Last time round (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6293925144) we had three young characters go off into the wilderness and try to save their worlds. Alethea did make huge inroads to that end – she found a cure for the Coronasniffles – sorry, the Scourge – and brought it back. The city is clear of the disease now, but not all the threat, for the three know of a Big Bad Professor who wants as much power as she can get, and is creating demonic beasties to that end. Alethea's problem now is that the Cardinal is ignoring her demand that he listen to her talk about that threat. Kayla is trying to get the Baddie's back-story, which could be awkward due to spies in the royal house, and Rustus? Well, he's boringly meeting some new people and encountering earthquakes, in a quite surprisingly dull recap chapter.

The issue here is that that surprise disappears. Or surprises, for I was delighted how involved the list of plant and animal species was last time and how well it didn't sound like random, wacky fantasy world building. That surprise is lost here, for it does sound just as I always feared. The surprise of the three kids working so well together – in a typical "youths find their hidden destiny" quest book – is also not a surprise here, as they're not together. Instead the plot is a way for the trio to each get into pickle after dilemma after problem, and while the issues they all face are fine and dandy you can't half see all the characters being moved around this chessboard to get to where they need to be.

There's also no surprise when this character turns out to be a family member, that character turns out to be a family member, and so on and so forth. I mean, it was a surprise the first time you realised that could be the case, but not when it kept happening.

All told this was quite a shocking disappointment – especially in the light of being a companion to the excellence of before. Previously we'd had the old and new both done well and in fine balance; here we get too much that is mediocre, and of minor concern to the grand scheme of things – unless Book Three, due 2026, is really going to pull the rug from under our eyes. This isn't nearly bad enough to ruin the memory of the first book, and it doesn't seem to spoil the end of the trilogy, but I've yet to see more of an obvious trudge of a middle book. Don't read this if you've not enjoyed the delights of what came before – and you might join me in finding this comparatively disposable when up against what is either side.

A fantastic continuation to the original story, as the three heroes continue their search to save their world. It is full of amazing creatures and people who have always feared each other, but who need to learn to trust them. The story takes us on a helter skelter ride, where there is hardly time to draw breath. I can't wait for the next in the series.