Picking up right after Dragon Captives (2017), this book finds young Fifer arriving in Artime on the back of Simber, a huge, mobile winged-cheetah statue, having barely escaped Dragonsmarche. As she regains strength, the rest of Artime goes into Magical Warrior Training to prepare to rescue Fifer's twin sister, Thisbe, who was left behind after being abducted by the evil Revinir. Fifer, having been told she cannot join the mission, begins training in secret, in the hopes to follow on her own. Meanwhile, in the Revinir's dungeon, Thisbe is plotting her own escape while being forced to drag dragon bones through the catacombs and honing her powers in secret. The Revinir, suspecting Thisbe has magical powers, is cunningly attempting to lure Thisbe to her side. Soon, chaos breaks out aboveground in a massive civil war. Book two in the Unwanteds Quests series is a bit hard to follow at times, and the dual narrative feels a bit uneven. But within the story, McMann has found room for some nice plot developments and character growth, and she rewards the reader with a truly stunning cliff-hanger ending.--Worthington, Becca Copyright 2018 Booklist

Gr 4-6-Fifer is hanging by a thread to life and Thisbe, her twin, is alive but trapped in the underground catacombs of another world and branded as a slave by the evil Revinir. This story starts up where the last book, The Unwanted Quests, left off. As Thisbe drags dragon bones every day, unwillingly contributing to Revinir's plan for world domination, her home island Artime prepares to rescue her while Fifer recovers. But will it be too late by the time the rescuers get there-will Thisbe have given up hope and taken matters into her own hands before they can fly the gap between worlds? The story line alternates between each twin, following them as they each struggle and hone their respective powers, Fifer with magical birds and Thisbe with fire. Though there is nothing too unexpected plotwise, the story is well written and the characters continue to evolve as they encounter new situations. Readers who enjoyed "The Unwanteds" and the first book of this new companion series will want to pick up this next installment, though it leaves more questions than resolutions. Readers new to the series should start at the beginning. VERDICT A solid continuation of a high adventure series that will leave readers curious about the next book.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.