Lost Crow Conspiracy (Blood Rose Rebellion, Book 2)

December 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-This sequel continues the saga of Anna Arden and the magical creatures she helped release from bondage in Blood Rose Rebellion. Now in hiding in Vienna with her sister Catherine, Anna attempts to settle into life as a courtier. She attends parties, takes walks on the promenade, and even catches the eye of Archduke Franz Joseph. But she can't break away from her past and her desire to free the magical Praetheria, or from her feelings for Gabor. She also can't run from the crime she committed in the name of freedom-the murder of her friend Matyas. She must decide if she will continue to hide or take a stand in front of the Austrian Congress and become her true self-a chimera, or "two-souled." This is a unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction, and fans of both will appreciate the intertwining genres. The narrative utilizes alternating points of view, giving readers a unique perspective on the lives of both main characters (Anna and Matyas). VERDICT A magical tour of mid-19th-century Europe that will leave teens waiting anxiously for the next installment; recommended for fans of alternative history and fantasy.-Corey Hall, Manheim Central Middle School, PA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
Two surpassingly magical cousins are continually pushed into action during the European revolutions of the 19th century. How could Anna have naively thought that she would destroy classism, racism, and imperialism simply because she had destroyed the magical Binding that reserved spellcasting for the nobility and imprisoned the magical praetherians? Alternating sections reveal the rising chaos that resulted from her actions in Blood Rose Rebellion (2017) from dual perspectives. Anna feels trapped in Vienna both by class and gender expectations and by the demands of the freed magical creatures. Matyas, Anna's cousin who was killed when Anna destroyed the Binding, has been reborn to a responsibility he desperately seeks to avoid. Both are appalled by the treatment of praetherians, who, newly freed, are being enslaved, murdered, and forced to wear identifying marks. Anna vows to speak up on their behalf, but as a young woman, her word carries little weight. Matyas chooses banditry over leadership, but his kindness nevertheless brings more and more praetherians to join his gang. Both protagonists have revolutionary urgings, although their anti-imperialistic nationalism seems awfully selective, an unreconciled contradiction that could possibly be resolved in Book 3. Anna and Matyas, both white, are exceptionally magical, with phenomenal cosmic powers that everyone wants to exploit, from the ancient Hungarian gods to the Hapsburg Archduchess Sophie. This all boosts expectations of series readers for a conclusion they may worry it cannot meet.A sequel that serviceably does its middle-volume job; it won't attract new readers but should please fans of Book 1. (author's note, character guide, glossary) (Fantasy. 13-15)

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