The Perilous Sea

September 1, 2014
In The Burning Sky (rev. 11/13), His Serene Highness Prince Titus, Master of the Domain, had secured the help of Iolanthe Seabourne, the most powerful elemental mage in centuries, to help in his fight against the semi-immortal tyrant of New Atlantis, the Bane. The Perilous Sea opens with Iolanthe and Titus awakening in the Sahara Desert, stripped of their memories and being hunted by Atlantis. Scenes of their attempts to evade capture (and their growing attraction, despite not knowing their history together) alternate with the events of seven weeks prior, when Titus and Iolanthe, the latter disguised as Archer Fairfax, reunite at Eton after a summer spent apart. Their plan to take down Atlantis (and to deepen their relationship) suffers a blow when a classmate, bumbling barely magical Lee Wintervale, suddenly comes into elemental powers in such a way that makes Titus believe that Wintervale, and not Iolanthe, is the mage prophesied to assist him. Rejecting Titus's slavish dependence on prophecies, Iolanthe continues in her fast-quipping Eton-boy disguise while nursing a broken heart. With sparkling repartee and Bond-like magical gadgets, Thomas's hugely likable characters navigate a steadily unspooling plot whose twists and surprises lead to a climactic full-throated war cry against the Bane; if, as expected, Thomas extends the series into a third volume, she's stocked enough narrative gunpowder here for a truly impressive explosion. anita l. burkam

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Teen mages Iolanthe and Prince Titus continue the fight to overthrow the Bane and take back the Realm that began in The Burning Sky (HarperCollins, 2013). Though it's really more complicated than that, this second installment throws one plot twist after another at readers. Thomas moves easily from humorous repartee to darkly gripping action sequences, making for an enjoyable ride. At times, the multiple viewpoints and time lines can be cumbersome. The author makes up for this with creative storytelling and strong characters; Iolanthe and Titus have particularly good chemistry. Some clever subversions of traditional fantasy plotlines make this series a smart choice for thoughtful fantasy readers who like a complicated backstory.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2014
The second entry in a grand epic fantasy tackles the dilemma of "[h]ow to stop being the Chosen One."A girl and boy awake in the middle of the Sahara Desert, injured and bereft of memory but wielding awe-inspiring magic; they reluctantly join forces to elude capture by the Atlantean tyrant. Weeks earlier, in a parallel narrative, Prince Titus and Iolanthe Seabourne, aka Archer Fairfax, return to Eton College in a "nonmage" Victorian England, preparing to hone Iolanthe's elemental powers to destroy the Bane. Their partnership falls apart when a dramatic revelation completely overturns the meaning of the prophecy that guides their plans. This sophomore outing offers more unexpected twists, spectacular magic, witty banter, hairsbreadth escapes, star-crossed romance, angst-ridden choices-more of everything except significant plot advancement. While the previous volume established the complicated geopolitics and various magical systems, Thomas' ravishing prose now delves deeper into the tortured, bittersweet relationship between Iolanthe and Titus and (to a lesser degree) their school chums. For all their gifts and responsibilities, they are still just 17, prone to all the moodiness, melodrama and occasional magnificence that adolescence entails. Themes of identity and memory, destiny and choice tie together the two stories, told in alternating chapters with ubiquitous cliffhangers. When the storylines finally intersect, the resolution is so abrupt as to be almost anticlimactic; but the dramatic, defiant conclusion will stoke anticipation for the next volume.With all the strengths and failings alike of the first book, only ever-so-much more so, this aims directly at its fans and will not likely pick up new ones. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2015
Iolanthe and Titus (The Burning Sky) wake in the desert, stripped of their memories and being hunted by Atlantis. Scenes of their attempts to evade capture alternate with the events of seven weeks prior, when Titus and Iolanthe (the latter disguised as Archer Fairfax) reunite at Eton after a summer apart. With sparkling repartee and Bond-like magical gadgets, Thomas's likable characters navigate a steadily unspooling plot.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)