The Magic Thief #2: Lost by Sarah Prineas

Beware the Shadows! Something is killing people in Wellmet during the night, turning them to stone. There is nothing natural about it. Since Conn lost his stone in the last book, it exploded while defeating the Underlord, he is no longer able to cast spells. He learned that Wellmet's magic is a living thing, and he was able to use the stone to talk to it. Conn is forced to leave, so he heads to the neighboring town of Desh, which may be the source of the deadly shadows. He's not totally sure what's going on, but he is certain the wizard in Desh is behind all of the trouble. And the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his quest becomes.

If you liked the first book, The Magic Thief, you'll like this book too. Once again, Conn finds himself mostly working alone, but I like his character's determination to not give up. He seems to do things to make his friends crazy with him (blowing up a whole house), but he never lets them down in the end. The author was clever to have the black birds and lizards act as spies for the magic in their cities. A big battle is brewing between the predator magic and the magic in Wellmet.