I was not expecting that ending. Not gonna lie, I feel a bit betrayed by the title of the book as the characters don’t get to play otherearth that much but ok, I get it. It was a good sequel and definitely build up everything for the third book. Simon developed so well and I wish to see more Kate but maybe It will happen on the next book

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Simon saved his best friend, Kat, from the clutches of the Company and their high-tech VR gaming experience, Otherworld. But it was at a steep price. Now he, Kat, and their friend Busara are on the run. They know too much. About the Company's dark secrets. About the real-life consequences of playing Otherworld. And about Kat's stepfather's involvement in everything. The group is headed to New Mexico to find Simon's old roommate, who is a tech genius and possibly the only person who can help them reveal the truth about the Company before it's too late and the line between what's real and what's fantasy is erased... forever

Can I just say the ending.....what the hell is happening ???? I have no idea what is going on now and my brain is hurting.

This world was fun to get back in to even though it has been way to long since I read the first so I felt very lost in the first maybe 10% of the book, but once I knew I really enjoyed being with the characters in this world again. This story is so complicated I have to give the authors credit for thinking it up and bringing it to life as well as they did.

The main issue I had with the book was even though a lot seemed to be happening at the same time I felt like parts where dragging on and I have no idea if it was the book or me and it not being what I wanted to read at the time. The ending even though I wasn't expecting it has caused a level of confusion that I just can't seem to shake.

This series I think would be better for readers who can read the book one after another so they don't get confused on what is happening. I also think people who loves video games or Ready Player One would love this book. I ended up rating it 3.5 stars but like I said above I am pretty sure I would of given it a higher rating if I read the first one right before the first and I had the last book already on me.

I'll have to admit to being lost for the first few chapters of OtherEarth but soon caught up and was engrossed in the story. There were clues dropped throughout the story so I did guess how it was going to end...I'm intrigued as to what will happen next!

I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed the first in the series. Set in the future with advanced technology, political maneuvering, and fighting higher powers... what's not to love?
Obviously, not a lot can be said about the storyline without spoiling the first book but this was a great read and a brilliant addition to the series.
Recommended for fans of Warcross!

I adore this series!
It smacks of Ready Player One but has everything that book was missing. All original content, no leaning on pop culture references here! Fantastic character development and beautifully described virtual worlds.
We pick up the story as we left it at the end of Otherworld, I won't say more for those who haven't yet read it.
I have a soft spot for futuristic VR game fantasy books and the added subterfuge of the company gives this plot the weight it needs to be my favourite choice. I live in hope that this is adapted for the big screen and am holding my breath for the finale of this excellent saga.
If you enjoyed books such as RPO, Warcross or The Hunger Games this is a definite next choice.

I liked its good follow up to the first book a enjoyable read look forward to reading the next one.
I received this book from net gallery in exchange for a honest review.

This book was everything I was expecting and more, and I am super happy I managed to get to this book! It is so interesting and I love a good Sci-Fi book with some amazing world building!

I have to admit, it took me a while to warm up to the sequel of Otherworld because the first one was so good and I didn't see how a sequel could top it. While Otherearth continued seamlessly off from where the first one ended, it took me a while to warm back up to the plot and to the characters after such a long break in between. I would recommend reading the sequel straight after finishing the first book. Coming back into the action straight away took me awhile to remember what was at stake but eventually, I got it and I started to see an obvious set up for the next book.

However, as I passed the halfway mark, the plot picked up the pace and I was hungry for answers. Personally, I enjoyed the gameplay scenes more then I did the real world scenes - but I think that's because there was more at stake and it made me think about all the hours I spent playing World of Warcraft. If you're a fan of gaming and books like Wildcard then this book will be right up your alley!

Overall this wasn't a bad sequel and there was some really awesome chapters that I thought were really written well and demonstrated some great character development. Looking forward, I will read the next and final one and I'm interested to read more of Jason Segel's writing.

If you like reading science fiction that challenges the way you think about technology and the role big tech companies play in society, and you love reading books with gameplay, I would totally recommend this book to you.

What have been some of your favorite video game to play?

I received a copy of this ARC thanks to Netgalley and Oneworld Publication in trade for a fair and honest review.

What I Have to Say
This series is getting so interesting. Even though they were out in the real world for most of this book, Otherworld was very much there and starting to spill into the real world.... I liked the way that Simon was starting to show a slipping grip on reality, not knowing what's real and what's not. Though I have to say, it was hard to believe he didn't know what colour would be weird for a scorpion to be.

