Midnight Dolls

July 15, 2015
Sullivan's sequel to The Dolls (2014) finds fledgling voodoo queen Eveny Cheval fighting to save the lives of those she loves.Brand new to the magic scene, Eveny finds herself pulled in different directions, claimed and courted by both her mother's magical community and her father's. She also can't decide between Caleb, whose role as her protector makes their union forbidden, and Bram, with whom she feels an intense, inexplicable (at least at first) connection. As a queen of two magical traditions, Eveny finds herself in an unprecedented position. She must boldly chart her own course, and she has to do it fast, because practitioners of magic are being hunted down, and everyone close to Eveny is a target. Indeed, the mothers of her sister queens are murdered in a grisly scene that confirms that the threat is real and the stakes are high. Although elements of the plot still feel a bit forced, the storyline hangs together and the tension builds more successfully here than in the debut volume. The biggest change, though, is that Eveny's glamorous, superficial sister queens show some heart, and Eveny grows in empathy and confidence, making it easier to root for all of them. Fans of The Dolls will be quite satisfied with this installment and eager to see what's next. (Supernatural thriller. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.