Five unusual students at an isolated English boarding school—Amelia, Vanity, Colin, Quentin and Victor—fought to uncover their true secret identities in Orphans of Chaos
(2005), only to have their memories stolen (again) by their teachers, who are really their jailers. In this exciting sequel, Amelia remembers enough to convince her friends of their shared trouble, and together the five students set out to escape the school, regain their memories, rediscover their individual powers and remain free. Wright keeps the tension high as the students struggle to outwit the teachers and their minions, but never lets us forget his characters are teenagers, prone to all the usual teen troubles as well as the problems posed by their secret "higher" identities. With its focus on Golden Age genre tropes and quirky teenage romance, this fantasy adventure reads a bit like J.K. Rowling meets Roger Zelazny, and should be of particular interest to youthful fans looking for something less predictable than the usual YA fare. (Nov.)