I do feel like Kat and Busara are kind of shoved to the back a bit as characters though. It sort of feels like Kat is only really around to be Simon's girlfriend. It may be a bit harsh a reading, but I'd like to see more of the girls personalities coming through, especially now Elvis is around. Busara was a bit better, with looking for her father being a prominent part of the plot, but again it's Simon doing everything and Kat and Busara just hanging around in the background.

Despite that, I am still really enjoying the series. It seems to be gearing up towards a really exciting finale in the next book and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

*sighs* First up thank you to the publisher for granting my request, this has been one of my most anticipated reads of this year, but sadly, it just falls short. I am really sad as I just adored and loved the first book and I needed more, but now I just want to throw this book (though I would never + it is on my kindle so another big no).

It just misses the spark, it misses the glitter and the fun and thrill of the previous book. It just more of the same. Only now we have a new character in the mix, Elvis. I did like him, but he was so dumb about things. It was like he wouldn't understand that he would really die if he died in the Otherworld.

Plus, while I can understand that Otherworld NPCs are weary of guests, you would think that they can see that Simon and Elvis are different? First things they don't attack you instantly, which most would just do. Second they come for your help + offer help back.

I also learned that this series is now a trilogy, instead of the duology I was thinking this would be. If it was a duology I would have just wrestled on with this book and would definitely have finished it eventually because I wanted to know the ending, now though, knowing I am already struggling so badly and that there is just no end? Screw it.

I got to 25%, which means I gave it a good shot, but I just can't read this one further. I am really really sorry, I wish I could have brought you a better review, but the book just isn't good.

