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Release date: August 16th, 2012
404 pages
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For the duration of her freshman year, Darcy Pennington agonized over the fate of her dear friend, the nark Yahto Veli, who sacrificed himself to the Oracle to set her free. As her third trip to camp, and to the magical land, approaches, Darcy wonders if she’s capable of the daring rescue she wants to embark upon, but soon realizes there’s much more at stake. Her return to Cedar Cove Family Camp is marked by a mysterious disappearance, and in Alitheia a new message from the Oracle adds to the riddles that must be deciphered if they are to expel the dark evil that hovers over the land. The six friends and the alchemist Rubidius plan a sea journey that will take them beyond the borders of Alitheia, and into the realm of a legendary archipelago. Tellius winds up joining them as well and the foes they meet along the way are both deceptive and charming, while the Oracle’s riddles seem to dog them at every turn. Darcy is also hiding a secret from her best friend Sam that could test their friendship beyond the breaking point, and there’s an unexpected development in her relationship with Tellius that changes everything and makes her understand that the deepest scars sometimes cannot be seen. Darcy isn’t sure if she’s prepared for another meeting with the Oracle, but if she wants to have any chance of saving her friend, she must try. To complicate matters, the evil they left behind in Alitheia has not remained dormant.
Review (ARC):
This is definitely the best book in the series thus far. I love how the author actually has the characters acting their age so you can see the growth in their emotions and personalities. If you haven't read this series let me give you a quick synopsis. There are six teenagers who stumble into a parallel world called Alitheia. They find out that they are from a prophecy which states that they have to save this world but they have no idea how or when. They experience a few adventures and trials that help them to learn more about what's going on in this new world. They only stay in Alitheia for a year at a time which only lasts a few minutes in the real world. In this novel, this is the character's third trip into Alitheia and you can't help but wonder what they will experience next. Darcy has grown a lot from the slightly selfish girl we met in the first novel. I'm actually very happy with the route her character is taking because I love strong heroines and she's turning out to be a great one. Tellius wasn't my favorite character in previous books but now it seems that as he grows he's going to be one of the best characters in this series. Everyone's a bit older so things definitely get a bit more interesting with a love triangle. This book is full of adventure and gives you a new look at the world of Alitheia. There is a lot more places and more adventure to be had in Alitheia and I'm really excited to see more of that. Every time we're introduced to a new character or place in Alitheia the magic of the world grows and just draws you in. I really enjoyed the way the world-building has developed and I think it is absolutely amazing the way this fantasy series was created and continues to grow. At the end of this book I can say that I am extremely excited to see where K. B. Hoyle takes her characters next. I definitely recommend this novel but I also recommend that you read the first two,
The Six and
The Oracle, before you tackle this one.
