The Skeleth

March 15, 2016
Wizards and monsters, peasants and lords, battles and spells, friendship and betrayal; all are packed into this second of a bleak fantasy series that began with The Nethergrim (2014). The young friends Edmund, Katherine, and Tom get little chance to celebrate their escape from the ancient horror of the Nethergrim before separating again. Katherine is torn from her beloved warhorses and swordplay to serve as a scullery maid. Runaway slave Tom seeks refuge with the legendary hero Tristan, only to find a decrepit old man with his castle besieged. Lovelorn Edmund, still tormented by the Nethergrim's seductive evil, turns for tutoring to an apprentice wizard with her own dark secrets. And behind it all, Lord Wolland, in a treacherous bid for power, has loosed the demonic abomination of the Skeleth. Jobin again portrays a dark, squalid, and violent world, yet now it's graced by more valor, loyalty, kindness, and simple good cheer than the previous title exhibited. Even after poor choices and painful disappointments, the three protagonists are maturing into their respective strengths. Their alternating viewpoints adroitly interweave into a dense, intricate plot, sustaining momentum despite expository infodumps and incessant forced cliffhangers. When the storylines finally collide in a rousing triumph, the three young friends have only a moment's respite before all is upended once more. Gritty, complex, and self-consciously epic; a solid contender for the teen answer to Game of Thrones. (Fantasy. 11-15)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 6-9-In this sequel to The Nethergrim, the 14-year-old heroes from the previous tale take separate paths. Wizard-in-training Edmund meets Elli, a young wizard who helps him learn magic but may not be trustworthy. Meanwhile, skilled horse trainer Katherine is forced to work as a scullery maid for Lord Aelfric after her father, John Marshall, leaves to seek the help of the legendary hero Tristan. Tom is traveling with John when they are attacked by the Skeleth, a hoard of spirit beasts in service of the Nethergrim. When John is overtaken by a Skeleth to become part of their army, Tom has to free the imprisoned Tristan and find an elder woman whose magic skills may help them defeat the evil spirits. Elsewhere, Lord Wolland from a neighboring barony is planning a war against the northern lands and thinks the Skeleth will aid him. When Edmund, Katherine, and Tom are finally reunited, they have to convince the local villagers to help them defend their land against Wolland's trained knights and find a way to stop the Skeleth, without killing Katherine's father. The narration of this pseudomedieval tale alternates among the three protagonists. Free of the cumbersome backstory that dragged the pace of the first book, this installment combines elements of fantasy, action, romance, and suspense and further defines the motivations of its characters. The book ends on a cliff-hanger that will have readers anticipating the next volume. VERDICT Fans of the first title will enjoy this new adventure; purchase this growing series where middle school YA readers are ravenous for epic fantasy.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

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