JESTIN KASE AND THE SECRETS OF CHAOS METAL

This third installment of White’s YA series finds teens with supernatural abilities fighting an evil collective’s ominous plan.

Chicagoan Jestin Kase is one of a handful of teenagers who have bonded with a magical substance called Dragon Metal. This enhances such skills as agility and allows Jestin to materialize metal weapons for battling sinister forces. Currently, our world’s most notable threat is the Three Great Schools of Magic—corrupt warring entities who are apparently plotting the Final Crusade, an undefined but sure-to-be-horrific event. Jestin and his friend and roommate Jacob Colt (who wields no Dragon Metal) focus on the Ishraqi, the magic school rumored to be harboring a “magical superweapon.” But their investigation only leads them to cases of missing people, a group that soon includes Jestin—the Ishraqi abduct him and take him to their isolated island. Jestin believes two individuals have betrayed him: fellow prisoner Father “Cal” Caleb (who is in in a separate cell) and his old friend Emma Hawk, who stole something of Jestin’s and may be on the island voluntarily. Jacob, meanwhile, gathers allies, notably Jestin’s smart, loyal cat, Growly McHissy-Face, who can transform into a massive black panther. Merely locating the Ishraqi island entails tracking down a relic and facing off against a demon-worshipping cult. Jestin and Cal, each with some help, try to escape their confinement. But this may be the perfect opportunity to work out what that superweapon is and stop the Final Crusade before it starts. They’ll just have to defeat a seemingly endless array of mythological creatures first.

White’s latest sequel has its share of grim moments: Characters batter monsters and one another mercilessly, and a villain subjects at least one captive to torture. The author, however, neither lingers on the violent bits nor overwhelms the narrative with them. In the same vein, Jestin’s perpetual snarkiness, as in the earlier novels, provides consistent relief. He has an especially funny recurring line expressing his contempt for the bad guys’ locale: “Have I mentioned I hate this freaking island?” This installment’s highlight is the growing camaraderie between Jacob and Growly McHissy-Face, who move from barely understanding each other (the cat repeatedly swats at the boy’s head) to a mutual respect. White maintains an impressive pace, with myriad action scenes that showcase cool powers, like swords manifesting from Jestin’s palm, or another Dragon Metal’s “violet-tinted lightning.” The battles involve a variety of demonic beasts from different mythologies, including Akkadian dog-like Rabisu and Slavic Rusalki, demons that take the form of women who have drowned. The narrative doesn’t skimp on character development; despite all of Jestin’s wisecracks, he is tormented by a friend’s horrendous death and quietly pines for Jacob. Likewise, the enigmatic and brutal villain Malachite thinks back to his youth as a seemingly ordinary boy. Some questions, such as what the Ishraqi’s ultimate goal is and the reason behind the kidnappings, find gratifying resolutions by the story’s end.

A sharply written cast complements this taut, entertaining urban fantasy.