An Instruction in Shadow

Jacka follows An Inheritance of Magic with this dense, pulse-pounding fantasy adventure. Twentysomething Londoner Stephen Oakwood has moved out of his aunt’s house and now lives with strangers, eking out his rent payments by working odd jobs collecting Wells, or stores of magical essence, for anyone who’ll pay. In the meantime, he continues his search for his missing father, an investigation that puts him on the radar of the Winged, a cult that claims to hold the secret to his father’s whereabouts. Becoming involved with the Winged, however, puts him in danger from other prospective members who feel threatened by his presence and desperately want to join the cult themselves. The action never relents and the magic system remains intricately detailed, occasionally overwhelmingly so. Stephen inches closer to discovering his father’s whereabouts, but his journey is cut off by an abrupt cliffhanger that will leave readers more frustrated than excited for the next installment. Still, series fans will enjoy the return to this magical world. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency. (Oct.)