Jinx is trying to keep his promise to the Urwald to escort Reven out of it. Only Reven isn't taking to the eviction as well as either of them hoped. Reven is happy to see the Urwald as an opportunity---for a safe place to hide, and especially for its land and timber. To Jinx, who talks to trees, any talk of cutting them down is like proposing murder. But before he and Reven can get into a proper fight about it, Jinx is off to Samara on Simon's instruction, sent to look for Sophie, some books, and an education. It's power he needs to face the Bonemaster. But the Bonemaster is much older than he is, and has plied his deathforce magic far longer . . .Jinx remains a supremely engaging character. His power is an odd hodgepodge no one really understands, least of all himself, but he's starting to learn more about what he can do, and branch out. It amuses me he can do so much when he technically only knows four spells (six, by the end of the book). He's got a vast amount of power at his disposal, but quite a lot that limits his use of that power, such as most of it only working when he's in the Urwald.And this is the book that dares beyond the Urwald's depths to some of the kingdoms beyond. Samara gets most of the focus. The desert kingdom's credo "Knowledge Is Power" is something Jinx struggles to figure out, along with the challenges of adapting to a wholly different kind of environment. No trees! And, oddly enough, people he might actually call friends.I liked, too, that the Urwald continues to reveal more of itself. Werewolves and elves both show up and are fascinating. Although the werewolf Jinx meets seems to be outside the norm for its species, which is a mystery Jinx hasn't solved yet, but does allow for some tidbits about werewolf life and culture. I am so happy these elves very much fit with the general nature of Urwald, which is to say they are nasty and deadly (which the first book said, but now that we have a visual it's much more believable that Jinx lost a parent to elves). The humor from the first book is still present here, and just as sharp. I love when Jinx's honesty mixes with Simon's sarcasm, or the way absurd things work themselves out, or the matter of fact way Urwald-dwellers treat death. Overall this is a great followup to the first book. There's none of the middle-series drag that can hit sequels, and the ending promises a great deal of fun to come. I rate this book Recommended. I picked this one up first and was going to put it back, but thought I'd just peek at the opening…and I ended up reading the whole book. I really like it when a series allows for multiple points of entry. Okay I was at first a bit confused about the door to Samara, and other logistical things like that, but the characters made sense right away. I love how this author let's you discover things in the moment. For example, when Simon and kids show up at that cottage, it's only after some fairy cryptic and snarky dialogue that we learn Simon has arrived at his father's cottage. A scene that could have been a bland, "Oh,drat, here is my no-good father's house," turned out odd and fascinating by how it was handled--and it was that early scene that convinced me to keep reading the book even though it was the sequel. Anyhow, highly recommend this series, and can't wait for Book 3.
What do You think about Jinx's Magic (2014)?
A solid sequel, though I hate cliffhanger endings!
—Ebz
Now I can hardly wait for the third book. Yay!
—code013
3 plus! Very philosophical material here. :)
—sweetashbieber
