Shadowlark

Gr 8 Up—In this sequel to Skylark (Carolrhoda Lab, 2012), Lark Ainsley continues her journey through a hazardous dystopian world accompanied by the magically gifted Tansy and mechanical pixie Nix as she attempts to find her brother, Basil. They are rejoined by her love interest, Oren, when they barely escape a trap set by cannibalistic shadow-people, and together they make their way to the underground city of Lethe, which is powered by magic and run by the mysterious and powerful Prometheus. His brutal police, known as Eagles, terrorize the city and seize Renewables (those who can renew their magic) on sight. Lark and Oren are spirited away by resistance fighters who oppose Prometheus and who have found Basil's journal, but when Lark leads a mission to rescue Basil and overthrow Prometheus, she discovers a surprising truth about her brother. Readers who are not familiar with the first book in the trilogy will be seriously confused, as the action begins in medias res and there is very little summary of previous events. The action picks up when Lark and her companions reach the city of Lethe. However, Lark's discovery about Basil, which is apparently intended to be a startling plot twist, won't come as a surprise to alert readers. Shadowlark has a number of the same weaknesses as its predecessor. The origins of this dystopian world are still not explained, and characters are not fully developed. Purchase only if the first book is popular.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