SHADOWSPHERE

Two daring teens learn that their home is built on a lie in this YA fantasy sequel.

Tavarian Deralawn lives in Rethia, a mountaintop society separated from the lower world of Rootcore by clouds and perilous heights. In Rethia, resources are strained and jobs are portioned carefully to ensure that life remains in balance. Tavarian’s best friend and crush is Lirah. Their relationship might blossom if Lirah didn’t insist on being friends with the arrogant and unpopular Dexius Strongwood. Tavarian is further challenged when he’s cut from wood- and metalworking classes in school, two trades that fire his creativity. Another path to fulfillment lies in becoming a Descender. Descenders are chosen to leave Rethia for Rootcore in search of valuable rokenstones. These stones absorb lightning and can be used to power machinery that will improve life in Rethia. But nobody has ever returned with rokenstones. When Tavarian becomes one of the seven Descenders chosen this year, he’s determined to return and win Lirah’s heart. Unfortunately, Dexius is also selected. As the mission begins, disaster strikes. Rootcore isn’t the beautifully exotic realm Tavarian envisioned. His new situation is bleak, and Rootcore’s people are duplicitous. Soon, he enters a life of unexpected drudgery. Can his optimism and mechanical skills redeem the journey? Cox’s sequel uses clever framing chapters to connect the numerous realms of his Bewilderness series. Once again, the narrative is a gift to agile readers who delight in piecing together both the immediate story and the overarching one. Vibrant characters, like the alluring thief Malidora, are key to Tavarian’s evolution in an emotionally complex landscape. When the two face an insidious force that uses people’s inner darkness against them, she’s unaffected, she says, because “I know myself.” In the final third, the hero learns hard truths about Rethia that expose the cost of supposed utopias. Dexius and the taciturn character Darby travel superb arcs that explore the processing of grief and trauma. The dazzling finale and twisty fallout should have fans holding their breath until the next installment.

The author builds a shimmering narrative puzzle in this inventive fantasy saga.