Artemis is at boarding school in Ireland when he suddenly receives an urgent video e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from his father, who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya. As Artemis rushes to his rescue, he is stopped by Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling the fairies, he is going to have to join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves.
I have to admit that the first book of the Artemis Fowl series didn't impress me all that much. So I lagged behind in ordering the second book from the library, but I finally did. This was my reaction through the whole book: WOW, this is so much better than the first one! I don't remember the specifics of Artemis Fowl book 1, so I can't say why exactly I didn't like it.
This book was non-stop action from page 1. This book made me read late into the night, and I hated to put the book down. I even took it on the treadmill with me. Besides the action, another reason why I love this book is the characters. I liked everyone in the book, but Holly Short was probably my favorite. She is one feisty elf! She has a non-stop supply of witty comebacks and humor, and plus she knows how to put people in their place (with the use of a fist). I'm definitely drawn to the kick-ass girl type, evidenced by another one of my favorite characters in Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor: Homburg Molly. The writing of this book was superb. I love a book with plenty of humor, and this one was stocked with it.
After finishing the book, I was glad that I didn't give up after the first one, and I will continue reading the series.
