THE WRATH OF MONSTERS

A girl finds herself and her friends caught up in a war between monsters and faeries in Rice’s YA urban fantasy novel.

In this final volume of the Allison Lee Chronicles, the titular character is under virtual house arrest. The authorities fear her because she’s a half-skaag, the offspring of a human father and a skaag mother (a skaag is a cross between a supersized alligator and a gargantuan eel). That’s not all that’s making Allison discontent: Her young faery friend Bria is being held at a military base. Her ex-boyfriend, Haji, then blows up his house with magic and gets shipped to that same base. Allison secretly gives an interview to a reporter about the interred children to generate a public outcry, but it backfires when the faeries attack the base to take back Bria. After a power outage hits the West Coast, it’s traced to magic being used near Mauna Kea, Hawaii. War breaks out between the faeries and the skaags. With Bria and Haji still recuperating, Allison, her father the archmagus, her human friend Dalia, and the dragon Dr. Radcliffe must pick a side. They reluctantly ally with the faeries—even if they can’t be trusted—because “If the skaags win, they will end humankind as we know it.” Rice succeeds in making this installment of his YA series accessible to readers old and new, blending in enough backstory from the first two books for new readers to hop on without getting lost amid the ample cast. This approach is essential—a lot happens in this jam-packed opus. Foremost in Rice’s narrative is the theme of Allison and her friends fighting the urge to become monsters, real or figurative. Like many teen girls, Allison also spends much time wrestling with her feelings for her romantic prospects, whether it’s her ex, Haji, or her crush, Jett. The story stagnates somewhat during the repetitive, extended battle scenes, but Rice’s characters sparkle as they bring this adventure to a satisfactory close.

A sharp cast and absorbing monsters help this series entry to shine.