Book Review
Title: OtherEarth (Last Reality #2)
Author: Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
Genre: YA/Sci-Fi
Rating: *****
Review: So the end of OtherWorld saw Simon entering the OtherWorld game for the final time with Busara’s help in order to rescue Kat from the Company which had been keeping her hostage in the game. However, this has left all three of them on the run from the Company and the person behind it all. The opening to OtherEarth was great, we begin to see how psychologically unprepared Simon was for what happened in the first novel and how it is really getting to him now he has had some time to process everything.
The group are heading to New Mexico to find Elvis, Simon’s hacker friend who helped him out before and hopes he can do it again but with the Company hunting them down for the technology they stole, they are engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse. However, Kat is still injured from her time in Otherworld, Simon seems to be struggling to process the experience as a whole but Busara remains the voice of reason even if it is for her own selfish reason. For the offset, the tension is high and when Lenny enters to picture it turns out the Company has been on their tail the entire time and they only just manage to get away again. However, I was worried about Simon as he has been talking to a figment of his dead grandfather to try and cope, I also have the feeling that Busara is worried as well.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, the trio end up finding Elvis and Simon is quick to enlist his help in taking down the company. However, helicopters and drones flying around doesn’t set a good tone for what is going to go down soon. The group decides that the easiest way to gather the information they need to take down the Company and rescue the imprisoned people is by going back into OtherWorld. Obviously, Elvis has never been into the game, but he has to go as the computer genius as Busara can’t be in the game too long and Simon knows the most about life inside the game, but Kat is totally against this as she knows as well as Simon what happens inside the game.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Elvis and Simon come out of OtherWorld when they realise how much the game has changed since the death of Milo, they realise it is too dangerous to be there without knowing exactly what is going on, but they do manage to gather some new information. Upon returning to reality the one place that could hold the answers they need is Milo’s home, so they set out to find it. Elvis manages to spot someone who knew Milo and his name is Kenji. After gaining the boys trust he gets them into Milo’s house and while they don’t find a headset, they do find Milo’s laptop. However, before they can get some investigating done, the Company arrives, and they would have been toast if it wasn’t for their new friend. It is interesting to see that Wayne who is now basically running to Company turns up probably suspecting Simon and Kat are at Milo’s or it is a coincidence that they happen to be there at the same time.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the pace of this novel is moving much faster than OtherWorld, but the action and tension are kept at a consistently high pace. I love how even in the darkest of time Elvis can crack a joke, but the reality of OtherWorld really shakes him, and he understands why Kat was so against them going into the game in the first place. I am almost completely sure that this plot isn’t going to be resolved in this novel and it will carry over into possibly another 2 or 3 novels. As the gang begin their tug-of-war game with the company, they are trying to arrange a meeting to force the Company to comply with their demands, but the company is meeting them step for step. The Company even reveals a new game called Other Earth hence where the title comes in which is like OtherWorld but set on Earth in real time, but the gang do have some bargaining chips up their sleeves. Elvis and Busara are definitely pulling their weight and while these things may be useful in taking down the Company in the long-term it isn’t too helpful for saving people in the short term when we know Wayne isn’t hesitant about cutting his loses efficiently. To be honest, the group had a great plan, but Wayne is brutal and is willing to kill to get what he wants. However, Wayne does not anticipate the Children helping Simon and Kat or that guests like Alexi are on the Children’s side but now Busara’s dad is their only hope at taking down the Company for good.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Kat and Simon are still in OtherWorld, but they haven’t got much time before Busara and Elvis pull them out and after their talk with Wayne doesn’t go as planned, I had no idea what to expect. With the help of some Children Kat and Simon find and free James; Busara’s father. He tells them that he created a virus that would destroy all the headsets and stop the people using them, and these are the people destroy OtherWorld and killing the Children. However, he refuses to tell them where his body and the virus is until they bring Busara to him, but she can’t use the disks because of her heart, she needs a headset which they don’t have. Thankfully, one of the Children Fons knows a guest who happens to be Alexi that might be able to get them a headset, but I have a bad feeling about him.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Alexi seems to be helping them but when Simon and Busara enter OtherWorld it seems Fons has taken James after his falling out with Alexi. However, Alexi isn’t happy with the timeline he has been given after tasting OtherWorld with the disk, as it would take weeks to find James’ body, get him to debug the disk and put the virus into OtherWorld. Simon has a plan to get Alexi control of the Company, so they can move their plan forward faster, but he is well and truly screwed when he is left alone with Wayne after Alexi told him he wasn’t interested in OtherEarth only OtherWorld and Declan; the only person to survive an OtherWorld death with a disk.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the stakes are rising but Simon and Kat realise all too soon that the virus has already been released into OtherWorld and it is slowly purging the world of guest, allowing the world to belong to the Children but it is going to take too long for all the guests to be removed making it safe for Busara to enter the game to find her father’s real-world body. However, every step they take brings them one step closer to destroying the Company and all it stands for but at the same time every step comes with a cost. With OtherWorld changing, the Company seems to have abandoned it in favour of OtherEarth. Simon who has been rounding up all the headset guests runs into Alexi who is using a disk and he tells Simon that there is something even stranger about OtherEarth than they were first led to believe.
However, some unforeseen circumstance lead to Alexi’s death although he had been told he had a safe disk, Wayne obviously lied to him. In his final moments Alexi tells Simon to get the things he left at his home and use them to bring down to the Company once and for all. Simon isn’t well and the lines between his reality and the fantasy world he has been in and out of for so long are beginning to blur, but Busara is there to keep him grounded. Elvis decides to take his place with Kat in OtherWorld rounding up the headset users, leaving him and Busara to try and figure out what OtherEarth and how all the deaths and killings on the news are related to it. Simon gets some help from his mother, but he is becoming more and more sick looking and unhinged by the day.
I can’t talk about the ending of OtherEarth without giving too much away but the revelations revealed here show that there is someone else besides the Company pulling strings and it adds a whole new dimension to the story and I honestly can’t wait for OtherLife coming out in Autumn 2019. If you haven’t read this series yet, then I’d highly recommend you pick it up as soon as you can.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Most of this book deserves more than the 3.5 stars I’m giving it, and I definitely enjoyed it more than the first - I think it felt settled into the storyline a little more. But THAT ENDING OMG. Im not going to spoil it, obviously, but it is a little genius and a lot frustrating. And that’s all I’ll say.

The rest of the book however - I liked the way they used Otherworld and the real world together, as well as against each other. I liked that now Simon is finally with Kat he comes across way less as a giant creeper. I also liked finally getting to meet Elvis.

The company continue to be creepy and evil in the perfect way - I do love an evil conglomerate in a book lol. The way they are always playing the angles and trying to be a step ahead is nice. Plus their public spin on everything is impressive.

I also really enjoyed the exploration of the benefits of otherworld, for people like alexei, but also the effect it has on people (especially on Simon, as a lot of that is more about other people’s actions than his in some ways). I don’t like the approach it has to the children and the way it’s so casual that basically all users would abuse otherworld to be horrible people. Even if I suspect it’s more accurate than I’d like.

Overall, I did really enjoy it, but the cliffhanger ending was tough to swallow. Part of me liked it but the rest is too busy being frustrated.



Blog post will be up on Tuesday AM.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

I went into this one wanting to love it because frankly I adored Otherworld. Alas I was let down due to its clunky prose and inconsistent storyline.

