THE MIRACULOUS SWEETMAKERS

Young candy makers in late-17th-century London have both a friend to rescue and realms to save, both on land and under the sea.

Having driven off the evil Father Winter (at least temporarily) in the series opener, asthmatic, white-presenting Thomasina Burgess and her brown-skinned best friend, Anne Hawke, are enjoying a growing business inventing and selling medicinal cakes and treats. But when their friend Henry is dragged into the Thames by magical ropes, effecting a rescue quickly forces them to up their game. For all its charmingly delectable setup, the ensuing tale—which involves tackling the ravening Sea Queen, who pollutes waters, corrupts the minds of her captive subjects, and threatens both London and the kelpies, selkies, and mermaids of the adjacent Free Waters—quickly deteriorates into a slapdash jumble of magical tests, family tensions, and handwringing. The maternally inherited strain of family magic from Scotland that Thomasina assumes partway through the story is likewise underwhelming: It often manifests only as a vague force that pushes the plot along by telling characters where to go and what to do without giving them much real agency. Ultimately, Hastings resolves the crisis with such disorienting speed and ease that readers may feel as if a chapter is missing.

A disappointing sequel that doesn’t live up to the promise of its predecessor.