The Unseen is a barrier separating the magical and non-magical worlds. In the first book, Chloe accepted one of the three strongest gems in the world, the opal gem, but this time she learns of its side effects. Using the power destroyed the Unseen around the Mexican-United States border, so innocent people are being exposed to dangers and magic for the first time. The immigration issue remains a conflict in the story, as Chloe’s parents are undocumented. Congress is considering a bill that will make life easier for immigrants, and the academy students are well aware of its effect. In the meantime, Osthall and his followers still want to eliminate the Unseen all over the world.
As with many middle-grade speculative fiction books, Chloe doesn’t know how to handle her immense new power, and readers learn it responds to her emotions. She is thirteen years old, and it’s difficult to control feelings at this stage of life. She loses control of herself a few times, and she’s very distressed after harming her best friend. Other students hate or fear her, except for her closest friends, so the school drama is ramped up. The adults decide it will be best to remove the gem’s powers from Chloe, but the security council may use an illegal process to do it. Reese offers to tutor Chloe in a process that will make it easier for her to voluntarily give up the power. However, Reese used to be Osthall’s second in command, so readers will be leery of his intentions. Chloe’s emotional turmoil is a highlight.
The opening chapters are full of action, as Chloe is attacked several times before arriving at the academy. She faces personal attacks at school, and a council representative aggressively tries to catch her making mistakes. One more misuse of Chloe’s opal power will result in it being painfully extracted from her. Chloe alienates her friends to keep them safe, even though she needs as much emotional support as she can get. The plot builds to a dramatic showdown full of fighting and surprises. Readers will need to figure out which characters are behind Chloe and which ones are secretly working against her. Readers will be shocked by the final revelations.
What didn’t work as well:
Some readers may tire of Chloe’s constant drama with friends and the council representative. However, these trials and tribulations are important for developing the conflict and plot. They complicate her mastery of the opal gem and add suspense to the story.
The final verdict:
Readers should probably start with the first book in the series. This one is full of conflicted feelings and character relationships, but the author’s surprises at the end are especially entertaining. I highly recommend you give it a shot.
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