The Palace of Glass

Apprentice Reader Alice (The Mad Apprentice) is able to enter books physically and access the powers within. Vowing revenge on her master, who was responsible for her father's death, Alice searches for a book called The Infinite Prison that she hopes will trap him. New magical creatures, relationships, and adversaries deepen this already solid fantasy franchise with an appealing heroine.

Having learned that her master Geryon, one of the Old Readers, was responsible for her father's death (The Mad Apprentice, rev. 3/15), Alice, an apprentice Reader able to enter books physically and access the powers within, vows revenge. On advice from Ending, the untrustworthy catlike creature who manages Geryon's Library, Alice waits until Geryon is away, then sneaks out to search for the Palace of Glass and its treasure, a book called The Infinite Prison that she hopes will trap her immensely powerful master. The journey is difficult, and only Alice's new friendships with a fire sprite, an ice giantess, and the helpful owner of a mysterious vast eye allow her to succeed at all. But even if Ending's plan works and Alice is able to confine Geryon to the book, will she be able to handle the chaos that's unleashed in his absence? Although this installment begins with a simple quest, Alice's understanding of the role of Readers is complicated by her new discoveries, so that when the plan breaks apart about two-thirds of the way through, the consequences are stark. As Wexler continues to develop Alice's path, her powers, and her moral compass, the world of the Forbidden Library continues to deepen, adding new magical creatures, new relationships, and new adversaries to an already solid fantasy franchise founded on an appealing heroine, a deft plot, and gripping adventure sequences. anita l. burkam