Callum Hunt is ready to go back for his second year at the Magisterium, and not just because his dad might be trying to kill him. Call is (secretly) the magical reincarnation of mage Constantine Madden, by all accounts a pretty bad guy, but he is trying really hard not to be evil. He has got a mental checklist of the things an Evil Overlord wouldn't do as he heads to school. But all is not well there, either: an artifact that can split Chaos mages, like Call's friend Aaron, from their magic has been stolen, possibly by Call's dad. Call worries his true identity will be discovered, but he is more concerned about Aaron, so the boys and their friend Tamara us one rival t out into an increasingly dangerous world to try to save the day. This second installment in the Magisterium series is much more effective than its predecessor (The Iron Trial, 2014): the plot is tighter, the stakes are higher, and Call's struggle with whether or not he is destined for evil adds to the tension. Shades of Harry Potter still linger, but this has a personality of its own. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Enthusiasm hasn't flagged for these two best-selling authors, and this stronger volume will just fan the fire.

Gr 4-7 In their follow-up to The Iron Trial (Scholastic, 2014), Black and Clare again return to the magical, alchemical world of the Magisterium, a school that neatly plays with the tropes of the magic school genre. At the conclusion of the last book, readers learned that the ostensible hero, Callum, was in fact the Enemy of Deaththe villain who terrifies everyone in his magical world. When he discovers a plot seemingly orchestrated by his own father against the Magisterium, Call and his friends run away from school to try and save the magical world they love. Much of the action in this second installment takes place outside the claustrophobic caverns of the Magisterium, expanding the world Call and friends Tamara and Adam inhabit with mixed results. Credulity is stretched whenever any member of the group enters our mundane worldwould giant wolves with glowing eyes and four 13-year-olds hot-wiring a car really go unnoticed by average people?but other big set pieces, especially an epic battle against an ancient monster, thrill. There's plenty of action, adventure, and pathos here to even out the rough patches. VERDICT Fans of the previous volume will relish the continuing adventures of Call and his friends. Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT