Darkmouth #2: Worlds Explode by Shane Hegarty

My name is Emmie. Finn's father is trapped on the Infested Side, a world teeming with all kinds of mythical monsters waiting to kill all humans, so we've passed through a portal to rescue him. Finn is an apprentice Legends hunter, but a prophecy says the Legends are rising and Finn will die in this world. We can hear the Legends all around us as we travel, but they aren't attacking. Why not? Something about Finn changed when he used a red crystal to open the portal, and it's frightening the Legends. A Legends dog with a talking-snake tail is now leading us through the Infested Side, but we're not sure where it's taking us. We think it's leading us to Finn's father, but can we trust it? Looking back now, the truth was stunning, but Finn nearly causing a catastrophe in both worlds was worse.

This book jumps in right where the first one left off, so you should read it first. This sequel is more adventurous, because the setting mostly takes place in the Infested Side. I remember wondering in the first book why the author calls the monsters Legends, but they're just mythical creatures like minotaurs and dragons. I liked seeing Finn with more confidence in himself, as he took charge. Emmie and Finn were accompanied by an inspector from the Council, but he just added some humor to the events, always quoting rules and regulations they were violating. The mystery character appearing in the middle of the book wasn't totally unexpected, but his plans are a surprise. The power building within Finn adds a suspense to the conflict, since it's obvious it will be released at some point. There are clues from earlier in the series about what might happen, but the anticipation is a nice twist. The resolution reintroduces a previous character that I'm sure will become the focus of future problems.