The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman - ADVISABLE

The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, #2) by Philip Pullman, 633 pages.  Alfred A. Knopf (Penguin Random), 2019. $23.  

Content: Language: PG-13 (31 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13  

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Lyra Silvertongue is a twenty-year old who is feeling lost, especially because she can’t seem to get along with her daemon, Pan.  Lyra is studying philosophical teachings that discount the importance of Pan in her life, so when Pan witnesses a murder, he doesn’t feel like he can trust Lyra completely and leaves for answers.  The two separate and they are both led on a journey to a dark place.  Malcolm helps Lyra, and they try to put the pieces together that will hopefully answer Lyra and Pan’s separation as well as the dark happenings behind the witnessed murder.  

I love the Book of Dust world, and especially love the characters Pan and Malcolm.  Lyra makes decisions in this book that made her less likable, but she comes around.  I feel like you have to have read The Book of Dust to understand Lyra, Malcolm and Pan’s world.  The content includes a graphic beheading, knife attack, references to rape, sexual assault, attempted rape and a graphic suicide which is why I wouldn’t put this series in a middle school.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson