's a complete jerk. After breaking up with Avery, he moves on quicker than you can say "incest". Watch me try it- 'inces- oh wait, he's with Calliope now. Great." The one character I hated with all my heart. For some reason, every girl in this book (except Rylin, my little girl) is in love with him at some point, and it's a problem. So self-obsessed, even more than Avery (must run in the family) (oh wait, he's adopted) (*insert Aarushi's very bad evil laugh*), but I still ship him, because non-incest incest shipping is kinda my thing (I wuv you, Clace). My rant about Atlas is over now, thank you for reading (not really, I'm sorry about putting you in through the torture). I want to meet him in real life so I can see if he's really that dreamy and fall in love with him if he is. Not a POV character, but very close to it, seeing as how much time we spent obsessing over him through the girls' eyes (*sigh*).

Leda Cole- villain (I prefer to think of her as the anti-villain, honestly). Her character is the best in this book, hands down. She turns from this girl hurt by everything and everyone to someone able to open up and fix her life herself. I definitely liked her a lot more in this book; she's probably one of my favorite characters in this book. I don't have more to say, except she and Watt BETTER get a happy ending together in the third book or I will RIOT. A POV character.

Watt Bakradi- last book, he was creepy-stalker-hacker-boy. Our only boy POV, I found him VERY creepy (like the rest of the Goodreads community, lol). But in this book, he sort of transitioned into sensitive (not creepy) hacker who helps his girlfriend (awwwww), Leda. Along with Leda's, I LOVED his character arc. He stopped using Nadia for bad but to help his (sort-of) friends. He genuinely cares about Leda, and for that reason only I can love him so much. Enough said, he's so hilarious and sweet. I would fall in love with him, hands down (I say a lot of these phases a lot, don't I? I know, I'm annoying). POV character.

Rylin Myers- my baby. Poor girl. She didn't even do anything in this book other than actually go to school and try to win her boyfriend back (two different causes, Aarushi. Two different causes). Let me first say that I'm VERY glad that her character derived from Cord because, while I will riot if they do not end up together (they and Leda and Watt are my this-book's-OTP :), her character was dependent on Cord. She's smart, like the rest of the girls. Actually practical and doesn't throw around money like you throw around leaves you find on the ground. The poor girl didn't do anything, and is such a sweetheart in this book in contrast to the drug-stealing-maid from the last book. Again, CHA-RACH-TER-ARCS!!! A POV character.

Cord Anderson- my dream boy. Oh my god, I want to fall in love with him more than anyone. He's a very handsome, very rich playboy orphan (weird combo, I know) who's intent on throwing his life away (thankfully not as much in this book, tho). Every single time he popped up, I loved him even more. The poor boy did LITERALLY nothing, and belongs with ma girl Rylin. We wuv him so much. Not a POV character.

I'm tired about writing about the characters. You're tired about reading them (if you're still reading this at this point). But I promise, last character.

Calliope Brown- replacement for Eris. Not the gay part though, of course, because it would be a CRIME to have more than one gay character (that isn't a background character that appears for one second) in a book (notice my sarcasm? Yeahhhh....). Eris was the party girl, and so is Calliope. I liked Calliope, but not as much as I liked the other characters. I enjoyed that she was a con artist because c'mon, we can't read a book without a con artist in it, can we? No, we cannot (I'm serious). She's fun. Adventurous. Slowly learning the meaning of life. POV character.

Another quick point I want to mention: I loved all the background characters (basically all the characters not mentioned here) and I especially loved how all the characters were in this tangled web. I love complicated relationship webs! :)

Let's FINALLY talk about plot. It was loads better than the last book. The pacing was perfect and the plot was interesting with many plot twists. I couldn't keep my hands of this book, and it's a huge reason why I loved this so much more than TTF. I'm tired of typing (sorry) so that's all you're going to get. A complicated plot, and an amazing plotline. That's all.

World-building in this book is one of my favorites ever, and it's huge reason why this series is my guilty-pleasure read. For once, we live in a peaceful and not terrible future world. The world is thriving with technology, and for the better, for once. The buildings (especially the Tower in New York City) give me serious wanderlust, especially in times like this when we can't travel. I want to go and live in the Tower. I want to live in that world, because it sounds luxousis and fascinating (is it because all of the book takes place in the richest spots in the towers with the richest people? Maybe....)

In everything else, I just want to talk about the elements. First and foremost, it's a romance. Then it's a dystopian, then it's a drama, all three continuously happening at the same time. I loved the dynamics of the book. We don't have to have a terrible world crashing down on us all the time, even though it's certainly exciting. For me, personally, my favorite parts of books have been the drama between the characters (this fuels my love for soap operas, for sure) and that is why this series appeals to me so much, because of the drama . It goes in the hall of fame for me, that's for sure.

Time for my overall review (START READING HERE) I loved it. It was a great sequel, greater than the first novel for sure. Everything about this novel appealed to me and while I give way too many books 5 stars, I mean it for this one. I had such a great and fun time reading this.

Honestly, if you asked me, I don’t know why I like this series so much. It’s mindless and besides what we see on the surface, essentially teenage drama. But it’s entertaining and fun to see all the crazy relationships made between all the characters. Props to McGee for that, at least. I can see how people may be bored from reading this book, but I had a very fun time just reading the book and not having to think much about the plot for once.

Definitely reading the third book for sure. I need to see if Leda and Watt and Rylin and Cord end up together because if they don’t, RIOT.

5 stars, and now I'll be waiting anxiously to read The Towering Sky :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Anabel.
733 reviews128 followers
October 20, 2017
Puntuación: 4.5

Me ha encantado, yo esperaba que este me gustara menos que el primero pero he estado mucho más enganchada desde el principio. Todas las historias me interesaban y me tenían en vilo, y los personajes increíbles. Necesito el tercero, pero ahora toca esperar mucho.
Profile Image for Alaina.
6,682 reviews213 followers
October 19, 2018
OH SHIT!

I love this book, this series, and these covers! Leda is definitely my favorite character and I can't wait to see what the hell is going to happen in the next book - which I need right now!!

The Dazzling Heights is the second book of the wonderful series, The Thousandth Floor. It still reminds me of gossip girl and I love it. Leda, my favorite, definitely changes in this book. She went from a vindictive bitch to growing a heart and finally caring for someone - for real. Enter Watt, I love those two together. I seriously needed them to acknowledge their feelings for one another, like love, because they were goals in my eyes.

Then there's Avery and ever-annoying crush/love weird thing on her half brother, Atlas. UGH! I just can't like the girl. Everyone sees her as "perfect" and shit but she's annoying. I get that she was heart broken because she couldn't really be with her brother in the real world. Mostly because it's completely frowned upon and shit but whatever. Their love is real and true and yet, they break up.

The new-ish villain was Calliope. I liked her to a point but other than that the girl was meh. She also like Atlas, which by the way.. is there anyone in the world who doesn't like this guy? In the third book can no one like him like that?? PLEASE? Back to her, well Calliope and her mom are con artists. Which definitely made this book a bit more interesting but then that stupid brother/sister relationship drama came into play and I was annoyed.

Besides them, there's nadia. I love her - even though she's inside Watt's head. She's so sassy and I wonder if she had anything to do with the ending of the book.

I just need to know who did the damage in the end. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK GUYS!
Profile Image for Selene.
682 reviews175 followers
July 28, 2018
7in7Readathon July 23, 2018 - July 29, 2018

Challenge #3 - Come up with a food/drink inspired by the book you’re reading.
Profile Image for Diana Stoyanova.
608 reviews139 followers
June 18, 2021
3.45 ⭐

За мен лично " Хилядният етаж" бе достатъчно завършена, за да се прави продължение, но пък в " Сияйни висини" има развитие във взаимоотношенията на героите от предходната част, задълбаване в интригите и оформяне на нови трепети. Персонажите израстват, борят се със страховете си, трансформират се.
И двете книги започват със смърт и чрез разказите на отделните герои, се разнищва мистерията и какво всъщност се е случило.
Подобно на " Хилядният етаж", и в
" Сияйни висини" историята е типично тинейджърска, не блести с дълбочина, но пък и за моя изненада, ми допадна. Фактът, че я прочетох доста бързо, говори сам за себе си, че по някакъв начин ме държа под напрежение да разбера какво ще е случи.
Третата част не е преведена все още на български, и надали ще бъде, което не ме изненадва, защото за съжаление "Бард" често зарязват поредици( като "Пайнс" на Блейк Крауч и
" Светлоносеца" на Брент Уийкс) , които не са оправдали очакванията за голям интерес. Все пак, има хора, които наистина харесват първите две книги, не разбират английски толкова добре, че да си наваксат пропуска с английското издание, и искат последната книга... Същото важи и за останалите недовършени поредици.
Аз още се чудя дали да продължа с третата част на английски. Ако любопитството ми надделее, може и да я прочета. Засега обаче спирам дотук.
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