The New Improved Sorceress

December 2, 2019
Hanover’s jam-packed second Wayward Mages adventure (following The Late Great Wizard) is a hectic but entertaining roller-coaster ride. Ever since the maelstrom stone, an ancient mystical artifact, embedded itself in Tessa Andrews’s palm, her world’s been thrown into chaos as she is forced to defend herself from magical attacks in both her dreams and the waking world, while working to free her father from the spectral state he’s trapped in, to assist her phoenix friend through his transition into a new body, and to navigate her murky relationship with the dangerous but alluring Malender. When Tessa asks an iron dwarf for help, he tasks her with finding the Eye of Nimora, a mystical ruby that is a key component in maintaining the stability of the magical world. Tessa’s search leads her to an encounter with an ancient book of Dark Arts; the maelstrom stone absorbs the book, and as a result Tessa is imbued with a wealth of new unsettling powers. Hanover showcases her boundless imagination with creative twists, outsized villains, and dynamic, magical protagonists. Though the crowded plot is occasionally overwhelming and disjointed, readers will be swept up in the frenetic pace of this fantasy.

Starred review from December 15, 2019
In the second book of the Wayward Mages series (after The Late Great Wizard, 2018), Hanover presents a realistic urban fantasy as college student Tessa Andrews adjusts to all of her magical friends and a maelstrom stone embedded in her left palm. This collection of supernatural friends includes her ghostly father, trapped in the basement; a centuries-old phoenix wizard sharing a young man's body; and Hiram, an Iron Dwarf. Hiram requests Tessa's help locating a magical gem, the Eye of Nimora, and the entire group pitches in to help with her quest. Meanwhile, agents from The Society (of wizards) attempt to recruit Tessa to a specialized college, she plays field hockey on her college team, and even attends classes. Further complicating her life, a book on Dark Arts imbues Tessa with magical powers of her own. Hanover references the previous book enough that this sequel can be read on its own. Fans of Libriomancer and other urban fantasies will enjoy the gritty reality interspersed with magic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)