It's bad enough that Leo broke faith with Elsa and their small band of friends within the secret society known as the Order of Archimedes, but he returned to his sinister Garibaldi father, head of the revolutionary Carbonari, taking the editbook with him and putting all known worlds in peril. Situated in an alternate reality Italy (and other imaginary places), this quasi-steampunk/adventure tale is about trust, faith, and family. It's best to start with Ink, Iron, and Glass (2018) in order to make the most of the relationship between the Order, a secret society of pazzerellones (people with extra abilities in sciences) and the Carbonari (a revolutionary sect bent on expelling foreign interests from Italy), as well as the concept of particular scribed books used as portals or as change devices with the ability to impact anything about a world from the weather to who rules. Characters become known through their actions and thoughts rather than physical traits in this book, however there is some indication that they are a many-hued group of individuals. Fans of the first book will find this a satisfying sequel.

The alternate-history thrill ride continues in this sequel to Ink, Iron, and Glass (2018).It's been one month since Leo's betrayal, when he stole the editbook and defected to his father's cause. Fierce, trouser-sporting, revolver-toting, polymathic pazzerellone Elsa has been trying to find a way to reclaim the book, created by her mother and designed to protect Elsa's scribed world of Veldana from European threats. However, it also has the power to edit the real world, making it the most powerful object in existence. Leo's tyrannical father, to whom the ends justify the horrific means, will do anything to unify the four states of Italy, and the editbook will help him do just that. Elsa must convince Leo's father that she wants to join his revolution. The author is a master of character development. The third-person narration, which creates spot-on dramatic irony, alternates between several characters, each with their own struggles. Feelings of guilt, challenges to their personal belief systems, shifting loyalties, and navigation of worlds on the brink of change are complicated but never feel contrived or convoluted. Leo's foster sister, Porzia, is especially compelling, questioning the future she's taken for granted as a member of the privileged class and steward of her family's legacy. People of Veldana, Elsa included, have brown skin, as does alchemy pazzerellone Faraz (also cued as Muslim); assume whiteness for others.Action and adventure with a fearless heroine at the helm. (Fantasy. 12-adult)