Crater Lake Evolution was so much better than it's predecessor. Removed is the repetition and the characters not seeming to be actual year 6 students now they are more coherent and are able to work together even when there was a new character.

The plot and the many surprises scattered throughout the book made the story more atmospheric and fast paced. Jennifer has come a long way from Crater Lake

For all the above reasons Crater Lake Evolution receives 4 stars.

Creepy, eerie, and brilliantly twisty, this is a fantastic sequel and continuation of the Crater Lake series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Firefly Press for this ARC

A brilliant sequel to Crater Lake, Killick is a fantastic children's author that covers topics like friends while adding a splash of horror

This was just as brilliant, if not better, than the first! Some real thrills and chills with some brilliant dialogue too. Jennifer just GETS it when writing for kids - I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Fabulous return to these Characters. This one managed to add depth and growth to the characters and their relationships with each other. I was worried that due to the setting itself no longer being creepy that this would lack the atmosphere that made me love the first. I should never have worried, I enjoyed this as much as the first and would reccomend the series.

I loved Crater Lake, so I was eager to read the sequel. As with any follow-up, I was worried it wouldn’t meet my expectations, but Carter Lake: Evolution met and surpassed them.

There aren’t many books that can bridge the transition between primary and secondary school but Killick did this perfectly. I can’t wait to see what’s next in the Crater Lake series.

So pleased to report that Jennifer Killick has done it again!

Crater Lake Evolution is wickedly smart sci-fi horror, with some seriously creepy moments and some important things to say about friendships and how they can change on us.

Highly recommended

An absolute page turner! Lance is back: he’s started high school, made a new mate and yes, things don’t appear to be quite right again. Time for Lance and the old gang to investigate. What a sequel this is, and dare I say it might even be more exciting than the original Crater Lake.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc.

Having read and loved the first Crater Lake, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel.

It took a while for me to get into this one, unlike the first one when I was hooked after the first chapter. I think because the group were split and a new character was introduced I felt almost like I was betraying Ade, Kat, Chets and Mak and struggled to warm to Karim....... at first.

I like Jennifer’s style of writing, everything she writes is current, from the computer games they were playing (yep even an old fogey like me knew) to the issues faced by the group after moving to secondary school.

Once the group hide out at the ‘Annex’ in Mak’s garden, that’s when it get’s good and the loathsome Trent comes back. In his defence, he does come to warn the gang but is only doing it to save his own skin, again!

Once they are in the annex, Karim’s wit and humour really shone through and his quips and comments are hilarious and I really warmed to him and felt he was definitely one of the gang and not some wannabe or cling-on. To be fair my reaction to him at first was just like Chets’ which just proves what a good writer Jennifer is.

I really liked the clearing the air chat they all had about why they fell out or didn’t see each other anymore and it was definitely reasons that happen once you move on to Secondary school and hopefully those that read it will see that it’s ok to be different and that you don’t have to change who you are to be liked or fit in. If they are true, real friends, they will like you for you no matter what.

The gang work so well together to defeat the alien spores, they all have a skill that is needed to be able to make the plans work, just like cogs that fit together, even without one it won’t work. Lance is the kingpin of the group, without his foresight and analytical brain I don’t think they would have pulled it off so well.

A couple of things I came away with from this book was ;
A) Keep your windows locked, especially if you hear scratching on your roof and shadows across your windows
B) Never trust a friend who suddenly gets good at video games

Lance and his friends face the sporelings of Crater Lake but this time they have evolved. With fast paced action and good characterisation, this builds on what went before with the added dynamic of tensions amongst the friends due to transitioning to secondary school. I felt this worked really well, looking at the need to conform in a new school suddenly so much larger than their old primary school, the pressures that puts on old friendships and the need to be more tolerant and understanding. Ultimately they manage to deal with their issues becoming once more the team they need to be. There were also some genuinely creepy scenes here, Lance's mum climbing down the outside walls into his room being one. I really enjoyed this and it was just as good as the first book.

This fast paced adventure story is the perfect follow-up to the popular Crater Lake. This is one to move onto when you’ve read Crater Lake, but that really isn’t a hardship because as debut books go, it’s an absolute corker.
I was nervous going into this book, because everything about book 1 is just so special. However I shouldn’t have been worrried, the characters we know and love are back complete with fresh additions, and this is another fantastic read.

Thanks to NetGallery for giving me the chance to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review

This will be a perfect addition to my classroom as we are trying to promote books by Welsh authors/ books with a Welsh link. Suitably spooky/scary for year 5/6, it is very difficult to find that balance with young readers. It took me back to when I read the Goosebumps series as a child. I loved it from start to finish and I’m sure that the children in my class will love it too.

Spooked but smiling, what an epic transition text for Y6-Y7! Jennifer Killick's authentic MG voice & humour is fresh & timely. Not a SciFi fan, but I read crater lake after the race reviews on twitter and couldn't wait to devour this sequel! Evolution was gripping, with suspense, tension & gory science right through! #MGStrangerThings This has to be the last book we read as Y6 for summer term, winner!

If you've not yet read the first Crater Lake, don't read this one (yet!) but start there. Normally I'd say 'you probably could read it as a stand alone/out of order' and I mean, yes, you probably could but so much of this builds on, follows on from and refers back to book one that it wouldn't be the best idea.

However, as soon as you have read book one - READ THIS!

We rejoin unlikely hero Lance in his first term of secondary school, and its safe to say 'Big School' has thrown the gang in a big way. They've changed, grown apart, fallen out and generally struggled with the transition.

But they're going to have to put misunderstandings, jealousy and dodgy earrings aside because...

...the spores are back in town.

With WiFi down after a strange explosion in the local lab, a mysterious creature on the loose and a curfew in place, more nosy neighbours than you can shake a stick at, and parents either missing or acting very strangely, it's not long before Lance realises something weird is going on, and it's up to him to get to the bottom of it again. But to do that, he'll need help.

Can he get the gang back together to save Straybridge?

And on that note, the gang are brilliant. They're a great mix of recognisable 11-12 year olds who act and sound so realistic (Ade's "hair dollop" in a doughnut cracked me up!).

This is an author who knows the age she writes (and writes for) well (although, I have to say its Lance's mum that really stood out for me in this!)

There is a really observant, tender and reassuring look at friendship groups and the way they can change in the background of this alien invasion.

Likewise, the humour is one of the best things about the book. Lightening the mood when it all gets a bit heavy, the balance between the potentially deadly events unfolding and the comic gold that is the dialogue here is perfect (with a special nod to newcomer Karim who delivers so much of it).

Between sarky retorts, deliberations about poo, quick comebacks and schmaltzy cushions, there is a remarkable amount of laughter for a book about a town being gradually taken over by an alien lifeform.

There is a lot I loved about this book that I can't talk about for fear of spoilers (though I will say the Stranger Things chat and bugsplaining were brilliant) but the whole thing is just superbly executed.

Jennifer is an expert at getting that creepy atmosphere growing, tension building and danger mounting. And it refers back to book one in the absolute best ways while being an entirely different beast too.

As relentless as the first, with just as many twists, turns and surprises, this is fast-paced, exciting and utterly gripping.

And if you're thinking 'yeah, but aliens aren't really for me' - don't be put off! I really don't do sci-fi but here I make an exception - it is great!

Crater Lake was one of my favourite books of 2020 so I was delighted to get an early review copy of Crater Lake: Evolution, the second in the series.

After the events at Crater Lake, Lance and the gang have settled into life at high school. The way that friendships have developed and moved on in the short space of time feels really genuine and authentic.

When there’s a strange explosion at the University Lance knows it’s somehow related to the events of the year 6 residential. But it can’t be...can it?

Jennifer’s writing is just brilliant! Filled with suspense, humour and tension in all the right amounts. The dialogue in particular is perfect - the gaming chat at the start of the book made me laugh as it’s exactly what I hear coming from my 12 year olds’ room on a regular basis!

Crater Lake: Evolution is as good, if not better than the original. Perfect for MG readers who like action-packed adventures and a great introduction to age-appropriate horror stories.

I adore Jennifer's writing - brilliant humour, and with Crater Lake:Evolution she has seemlessly blended in a nice dollop of horror and suspense. Of course she has! This IS the follow-up to Crater Lake, afterall!
Love how this sees the same friendship group from Crater Lake, but, a little bit older and with the great addition of Karim.
A nail-biting, suspense-filled, giggle-inducing read! LOVED this one.

Wow I absolutely loved reading the original book to my year 6 class but this one is even better. The humour is excellent and the new character Karim is a brilliant addition. Not only does it have all the action of the first one but it also has a very important message about friendship and changes as you grow up. Will definitely be recommending this to my class.

A brilliant sequel to Crater Lake, if anything, I think this is better than the first!
More jokes and fun with the characters we met in the original, but with characters and relationships developing as they move to High School. The same old alien problems though, needing to be dealt with by Lance and his crew of old (and welcome, new) additions.
Scary, funny and thrilling, I can't wait to share this with my class, who are already huge Jennifer Killick fans.

Jennifer Killick does it again! This is an excellent sequel to the first book, in what I really hope is a long Crater Lake series.

Crater Lake: Evolution, like the first book, almost feels like a cross between one of the Goosebumps books, an episode of Scooby Doo and something else I can't quite put my finger on. The story is scary but in a good and oddly safe way. I have total confidence in the characters to give the story a happy ending.

I already have children at school, slightly disgruntled that I have already read this, asking me when they can borrow my pre-ordered copy.

Following their near-disastrous Year 6 residential trip to Crater Lake, Lance and his friends are back at home and have started their different high schools. Lance has a new friend, Karim, but sadly the rest of his friends have all drifted apart.

When a disturbance occurs in the town and strange things start happening, Lance knows it is related to the activities at Crater Lake. His suspicions become stronger when Miss Hoche reappears on the scene.

Can Lance bring his friends back together and prevent yet another invasion?

This is another brilliant read that will have UKS2 hooked. My class are already begging for me to read it to them but they will have to wait until my pre-order arrives!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers Firefly Press for this advance copy.