The Secret of Matter (Rymworld Arcana Book 2)

November 15, 2024
A race to keep a device that destroys universes out of his ruthless mother's clutches leads young time bender Antares de la Vega into narrow scrapes galore. Mysterious clues about the location of an ancient superweapon send the South Florida teen into more of the magical, mythical Rymworld's exotic realms, from the deadly Wytch Isles to the aptly named Forbidden Tundr�. In Rymworld, certain slugs will grant wishes when licked (ew), and foes ranging from cunning trolls and crocodile warriors to robotic mystics await. Antares brings with him redoubtable allies--notably fierce chipmunk Cheepee and purple-haired girlfriend Magdavell�a, Empress of Agartha--and some chancy ones, too, including Mags' former (she claims) squeeze, the handsome, sneering Valthazaar leKruel, or "Prince Uncharming," as Antares sourly dubs him. Weathering daunting challenges, they travel via a smart-mouthed aerojet, woolly mammoth, and teleporting crop circle, at last meeting betrayal and ambush at Stonehenge before a climactic face-off over the fate of all the worlds with the psychic supervillain known as the Mystic (or, by Antares, as Mom). Though not labeled a finale, the episode's main and subsidiary plotlines are sufficiently resolved by the end to make it one. As previously established, Antares comes from a multiethnic, multicultural background; most of the rest of the cast reads as nonhuman. Final art not seen. A rousing sequel, taking licks at romantic quandaries, family issues, and...other things.(Fantasy. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.