SPELLSPAM

From the very first page, this second in the Worldweavers series grabs the reader’s attention. The text doesn’t let up, continuing to pump up the interest level with exciting plot turns and surprising revelations about the political and magical makeup of the novel’s world. Thea and her friends, still students at the academy for the (ostensibly) magically challenged, join in the hunt for a rogue mage. This evil innovator uses e-mail to deliver spells that progress from frightening practical jokes to highly malicious mischief. Thea, always highly intelligent, has grown more confident and powerful in this outing, and—signal mega teen-appeal—is the only human who can save the world. The fantasy/science-fiction mix produces some enjoyable concoctions, such as a disembodied villain, scheming malevolent aliens, a universal computer network and a psychically attuned house grown from a seed created by Nikola Tesla. Characters are, again, subordinate to the escalating tension. Able to stand on its own merits, this book’s energetic plot, well-integrated back story and teen characters will make fans very happy and bring new readers under the series’ spell. (Fantasy. Ages 13-16)