THE SHADOW QUEEN

Kara and Prince Fred’s mission to rescue Kara’s father turns into saving all of Heldstone.

After defeating the evil Sorceress in The Battle for Urth (2016), Kara (a pale-skinned Latina) and Prince Fred (a white Heldstonian) have returned to his castle. But the palace is swarming with dignitaries gathered for the big Luminary Ball, including dangerous-seeming Grand Duke Sturmenburg and Fred’s childhood friend, now mean-girl (and aspiring royal bride) Francesca. To eliminate competition for Fred’s hand, Francesca locks Kara on a balcony; when Kara escapes to the next balcony, she overhears Sturmenberg and the Sorceress, who’s survived as a magical shadow, plotting a coup. Kara and Fred’s talking cat, Xyler, manage to save him from the poison but must flee before they can rescue Fred’s parents. On the run, they befriend a vegetarian, free-range-chicken–farming troll and liberate all the enslaved acts of a traveling carnival—including the Elektro-Magician, Kara’s Argentinian-American electrician father—before turning their attention back to rescuing Fred’s poisoned parents. Kara and Fred share the alternating, present-tense narration; their voices are not particularly differentiated, so readers will need to pay attention to chapter-heading cues. The device does, however, help to boost tension by facilitating cliffhanger chapter endings. Heldstone’s diversity appears to reside mostly in its magical beings; the book assumes a white default.

Lightweight, fluffy fun—especially good for kids just embarking on reading fantasy.