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Summary
Summary
With more twists and turns than a palace vault and one unforgettable family of thieves, this second book in Brian Farrey's epic and critically acclaimed Vengekeep Prophecies trilogy will leave you breathless.
Trouble is brewing in the Five Provinces. Mysterious magical artifacts have gone missing from the royal vaults. Master thieves from a secret society known as the Shadowhands are disappearing. And without explanation, the High Laird has begun imprisoning the peaceful Sarosans.
Jaxter Grimjinx suspects all these things are connected, but after the tapestry fiasco that nearly destroyed Vengekeep, he knows better than to get involved. Then he and his parents receive a summons from the Shadowhands--a summons that they would be foolish to ignore--and Jaxter is thrust into the heart of the conspiracy. With the help of a few new friends and an old friend he would rather forget, Jaxter will have to delve deep into some long-buried and dangerous secrets.
A "rich fantasy" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) with a family of thieves that "couldn't be more likable" (Kirkus Reviews), the Vengekeep Prophecies trilogy takes everything you thought you knew about prophecies and spins it into pure magic. Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the series, The Grimjinx Rebellion.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Back in the Five Provinces after his appreticeship with the Dowager, Jaxter Grimjinx, along with Ma and Da, is summoned by the Shadowhands to a secret meeting. They soon discover that master thieves have gone missing, including the father of Maloch Oxter, Jaxter's nemesis. Much to Maloch's dismay, Jaxter's parents leave the boys behind to go searching for the remaining Shadowhands. Jaxter and Maloch resolve to solve the mystery on their own, but before they can get started, the boys are kidnapped by the normally peaceful Sarosans. What follows is an adventure filled with twists, turns, and unexpected connections. Vengekeep politics and slang are quickly integrated as the action takes off at breakneck speed. Readers need not have read the first book to follow along; Farrey gives just enough backstory to establish characters and setting. Attentive readers will appreciate the quotations from Grimjinx history, goblin philosophy, and the Lymmaris Creed that open each chapter.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When the Shadowhands--elite thieves--go missing, failed thief but not-bad plant-specialist Jaxter (The Vengekeep Prophecies) and his childhood rival Maloch set out to uncover the thieves' target (magic relics from the royal vaults) and run up against the anti-magic tribe, the Sarosans. A wryly humorous voice and some gratifyingly unexpected plot reversals mark this worthy sequel. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Through mayhem and twists, Jaxter's cheeky attitude keeps this second volume flowing (The Vengekeep Prophecies, 2012). It opens with classic Grimjinx shenanigans: a craftily narrated sham funeral, arranged to empty the mourners' houses for easy thieving. Jaxter returns from his apprenticeship (studying plants for the purpose of "negating magic through nonmagical means") to join the mischief. But soon after not-actually-dead Nanni reappears for supper, Jaxter, Ma and Da are summoned by the Shadowhands, "elite thieves-for-hire" who operate in total anonymity. Jaxter's stunned to learn that Ma used to be one. Chaos is afoot. Shadowhands are vanishing; five magical relics have been stolen from the High Laird, who's ordered an entire ethnic group, the Sarosans, arrested and imprisoned. Before Jaxter knows it, he and his nemesis from the first book, Maloch (whose Shadowhand father has disappeared), are kidnapped by Sarosans, led by--startlingly--a famous botanist whom Jaxter always idolized. Making enemies-but-friends with two Sarosan kids, Jaxter and Maloch tumble their way through escapes, traps and fights with creepy monsters, while trying to untangle which adults committed which bad deed. Always "flippant when faced with danger," Jaxter narrates in humorous first-person: " Good news, guys. I found more bugs!' I said cheerfully.Holm made a rude gesture that I was pretty sure he was too young to know." Well-meaning but worrisome romanticization of simple, dark-skinned nomads somewhat undermines Farrey's explicit anti-racism. High-spirited fun, with complexity and surprises. (Fantasy. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Jaxter Grimjinx, the brilliant and inquisitive but somewhat clumsy thief and narrator of the surprising magical events of Vengekeep and its neighboring Five Provinces, keeps up the pace in the highly satisfying sequel to The Vengekeep Prophecies (2012). Jaxter's used-to-be-friend Maloch has to call on the Grimjinxes for aid when his parents go missing. This event plunges Jaxter and the foul-tempered Maloch into a maelstrom of tribal fights, cleverly concealed traps some of which veer toward possibly deadly and a pair of new friends: a very young warrior-bard and his not-much-older sister, who also are on a mission to find their own missing parents. Farrey's prose is arch and vivid, creating by turns giggles, groans, and elevated heartbeats. He enfolds necessary details from the first volume with grace, ensuring that neither those new to the Vengekeep saga nor series fans will feel cheated. And there's a tantalizing promise of more adventures to come.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist