The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes - ADVISABLE

Rhodes, Morgan  The Darkest Magic (Book of Spirits and Thieves, #2), 426 pgs. Razorbill 2016 (Penguin).  $18.99

Content: Language: R (106 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13 (murder, beheading, cut throats).  

Becca has been returned to her world in Vancouver, and her sister Crys is trying to believe the magic-filled stories Becca is telling of Mytica.  As powerful and deadly forces threaten Crys and her family’s lives she starts to believe in magic and she wants to know what has happened to their father and why their mother seems to be bound to the immortal Markus.  As the immortals start to face off, the mortals try to preserve their world and Becca and Crys are caught in the middle.  

This is a fun series to read.  It’s a spin-off from Rhodes' Falling Kingdom’s series and it all makes more sense if you read that series as well.  The characters are well developed and so it the world.  The magic is understandable and the story line hard to put down.  The ending is a huge cliff-hanger so I can't wait for the next book.  The swear count is high and the violence is shocking teetering between rated R and PG-13, otherwise it would be essential.  

HS – ADVISABLE. 

Reviewer, C. Peterson.