Del Rey: Ballantine

The sisters are generally less whiny, self-absorbed, and prone to unaccountably foolish decisions than they were in the first book in the series, but the exposition remains plodding and tends toward information dumping. Still, fantasy readers looking for a female-focused story without the strategy and battle descriptions typical of epic fantasy may find this worthwhile.—Vikki Terrile, Queensborough Community Coll., Bayside, NY