LAIR OF THE BEAST

A young prince sets out on a quest for a legendary beast to save his kingdom from an army of evil mages in this sequel to Snared: Escape to the Above (2018).

Wily Snare, former dungeon trapsmith–turned–heir to the throne of Panthasos, defeated the Infernal King with his ragtag group of adventurer friends and long-lost mother, but war still threatens. Stalag, the evil cavern mage who raised Wily, plots to unleash a force of indestructible stone golems across the land. If Wily is to have a positive legacy, he must find someone to tame Palojax, the only beast able to overpower the golems. All odds stand against Wily, and the fear of failure weighs heavily on his shoulders. Valor Pelage, a Quellmaster of the Roamabouts, joins the quest to protect the animals of Panthasos. Epstein pits her against elf Odette, the other “alpha female” in the party. The heavily plot-driven story shoves the characters from one conveniently solved conflict to the next on a journey that feels like a drawn-out travel montage. As in the first book, the final fight has a hasty resolution, and once again, Stalag escapes capture, which hints that more battles are to come in future books. Wily presents white while Valor has olive skin; Odette is pale with blue hair.

A tiresome errand that lacks the satirical charm that started the series.