The Road Once Taken

MacLaughlin’s third novel (after Trouble by Any Other Name) suffers from a flimsy protagonist who’s outshone by her supporting cast. On her way to visit a friend, Jacinda Harper witnesses an accident that gravely injures a woman, Deirdre. She instructs Jaci to find a key hidden at her estate. When Jaci agrees to the request, she is transported through a portal to the kingdom of Tarshane, still holding the key. Rescued from the elements by a band of rebels and their leader, Talan d’Lochlann, Jaci learns that Tarshane is under control of the sorcerer Galenock, a usurper of the rightful royal family. Jaci bears a striking resemblance to the missing Princess Deirdre, and the key opens a crypt with the ability to increase Galenock’s power exponentially. Lauded as the heir to the throne and capable of extraordinary defensive magic, Jaci joins the rebels to overthrow Galenock’s rule. MacLaughlin provides little context for Jaci’s life prior to her arrival, and each detail gleaned along the way feels too convenient and in service of plot. However, Talan and the other characters have distinctive voices that give the story enough color and drive for readers to see it through to the end. (BookLife)