Old favourites returned while new characters such as Alexei and Kenji provide a welcome change from the monotony. Also The Kishka finally has a purpose! *insert excited squealing here*

While the twist at the end felt like it could have been amazing, i feel that maybe had it been slowly introduced, I may have enjoyed it more. It honestly felt forced rather than like it had unfolded organically.

The subtly included gaming references of Otherworld seem to have faded into obscurity, despite it being a favourite part of the tale of myself and various other friends.

I also felt that titling the novel Otherearth when the subject matter is not actually introduced until almost 2/3 in was a little irritating. Subtle nods could have been made but unfortunately, the opportunity was missed.

Overall Otherearth was adequate in its content and narrative. It was neither horrendous nor absolutely spectacular, a fact that I really wish had been different. It is a known fact that many series have a bit of a slump in the middle therefore I am hopeful that Otherlife picks up the pace and ends it with a bang next year

Thrill? check.
Twists? check.
Confusion? check
Wow-moments? check
Intrigued? check
Roller coaster feeling? check
Page turner? check
Need more ASAP? OMG yes!!!
Loved this book and can't wait for more. 2019 can't come fast enough! If you haven't started this series yet, you seriously need to do it now.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications!

Following up from the events of the last book, Simon is now on the run with Busara and Kat, and they are looking for a way to rescue Busara’s father who was the original creator of the disc. Meanwhile, the Company restricts entry into the Otherworld for exclusively headset users, the number of which is limited, which means mostly rich ashholes are getting in, in a place where the worst of human impulses manifest. Simon gets help from his hacker friend Elvis, but it is still an uphill battle for them, going one step forward, two steps back in the even more deadly version of Otherworld, where Children are being hunted, and the Company is trying to develop a new technology called OtherEarth.

Going into this book was not the same quest-like experience as was in the last, but it is still a mission. They have to seek help from various sources, in order to free James Ogubu from the ice caverns, but even then their path is littered with obstacles. The discs are dangerous, the headsets are unavailable, the Elementals and the Children distrust any guests in the game, and them trying to save them from a horde of evil humans takes a lot of effort. Along with this main storyline, the plot hints at Simon’s altered state, as he starts hallucinating his grandfather even more, and keeps mixing up the two worlds. There was a lag, though, mid-way through the book, because I really was getting tired of them going back and forth on the same thing with not much progress, but it picks up the pace again towards the last quarter of the book. The technology is taken to another level by the end of the story, and the cliffhanger it left on? Whoa!

As for the characters – like before, I feel not enough effort is given to characterization. I thought Kat would be a bigger player in this book, but she is relegated to being his sidekick. Busara is secretive and single-minded, but the secrecy worked in her case because it played into something bigger. Elvis, a new character, stepped into the role of the pervert friend who thinks he is comic relief and has a good heart – cookie cutter fare! Alexei, who was in it for just a bit, felt a bit more fleshed out than these main characters, to be honest. And the lack of good characterization is particularly a downside because this book runs on emotions – they themselves take up the task of saving OtherWorld, even though they don’t have any personal stakes in it, so it is only fair that we know the characters well.

In all, an exciting sequel with raised stakes but problems from the first still persist.

I enjoyed the first in the trilogy so was looking forward to this one. Again, it was more of the same – VR, AI and AR filled action fighting corruption and Company bad guys. Sets it up nicely for the final instalment.

OtherEarth follows on from OtherWorld in which it is based in a reality that a super high tech game called otherworld exists. It literally is the otherworld. This world has it’s own plants, it’s own animals, sentient beings that roam the world so when the humans invade it and kill off their mates, they are not exactly pleased. And to add on to it, some players are using a device called a disk. A disk makes it super real and in doing so, if they die in the game; they are dead in real life. In order to stop the Company from killing more people, Simon must expose them and fight for his and his friend’s lives. I read OtherWorld as an audiobook and that was an experience so when I got the opportunity to read the arc of OtherEarth, I was filled with glee. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectations of OtherWorld, maybe that was because I didn’t read it on audiobook and so my imagination just didn’t click well with it this time round.

4 out of 5 stars.

I really loved Otherworld so when I saw OtherEarth on netgalley I just had to request it and I’m so glad I was approved! Thank you to OneWorld publications and Rock the Boat for providing me with an eARC.

So OtherEarth picks up right where OtherWorld ended and although it had been a while since I had read OtherWorld and was worried I wouldn’t remember what happened but as I started reading everything came rushing back to me. Like OtherWorld, this book was also fast paced and even more action packed and I loved it!

