Forsaken

The second volume in Frank’s Bodywalkers series (after Forever) is awkwardly plot-heavy, full of tangled politics, and morally unambiguous. The souls of Egyptian royalty inhabit the bodies of modern human hosts; both the Politic, who share nicely, and Templars, who crush the souls of host bodies, are gathering allies and preparing for war. Leo Alvarez was tortured by the sadistic Chatha and has plenty of reason to feel discomfort with the supernatural world opening up around him, but he agrees to work with the beautiful, black-skinned, emotion-reading Night Angel Faith in order to save his best friend, Jackson Waverly, whose soul has been damaged by the imp god Apep. After a powerful Djynn gives Faith and Leo a vision of their possible future marriage, they shyly open up to their attraction. As always, Frank excels in highlighting the lovers’ delight in exploring the strangeness of each other’s bodies, and the heartbreaking tentativeness between Faith and Leo is a delightful break from the grand passions of the Egyptians. (Jan.)