| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Low Violence level: Medium-Low Back Cover: “An ancient artifact...A perilous quest...A trail of magical signs...A startling love triangle... One young woman must venture into the forbidden corners of a mysterious city and the realm of the enchanted Other Kingdom. But can she endure inconceivable tests of bravery, wisdom, and true love?” |
So in the first book, three of the five sisters made their choices and got settled into their life's work. This is the fourth sister's story, and also a bit of a cameo for the first. Since everyone figured they'd never see Tati again, that makes a much nicer conclusion, but the rest of the sisters barely get any story time at all. I miss the family feeling, the way the five of them supported each other and worked together. Paula ends up sort of out on her own, having to figure things out with the help of people who—compared to her sisters—are complete strangers (in spite of the fact that she ends up marrying one of them). Nice as their father is, he apparently isn't the sort of person to team up with his daughter when it comes to magical adventure quests. I suppose that's rather inevitable, since the first thing any adventurer in fantasy land has to do is get away from parents. Kind of sad, really.
Anyway, where the first one was set off in the back of beyond, and magical things were happening with startling frequency, this one mostly takes place in a large city, and aside from Tati's frequent, slightly sinister visits, there isn't much magic at all up until the final confrontation. Oddly enough, it's more of a race than a battle. I guess in this world, magical quests have a tendency to be that way. But the plot up until then is more solving a mystery and trying to figure out who is safe to trust in the strange new place, which doesn't much like females to be too educated (like Paula most definitely is). I did like that it made the point that there is more than one kind of intelligence, and all sorts of learning and ability may be used and useful in different situations.