This book was intense and once I started reading I could not put it down and was reading well into the night. It’s full of intrigue and the story is even more complex than the first book. We spend a lot more time outside of OtherWorld and get a lot more backstory about the company and how and why OtherWorld was created. But we are left with even more questions too! I just wanted to keep reading to find all the answers.

I just have to say that the technology and the game that has been described in these books are absolutely terrifying and I am so glad that this technology does not actually exist and hope it never does! Even though it was made with good intentions, it never ceases to amaze me how inhumane humans can be. Like the first book, there were players who hunted the beings created in the game for sport. As a result of the technology they are actually sentient beings yet they were hunted and killed in horrifying ways. I’m so glad this side of gaming was discussed in books as it’s something I feel strongly about but I feel like it’s not something that is generally discussed.

I really liked Simon a lot more in this book than I did in OtherWorld. He was a lot more fleshed out and complex and generally more likeable. I also loved his relationship with Kat, they were adorable! Kat was a really great character and I do wish we could have seen more of her.

I also loved the addition of Simon’s friend, Elvis. He was fun and sassy but also kind and caring and smart. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book. The only person I still can’t decide what to think of is Busara. She is secretive and mysterious and I couldn’t figure out what she was hiding. I hope we learn more about her in the next book. Also that ending made me even more curious to know more about her.

I’m also intrigued by Simon’s hallucinations. Are they a form of PTSD? What is real? What’s his hallucinations? Especially that ending left me reeling and shocked and even more confused as to what Simon was seeing and what was real or not real! I won’t say anymore because I don’t want to spoil anyone but oh my god, I was not expecting that ending at all and I just desperately need the next book because I need all the answers!

I highly recommend reading this book especially if you enjoy gaming or sci-fi books. I’m not even a gamer and I loved it!

OtherEarth is fast paced heart pounding book. There is action from page 1 to page 320. 

To begin with one favourite elements of the book is the visits Otherworld. The world has evolved so much in both books that you never know what you are going to encounter. Otherworld is not on my dream destination list. I would be that people who gets killed all the time and is always at the beginning. 



OtherEarth has a great mix of the fantasy and Scifi with the use of technology and Otherworld visit. When the group are in reality we get the adventure of being on the run from a big bad company, and the drama of them trying outsmart them and the stress of being on the run. The book has some great comic moments too, one of those moments involved Judi Dench. The other involve Elvis, the below quote is one of my favourite from him.

""Do you have running water?" Kat asks.

"Of course," Elvis says. "We are scientist, not barbarians."

"Then is it ok if I go in and have a shower?"

"Please," Elvis says gallantly. "In the basement. Knock yourself up."




The last page of the book left my mouth opening and cursing the amount of time till I get the next book. 



My Rating for OtherEarth is 4.5 out of 5.

I thought when I read OtherWorld that I thought it would turn out to be a trilogy and it looks like I was right. So, to that end, I would really recommend you read that book first. There is catch up contained within this volume but it only really serves as a memory jogger rather than a replacement for reading book one.
So, Simon saved Kat and they are now on the run with Busara, fearing for their lives due to the knowledge they have gleaned about the Company and what it is really up to. They have one safe ally left and they go dark and travel to seek him out. Once there, they soon realise that the only way the four of them have any chance of saving the world is to go back into the game, but this is no game, when their lives are at risk...
There is a lot of game play in this second volume but there is also enough in the "real" world to progress the main story and keep things ticking along... just. The characters behave as you would expect and I really did enjoy the difference between their behaviours in and out of the game. Especially Simon and his "relationship" with Kat. We reunite with quite a few faces from book one and there's also some new friends along the way both real and virtual.
OK, I'll mention the ending now, get it out of the way. What. The... Huh! Talk about curve balls that throws everything out of the window and leaves you really hankering for the next book. Well... If this was a series, I'd be spitting by now but this sort of behaviour is just about tolerable with a trilogy. I mean, if you've got to the end of book two you are going to read book three, so it's not really emotional blackmail... annoying nonetheless!
As with probably the majority of books of this genre there is quite a bit of disbelief suspension to be held along the way. That said, it was never too taxing and I also quite liked the new technology that I was introduced to. I'm still a relative newbie to the genre so I may have missed the plot a bit along the way but this didn't seem to mar my overall enjoyment of what I was reading, which did keep my attention nicely throughout.
All in all a good solid read, can't wait to see how it all ends up in the final volume. My thanks got to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.