BAPHOMET

In this new-adult fantasy sequel, the immortal Aion clan threatens to use the captured Dalia against her allies in the Decagon.

The year is 2046. The immortal Dalia used to visit the realm called the Dreaming to locate wandering souls and return them to the Waking world. Those she’s saved form a group called the Decagon, and the events of Capes’ previous novel have left Dalia in the hands of their enemies, the Aion. Rourke, the Aion’s leader, keeps Dalia in his Glass Estate and calls her “Ambra,” the name she used as an Aion member 200 years ago. She has no idea how long she’s been in Rourke’s clutches, and injections of a special serum keep her from traveling to the Dreaming or contacting the Decagon. After Ambra meets Six, the newest member of the Aion, she also realizes that Rourke will cross any boundary to increase his power; he even creates a sleek exoskeleton, Baphomet, for Ambra to wear—but not always control—in battle against the Aion’s enemies. These include Iridian, who’s abandoned Rourke to build an army to overthrow him. Rourke also believes that Ambra is the key to “smuggling” things from the SubDream, the subconscious level beyond the Dreaming. Eventually, Ambra will face her former allies in the Decagon—but will she have control over what happens? Capes smoothly juggles several mysteries in this second volume of her series, and the truth about Six gives the narrative a surreal tone. Flashbacks to the 18th century continue, with each segment moving readers further backward in time until they meet a young Delia. The descriptions of locations are frequently gorgeous, such as the Glass Estate’s garden, “hung with fog blown down from the looming mountaintops.” Capes brings the Aion’s actions to life with fine historical details; for instance, in 1737 Vienna, beautifully dressed women wear “tiny gems dotting their hair and jewelry” that “twinkled like shy galaxies.” The violence ranges from sadistic to relatively comical, as when Six mentions dispatching an enemy with a simple “hairdryer in the bath.” The time-twisting finale sets up fresh mysteries for the next volume.

Capes’ fictional universe expands slowly but compellingly in this latest installment.