RULER OF THE REALM

Snappy pacing keeps the pages turning in this third installment of the wars between Faeries of the Light, Faeries of the Night and demons from Hael. Sixteen-year-old Blue is now queen of the Faerie Realm, advised by two iconically funky adults. The FONs’ leader offers a highly suspect truce for negotiation just as Pyrgus, 17, discovers strange crystal flowers being grown on a FON’s estate. Henry, a 17-year-old friend from the Analogue world (ours), arrives by way of a flying saucer and inexplicably kidnaps Blue. Time stoppage and aliens cause twists, as do events that are later annulled (possibly disaffecting some readers). Magic and science are blurred (“spell technology”) and un-detailed. Brennan’s characters seem younger than their ages and his prose is often cluttered; however, images are colorful, and the ricocheting narrative—each chapter ending in suspense and the next chapter jumping to a different plotline—pulls readers to a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. (glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)