Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

Starred Review Blackwood's now nearly 13-year-old wizard apprentice demonstrates both the pluck and smarts to cope with a series of misadventures as he sets about to save Simon, his master, from the evil Bonemaster. To locate an important and powerful book of lost magic wisdom and rescue Simon's missing wife, who has the power to save him, Jinx treks through the magical woodlands, studded with trolls, werewolves, and other menacing creatures, to enroll as a would-be scholar in the hostile country of Samara. Meanwhile, land-grabbing Keyland lumberjacks threaten the trees of the Urwald, who Jinx alone can hear, and his allegiances with his friends Reven and Elfwyn are tested when they are at odds with the desires of the Urwald. Blackwood's invented languages are seamlessly believable, and the compelling moral questions facing Jinx w far is he willing to go to rescue the people important to him? ll snag readers.Unlike many second volumes in fantasy series, this one delivers all the grace and spark of Jinx (2013) while still allowing the characters to gain depth and complexity and expanding on the already richly dynamic world. This series deserves a permanent place in the children's fantasy pantheon, with Narnia and Earthsea.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

When Jinx (Jinx) learns the Urwald's sentient trees are being slaughtered, he tries to rally Elfwyn and Reven to his cause. But after he angrily turns a lumberjack into a sapling, they start to fear him. Meanwhile, the Bonemaster has wiped out a settlement, and the destruction is being blamed on Jinx. The unique setting, likable characters, and sprightly voice bind the narrative.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12)

School Library Journal (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Gr 4-8 The middle book of a trilogy must be the hardest to write: the thrill of the first book's creation of setting and characters is over and the satisfaction of tying every loose end together is yet to come. In this sequel to Jinx (HarperCollins, 2013), Blackwood succeeds in keeping readers' interests piqued without completely frustrating them. Jinx travels beyond the borders of his beloved Urwald and learns that it must be saved from the greedy depredations of invading foreigners from Keyland. He insinuates himself into the school at the Temple in Samara so he can explore the history of magic. As Blackwood extends Jinx's experiences to other lands, she adds layers of complexity that hint at future developments. Jinx's magical powers are strengthening, but he doesn't fully understand their source or their extent. He's still finding out how to use his gifts. The result of these uncertainties is that readers are left feeling as unsettled and unbalanced as he is. The next installment can't come along soon enough. Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY