Early Review: Infinity Bell by Devon Monk (House Immortal #2)

Infinity Bell (House Immortal #2)
Devon Monk
Published: March 3, 2015 (Roc)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference the previous book in the series. If you haven’t started it yet, check out VBC’s review of House Immortal.

The moment Abraham Seventh showed up on thirteenth galvanized Matilda Case’s doorstep her life, as she knew it, was changed. In House Immortal, Matilda left the relative comfort of her off-the-radar family farm to be claimed by House Gray. Her ulterior motive in going with Abraham that day was to find her brother Quinton, who had left home three years earlier to do service for the various Houses. She does indeed find her brother, and in the event of getting him out of his servitude, Matilda, Abraham, Quinton, and a few others become wanted fugitives for the deaths of two heads of Houses.

Thus, Infinity Bell picks up right where we left off. Abraham had just been shot with Shelley dust (a component able to dissolve a galvanized’s stitches), and we’ve just learned that the time conundrum started over 300 hundred years ago—The Wings of Mercury, the event which changed time and brought about the thirteen galvanized people who survived the incident—is now going to correct itself in three days. If time corrects itself, the galvanized die, and Quinton Case will do everything he can to make sure his sister survives.

Sound complicated? Trust me, Devon Monk handles the aspect of time travel and changing of the past with grace and skill. Obviously in a fictional capacity time and the rules that govern it can be difficult to wrap your mind around, but Infinity Bell flows really nicely. I didn’t even have to go back to refresh my memory with events from House Immortal, Monk does great including bits and pieces of information throughout.

In Infinity Bell there was less House politics, which made me sad because I loved the twists and deceptions among the Houses. What we get instead is a better understanding of those around Matilda. We learn more about her brother Quinton. We learn about Neds (both left and right). We learn even more about that fateful day three hundred years ago that changed everything.

And leading the pack is Matilda who is determined to be alive at the end of the three days. Determined to be with Abraham at the end of the three days. She is so set upon this one fact coming true that even with the awful (i.e. why did you have to use a cliffhanger!!!) ending, I am confident that Matilda and all those she cares about will come out of this okay. Matlida will make it happen.

Infinity Bell was a great read. I loved all the new information we learned. I loved digging deeper into the thoughts and experiences of the characters, but it’s really a bridge book leading us into, what I believe to be the final installment, Crucible Zero. Luckily, we only have to wait until September to see how time settles itself.

Sexual content: sex