Chezdon Mitchell was new to me as an author when I bought Innocence Waning Part 1. However, Chezdon's writing is compelling. This second part continues the story of 16-year-old Chezdon Morrison, living in a wealthy part of Melbourne, Australia. Despite all the comforts of wealth, Chezdon has a highly troubled home life. Struggles with drink, drugs, and his sexuality fuel Chez almost to destruction. You MUST read part 1 to understand the life of young Chez but like me, once you start to read these books you will not want to put them down, nor will you want them to end. So many twists and turns along the way with laughs and tears aplenty. This is a must-read and Chezdon Mitchell is a wonderful new young author. I am now waiting for his next book to be published soon. I hate the wait but know it will be worth it.

Book 2 of Innocence Waning is even better than its predecessor. It picks up right where Book 1 left off. The frenetic pace of events never lets up until the end. I started reading and it was like I got sucked in so completely that I lost all track of place and time. What's interesting is that, while this book is a wild adventure story, on the one hand, it's also quite thought-provoking at the same time. The characters seem so real, you feel like you know them.

Unlike a lot of other coming-of-age novels, Innocence Waning is never boring and it's certainly not slow-paced. In fact, it's the opposite - it kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning, frantically swiping through the pages because I was dying to find out what would happen next. The book is very well-planned by the author -- his attention to detail is remarkable.