Author: Angela Myron
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Rating: WORTHY!
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review.
This is a really short novel and a very easy read, aimed at middle-graders. Once again we’re with Ennara Gaern, but this is a year on from her activities in Ennara and the Fallen Druid which I've also reviewed today. I didn't like this novel as well as I did the first one, but it was a decent read, and I have to say that I was laughing out loud at the opening chapters where Ennara accidentally creates a zombie pansy plant. That just really hit my funny bone and I could not stop laughing at this thing and its behavior and Ennara's ineffective struggles to cope with it. That, for me, made the whole novel worthwhile reading.
This novel is even more reminiscent of Harry Potter even than was the first one was: we have under-school tunnels, griffins, maps, and a quest which Ennara and her buddies must complete to save the city of Galdurlan (Gelderland anyone?!). Ennara is in school, and she has a female and two male friends, plus a female version of Draco Malfoy, and snotty teachers with whom to contend. Kithe Fontaine, her best friend since childhood, is back. Gevin Zoric returns - on shore leave from his ship conveniently in time to join them on their adventure. Fortunately the weird "love" interest between these two characters is played down significantly in this novel. Newcomer Cinne Keilmos makes up the foursome. She also has magical powers.
After finding themselves - the heroes of the previous novel - unceremoniously expelled from school, Ennara and Kithe start to realize that the "Fallen Druid" isn't quite as dead and gone as they had initially believed. He's orchestrating a take-over of the Druids who run the school, to use it as a back-door to taking charge of the whole country, and it’s up to the fearless foursome to stop him, which of course they do.
Like I said, I did not find this as entertaining as the first one - hilarious zombie pansy episode aside. That was classic, but after that it fell a little bit flat for me. I have to confess that unlike after reading the first volume, I don’t feel any compulsion to continue with this series now that I've finished this volume. I am, however, sure that it will appeal to the intended age range so I have no problem rating this as a worthy read.
