The Darkening

by Maggie L. Wood

Willow is finally settled and content in Mistoreal, helping to raise the evil fairy Nezeral, whom she magicked back to infancy in Captured. She’s also happily dating her sworn knight Brand, although she wishes he’d be a little less formal, and not freak out about the shorts and tank tops she chooses over princess dresses. The peace doesn’t last long, though. The Faerie Queen Cyrraena requires her to play a new game in Clarion. She is supposed to go alone, but when Brand rashly and secretly tags along, he breaks the rules, and they end up in a creepy faerie prison/zoo. Faery twins Dacia and Theon anger their father the king by visiting and helping his human pets, and a new game is their punishment. The four are sent into the Gauntlet, facing all kinds of frightening magical creatures. While the game itself is engaging, many readers may lose interest before they get there. The mix of medieval and modern references are awkwardly placed and ineffective, and Willow is too whiny to elicit much sympathy when her romance with Brand goes south. There are a lot of faery stories on the market these days—unfortunately this one just doesn’t distinguish itself from the crowd.