Series: Shadow Magic
Author: Joshua Khan
Age group: 10 - 14 years
Page count: 352 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: April 11th, 2017
Summary from Barnes & Noble:
In Book 2 of a three book series, things are dire for the inhabitants of Castle Gloom and the surrounding villages. The undead are leaving their graves in droves, a troll army is on the march from the north, and people are mysteriously disappearing from their homes. The people of Gehenna are blaming their misfortunes on Lilith Shadow, their young queen. They believe she has cursed them by using magic, a practice forbidden to women. With her trusty executioner among the missing and her blackguard soldiers busy battling trolls, it is up to Lily and her friend Thorn to root out the real cause of all the trouble. Their search will uncover ugly truths and eventually lead to a nightmarish confrontation with nothing less than the rulership of the realm at stake.
Zombies, ghosts, trolls, dream weavers, a black-hearted villain, and a giant hero bat are only some of the imaginative delights that await readers who relish a soaring adventure combined with a hair-raising mystery.
Something that stuck with me throughout the book was how the title suits the story. "Dream Magic" is simple, but represents an enormous part of the story without giving too much away.
The plot is action-packed. It doesn't stop and let the reader take a breather. I was captivated by the writing. Each chapter adds to the tension and mystery. Multiple secrets are revealed along the way that only open up more questions. Without reusing plot lines from the previous book, Dream Magic creatively built on what I already knew to slam me with a game changer. Sure, conflicts were resolved, but not without shaking things up and making me less certain about what could come next.
The protagonists were very relatable. They worried about their own challenges in life, but sacrificed opportunities for the sake of their friends. Lily was shunned by her people because she practiced necromancy. Thorn was limited by his social status, even after showing his bravery. They persevere through discrimination to prove that they are more than what anyone thought they could be. I could always count on one of them to lighten the mood. Thankfully, the romance wasn't heavy and didn't take away from the plot. The protagonists didn't let their feelings for each other affect their friendship.
Dream Magic is a fantastic sequel to its predecessor. What makes the Shadow Magic series so appealing is finding good in bad. The setting, plot and characters are shrouded in darkness. However, what we see as dark isn't what we originally thought. With a thrilling plot and determined characters, I also began to call Gehenna home. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to Burning Magic!
So, his head stuffed with magical stories, it was inevitable that Joshua would want to create some of his own. Hence Shadow Magic and Dream Magic.
Josh lives in London with his family, but he'd rather live in a castle. It wouldn't have to be big, just as long as it had battlements.
Taken from back of book. Click here to visit his website.