Blood War

April 1, 2003
Gr 9 Up-In the first two books of this trilogy, readers learned about Marcus's special skills and problems. Here, in the final book, everything comes to a head. Marcus, his father, and the witches' coven that his mother is involved with are all running headlong toward a confrontation. Marcus has lost his beloved dog, and he travels to Ireland in search of his mother. There he finds his father and they set out together to end the blood war. Snatches of thought and speech, virtually no characterization, and frequent use of metaphor and unnecessary repetition make this a confusing, unsatisfying journey into mystical realms. Even more disconcerting is the fact that the book has the format of a middle-grade novel, but the vocabulary, occasional sexual situations, and violence place it at a high-school level. It is vital that one be familiar with the prior books to understand this one, but few readers will be inclined to keep going.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI

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