Fyre by Angie Sage

Illustrated by Mark Zug
Target audience: Ages 8 to 12
Rating: Dragon

Sage wraps up the “Septimus Heap” series with the mastery of a true storyteller. She weaves all the threads of the six previous volumes together into a magnificent tapestry. Nearly all the characters are reunited in the final attempt to vanish the Darke forever. Marcellus Pye is busy deep beneath the castle intent on Awakening the Fyre which can be unpredictable and difficult to control. It is the only known substance powerful enough  to DeNature the Two-Faced Ring which holds the essence of the two most dangerous and powerful Darke Wizards. Over five hundred years ago the first Extraordinary Wizard, Hotep-Ra, trapped them in the ring and it is now Sealed inside the Wizard Tower.  Marcia suspects Marcellus is up to more than rebuilding the Alchemie Tower and Alchemie Way, so she assigns Septimus to him for one month. Septimus is torn between his desire to learn more about Alchemie and his love for his work at the Wizard Tower. Jenna is crowned queen and is determined to save the Dragon Boat, whose heartbeat she can no longer hear. Will the past come back to haunt them and pull them back into the Darke Domaine or will our Magykal troupe save the kingdom once again? Fans of this series will not be disappointed and get exactly what they expect from this gifted writer – swamp snakes, magical bowls, flying dragons, secret chambers, ghostly encounters, Fyre creatures, Djinn transformations, royal coronations, maps, humor, fabulous illustrations and much much more. We can only hope that Sage will continue to entertain us with more fantasy. It would be advisable to read this series in order. (This book provided for review by HarperCollins).

 

The Enchantress: The secrets of Nicholas Flamel, volume 6 by Michael Scott.

509 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Griffin

 This sweeping saga comes to a close with a bang – a ten on the action Richter scale. There are earthquakes, collapsing bridges, monster battles, major magic, fighting atop a pyramid, and a spectacular airship crash into a legendary tree. The end of the world battle takes place on two planes. The Perenelles try to save San Francisco from the final monster invasion before their powers are depleted and they die. Sophie and Josh, the twins of legend, travel ten thousand years into the past with the magician Dr. Dee and Virginia Dare where they are coerced by Osiris and Isis to usurp Aten’s power and rule over Danu Talis. Of course beloved characters Scathach, Prometheus, Shakespeare, Joan of Arc and Palamedes make an appearance as well as more than a few new ones. Meanwhile dark elders are combining forces against those fighting on Alcatraz.Readers will be relieved that questions behind Abram’s prophecy “The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it” are nicely resolved. The author’s knowledge of mythology is astounding and he layers the plotline with the most fantastical, historical and legendary characters with customary ease. The story is so packed full, almost too full with multiple plotlines overlapping, long dead characters coming back to the story alive and well through time travel, major revelations, characters abruptly switching loyalties, a family reunion, and an all-out humani rebellion against the Elders. Despite its fractured and cluttered storyline, it is a satisfying conclusion to the series and a must for fans.