Dark Lord #2: School's Out by Jamie Thomson

This book is the second in the series. Dirk Lloyd is actually the Dark Lord of the Darklands, but he's been trapped in the body of a human boy by Lord Hasdruban. Christopher and Sooz are his friends, but Sooz mistakenly gets sent to the Darklands. It's not easy to travel between worlds, so she's on her own. She is wearing the Dark Lord's ring, so his followers think she's going to be their queen. This keeps her alive for awhile, but the Dark Lord's enemies are preparing to attack. Meanwhile, Dirk, the Dark Lord, is stuck back on Earth trying to figure out how to help Sooz. Lord Hasdruban sends an assassin to kill Dirk which complicates things a little. Dirk doesn't have the power to travel back to the Dark Lands, and Sooz doesn't know what she's doing. Can they both survive?

I didn't read the first book in the series, but I was able to easily understand what was going on. You'll figure out pretty quickly that Dirk isn't as evil as people think he is, and his enemies in the Dark Lands aren't all that good. It's funny listening to him help people while he's trying to be evil. Sooz rules the Dark Lands differently than Dirk which makes things interesting. His evil followers aren't sure how to react to Sooz's kind ways, and it's even more confusing when Dirk returns. The first book in the series is called Dark Lord: The Early Years.

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarity

I found this book at my local library and gave it a rating of four out of five. Sacha becomes an apprentice to the legendary detective, Maximillian Wolf. They are joined by another apprentice, Lily, and their job is to stop the illegal use of magic. Lily comes from a wealthy family, so Sacha decides he must hide his poor background from Wolf and her. In their first case, someone is trying to kill Thomas Edison. Edison has invented a machine that can identify magicians, and the clues about the assassin's identity may lead the inquisitors to Sacha's family. In addition, someone is secretly following Sacha, hiding in the shadows, but there is something strangely familiar about the person. Sacha doesn't realize that his own life is in danger too.

The book reads like a mystery, and it offers several suspects to consider. I liked how the plot provided clues to keep me guessing, although my first thought turned out to be correct. The book mixes true information about New York with the fantasy of the plot. I never really understood what made some magic illegal; a baker paid a fine for using magic in a recipe. One of the characters mentioned that it's more about who is doing magic, not the actual magic being done. Officer Wolf is one of those characters who seems to hold a secret, and his innocent behavior is masking more power than others suspect. This book is the first in a series; the second book is called The Watcher in the Shadows.

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

This book is the first in a series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Janie's family is forced to leave the United States, so they move to London. She meets a boy, Benjamin, whose father is an apothecary. The apothecary's ancestors have been guarding a powerful book for centuries. The book began as a record of natural healing medicines, but it grew into a record of potions with magical powers. The Russians want the book now, since the apothecary may have discovered a way to stop the effects of atomic bombs. Benjamin's father disappears, a gardener is murdered, and the kids don't know who can be trusted. The British police, Russian government, and spies with German accents are all after them. The apothecary's book will lead them on adventures that they never could have imagined.

The plot moved along nicely, and the potions provided interesting twists. Characters became birds, temporarily invisible, and were forced to tell the truth. The action picked up when the apothecary told the children about the book, and Benjamin's father disappeared. Pip was a nice addition to the characters later in the story. He was a small, charming pickpocket, and he added some humor to the book. Overall, the plot was not overly magical, and the author kept a nice balance between fantasy and the believable.

Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood

This book is the second in the trilogy, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. You should read the first book, Jinx, before reading this one. Jinx is a magician's apprentice, and the fate of Urwald rests with him. He is the Listener, he can talk to the trees, but he does not fully understand his own importance. The trees fear his companion, Revel, and Jinx is trying to take him out of Urwald. His best friend, Elfwyn, seems to like Revel, but Jinx fears she's being used as Revel tries to become king of Keyland. Meanwhile, Simon, Jinx's master, thinks the Bonemaster has escaped from prison. Jinx wants to help Simon, but Simon wants Jinx to learn more about magic. He sends Jinx to Samara, a world where magic is illegal, but Jinx finds a helpful friend is missing. Time is running out. Will Jinx learn the secrets of the Listener in time to stop the Bonemaster and save Urwald.

Again, read Jinx first. Jinx knows he's an important character, but he doesn't always have the knowledge to do what he wants. He's compassionate, brave, and impulsive. The author provides clues to help make predictions but then throws in unexpected twists. It seems clear that Jinx will need to unite the creatures of Urwald, but it's unclear how he'll do it and defeat the Bonemaster, stop Keyland from invading Urwald, and "save" Samara. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

Drew is a totally normal teenager, other than the fact that he has super-sensitive smell, taste, hearing, sight. He also happens to be part of a group called H.E.R.O. This secret group is training to be sidekicks, assistant helpers to real superheroes, although Drew's superhero, Titan, disappeared and doesn't want to be bothered. Drew's powers are pretty lame when compared to the other sidekicks and heroes, but he still manages to find himself hanging over a pool full of acid and almost killed by The Jack of Clubs. Superheroes start disappearing, and the sidekicks are being attacked too. Something is going on, and Mr. Masters, a teacher and adviser for the sidekicks, is keeping secrets and behaving strangely. Can he be part of the return of The Dealer and the Suits and their attacks on the Legion of Justice? When he decides to end the H.E.R.O. program, Drew decides to do something about it himself.

This book was a fun fantasy. The author was able to create some suspense, mystery, and humor that made it enjoyable. Drew was insecure about his relationship with Jenna, but he was almost embarrassed by his special powers. While the other sidekicks were battling practice robots, Drew practiced his skills by sniffing test tubes of smells. The climax had great excitement, but it also provided a surprising twist.

Rose by Holly Webb

Rose is a ten-year-old orphan, and she's able to create moving pictures on shiny objects. She doesn't think much about it until she's adopted into the home of a great alchemyst, a magician. It turns out she has magical powers, but she doesn't want anything to do with it. She thinks it would be too hard to learn, and she's happy just being a servant, free from the orphanage. Rose decides to keep her powers secret from Mr. Franklin, the alchemyst, but that may be impossible as she unexpectedly creates magic spells from time to time. Things get more serious for her when she pays a visit back to the orphanage and finds her best friend has disappeared. The director says the friend was adopted, but things don't seem right. The woman is behaving strangely, Mr. Franklin is behaving strangely, and there are reports of children disappearing across the city. Rose suspects her friend was kidnapped, and she's determined to find the missing children.

The first half of the book describes Rose's life as a new servant, and as she slowly realizes she has magic in her that is not going away. It was unusual to read about a character who wanted to get rid of her power, because it was annoying. I wasn't totally sure about the direction of the plot until I was halfway through the book. It became more focused once Rose tried to visit her friend. Mr. Frankin's distracted behavior added a twist to things and created more uncertainty.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Joel is a student at the Armedius Academy, but his greatest wish is to become a Rithmatist. Rithmatists are able to make chalk drawings on the ground that can be used for defense or to attack others, and they comprise the army that protects the country. Joel knows more about Rithmatists than most of the students at the academy, however he was not chosen to become one at his interning. Then, Rithmatists start to disappear around the country, and Joel's favorite teacher loses his position to a war hero. Parents of Rithmatist students start to panic, and Joel is suspicious of the new teacher. Danger closes in on the academy, and Joel may hold the key to solving the mystery.

Honestly, the whole idea of the Rithmatists' powers was hard for me to grasp in the beginning. I became more comfortable with it as the plot moved along, and the suspense slowly built up to the climax. It really read like a mystery with some unexpected twists. Readers of this book will need to use their imaginations, and I find myself looking forward to the sequel.