INTO THE MIST

Carman returns to the Land of Elyon with a second series set in the dystopian world. After the events ending in The Tenth City (2006), Alexa and her friend Yipes set sail with Roland Warvold on a long sea voyage to an undisclosed destination. With their journey reaching an end, Roland reveals many details of the childhood he shared with his brother Thomas, casting light on the characters and motivations of the mysterious Warvolds and their role in the fight against the tyrant Grindall. The cast of characters will be familiar to readers of the trilogy, and Carman provides an introduction and list of short descriptions of people and places for non-initiates. What will keep readers involved, however, is the nonstop action of the plot, which moves from crisis to crisis and ends on a classic Carman cliffhanger. The unresolved ending, which comes as a great surprise, is a perfect setup for subsequent books. This can stand on its own merits but will be a surefire winner wherever the original series is popular. (Fantasy. 9-12)