Wandmaker #2: Wandmaker's Apprentice by Ed Masessa

My name is Brianna, and my brother Henry is leader of the apprentices. Coralis has collected four other boys and girls who are mastering the four elements. Henry is mastering all of them, and I'm being trained as an Enhancer with the ability to strengthen the apprentices' powers. Unfortunately, Coralis neglected his duties to guard the earth, so Malachai's powers have grown. He's gotten his hands on the Pangaea Particle and plans to unleash unspeakable creatures into the world. The particle seems to have a mind of its own and is driving Malachai even crazier. I don't know how this might affect his mental connection to my father, and I don't know if our apprentice training will be enough to stop him. However, I do know we are the only ones with a chance.

You need to read Wandmaker first. I enjoyed this sequel more due to the addition of the other apprentices. One of them had anger issues and had difficulty getting along, and the addition of a boy brought out Henry's jealousy and competitiveness. It would have been easy for Brianna to become an extra character, but her enhancement ability gave her a connection to everyone. It was a huge contrast to her role as a blue hedgehog in book one. She had an additional ability to communicate with rodents, and a couple other characters could talk to birds. Henry's character was the most dynamic even though he had the most experience. He was unsure of his role among the apprentices, and he became less certain when he became leader. As the plot unfolded, the variety of his abilities became evident, and his determination and compassion for others were key. The author did a great job of describing Malachai's ever-increasing insanity, and it created a more complicated conflict. You should enjoy the adventure, action, and magic of the story, and the whole book is based on nature. The apprentices are able to summon water, earth, air, and fire, and heck, even Earth Mother Gaia is a character. It's a shame that I'll need to wait another year until book three comes out.