THE SKY OF SACRIFICE

The Great Library’s Sages gear up to battle the darkness once more, in the second volume of the Book of Wisdom trilogy.

Suttaru is dead, but the realms of Paperworld are still under threat from Edwin Payne, the Rogue Sage, and his machinations. After an Unwritten monster murders the freshly minted Sage of Hope, Nu, Robin, and the remaining Sages search for a way to combat the darkness. They land upon the Maksus Stone, an artifact Suttaru mentioned in his ancient diary. Unfortunately for the heroes, the stone is currently split into three pieces: one inside the Great Library and the other two scattered to the realms. With some help from their old friend Arturo, Nu and Robin head to the Mother Tree in pursuit of one fragment, last seen in the scholar Haruto’s possession. Their search takes them to Adscendo, a fantastical realm of floating mountains, where Haruto is rumored to have absconded. But Payne is still working in the background, and he may outpace—and outwit—them all. The second entry in Aguilar Solace’s planned trilogy fails to launch, to the point that even readers who enjoyed the first novel will find this one less than compelling. A subplot involving another group of Sages and their search for the other Maksus Stone fragment wraps up too quickly and predictably. The dialogue is wooden and contains awkward info dumps. The bulk of the novel lacks any real tension, as the characters’ problems resolve no sooner than they appear. Everyone knows where to go and what to do in all situations. They immediately recognize newly introduced groups and objects, down to their history and use. Whenever the Sages make a request, it is honored instantly, without question or concern. This absence of conflict lasts until the final showdown with the primary antagonist, but by then, it’s too little, too late.

An uninspired fantasy adventure.