Flyte

Flyte by Angie Sage (audio book)

I am blowing the bangs out of my eyes in exasperation. I just reread my review for Magyk by Angie Sage. I long to be as excited about Flyte, its sequel.

But I am not and I am sad.

Flyte is many of the things that Magyk was. There are still plenty of tongue-in-cheek jokes. They give a sense of the author throughout. A bit of commentary from the “god” of her creation.

Foreshadowing is still in abundance. The reader is in on the joke such as it were. The author gives a flashback and primes the reader for the revelation. I would not like it since it gives away so much of the surprise except that the reactions of the characters are usually worth the tradeoff.

While this volume doesn’t cover near as much time as the first, there is still a lack of action compared to the popular novels of today – The Lightning Thief, The Hunger Games, even Harry Potter. I’m trying to put a finger on it… There is a little bit of … let’s say… battle, but it doesn’t actually take much time and it doesn’t really feel integral to the progression of the story.

So, the story. It is a year after Magyk ended. Septimus, the seventh son, has been training as the ExtraOrdinary Wizard’s apprentice. Jenna, the princess, has been trying to find her place as the Queen-in-Waiting. Septimus lives in the Wizard’s Tower and rarely sees his family. Jenna lives in the Castle and her foster parents, Septimus’ real parents, have moved in with her. Four of Heap brothers have moved to the forest. One of the brothers works down at the docks. And the oldest brother has been missing in action for the year.

But there is still Darknesse at large, especially in the Wizard’s Tower, left behind by the Darke Wizard, Dom Daniel. Marsha, the current ExtraOrdinary Wizard, is working tirelessly to rid the Tower and especially her own suites of the Darkenesse. Marsha has a larger problem and it is following her and even growing. It is a shadow – a Darke shadow. In an attempt to get rid of it, she has enlisted the help of a local wizard who is building her a Shadow Box in order to remove and imprison the shadow. But, piece by piece, Marsha is unknowingly bringing more evil into her apartments.

I hate to say it, but the eldest Heap brother returns, but it is not a happy family reunion he is seeking. Simon is out for revenge. He had aspired to be the next ExtraOrdinary Wizard’s Apprentice and he is jealous that Septimus took that spot. Simon won’t even recognize Septimus as his long lost brother. Simon intends to wrest that position away from Septimus with the help of the skull of Dom Daniel himself.

Normally, I would add the incentive of a baby dragon to capture the attention of possible readers, but I’d hate for someone to pick up the book solely because of the promise of a dragon. Hopefully, it will play a greater role in the future volumes, already published, but yet unread.

I’d recommend this book to 4^th-6^th grade girls with light, young hearts.