But when is the third book coming out?! Enjoyed this read aloud with my 11 year old daughter after we soared through the first one. Good plot twists, kept us guessing what would happen next. Awesome world BB Alston has created, can’t wait for more!

Excuse you B.B. Alston but August is REALLY far away and I need this book right now please and thank you. 

Okay but seriously WHAT A SEQUEL! I love Amari and this works so so much. I'm so happy that there will be more to come. 

The ending perfectly set up for book three. And by the way LETS TALK ABOUT THAT ENDING.

When Dillon had his evil memories taken away and he looked at Amari with so much love and clarity only for it to be RIPPED AWAY. I might never recover.

And mind you I was CRYING MY ASS OFF AT

QUINTON. Oh my goodness am I happy that Anari has her big brother back. I'm so excited to see more from him in book three.

This is an excellent sequel and I'm so excited for whenever the 3rd one comes out! I really enjoy Amari and all the other characters (even the ones I don't like). A great middle grade read.

Amari is starting back at school after having passed her first junior challenge, and all of a sudden there is a new person in charge of the magical world. At a meeting of the ruling council, something or someone has stopped time. Now limited to the room on which the disturbance was centred, the only people halted are the people who were in charge, leaving a power vacuum that is filled by the Deputy Prime Minister and his chief spindoctor.

The person who has taken over has some extreme bigoted views and starts deporting the Unwanted - anyone whose ancestors were on the wrong side of the centuries old war against the Night Brothers. The talking points, and the fact that he himself is technically considered one of those Unwanted, bring to mind a certain dark haired little man with a toothbrush moustache. As the media and the politicians sow a climate of fear, he gains more and more popularity and power, and one of the types of people that he is prejudiced against is Magicians, like Amari. As she proves unwilling to be a pawn in his publicity stunts, the powers that be try to separate her more and more from her friends, She is forced to wear a badge that singles her out as dangerous. (All rather familiar - but an interesting way of encountering these ideas if you are a younger reader and don't recognise them.)

Just as all this is happening, Amari's once friend come nemesis, Dylan, escapes from his prison, and as the only two people who are the Born Magicians of their generation they are pitted against each other to vie for Vladimir's Crown, the symbol and vessel of power that would allow them to rule over he League of Magicians... and it looks like they are gearing up for a war.

This is the second book of the series and I'll admit that I had forgotten much of the plot of the first one before I got back into it. As far as audiobooks go, it's recorded a little slower than regular speaking pace so it can probably bear being listened to on a faster speed.

One thing I do love about this series is that the cast is racially diverse. It wasn't until the dedication at the end of the book that I realised the author was a man (one of those things about having a main character who is a girl, and having the audiobook narrated by  a woman) and a Christian, which may be one reason why there isn't any form of romance in the story. This does make it an ideal choice for many looking for a good middle-school read. The age-group for these books (using the rule of thumb "main character's age minus 3 years") is probably 10+

The trials and puzzles in this and the mystery that the friends investigate make this quite a fun read, even for older people. There are a couple of cute sidekick/pets and some flashy powers and things to keep younger audiences interested and a couple of prophetic visions and big reveals that are really satisfying. 

All in all it's good.. not super great.. but entertaining. I hear there's a third book?

This was such a solid sequel! It had two major plot threads - a mystery and a competition - which meant I was engaged from the start and always looked forward to picking the book back up. It also meant the narrative was pacey, furthering my engagement. The mystery plot line was fantastic as it had lots of investigation involved. The solution was satisfying and contained elements I had not predicted, which was an added bonus! On the other hand, I did want more from the Great Game (competition) plot line. I felt like we didn’t end up spending much time with it. 

I loved that we got to see more of the supernatural world, like the cafe in the beginning of the book with the fortune cookies. The devil is in the detail, and Alston consistently finds ways to include these that really enrich the narrative. But we also get to see bigger elements of world-building, like finding out more about the League and visiting departments like the Department of the Dead and the Department of Dreams. 

Amari was once again a fantastic MC to follow. She’s resolute, she tries to do what’s right, she loves her family and friends and tries to protect them at all costs, but at the same time she’s just 12 years old, trying to figure out all the usual problems that strike at that age and trying to find a place in the world she loves that doesn’t love her back. And she still remains determined, and is able to be silly and kind through it all. I also loved how much she learned about her magic and friendship in this instalment. 

Finally, I enjoyed seeing the friendship group itself develop. Amari gains such a wholesome little team and the interactions between the characters involved were one of my favourite parts of the book.