THE FIRST

In this second installment, the dairne Byx’s quest is far
from over.

Applegate continues her otherworldly saga in this second
installment of the Endling series. (Yes, the second book is called The
First, while the first book was called The Last. Just go with it.) Here readers
follow doglike Byx and her companions—humans Khara and Renzo, catlike Gambler, and
the small and furry Tobble—as they attempt to find the traveling island of
Tarok and, they hope, more dairnes, saving Byx from being the last of her
species. Along the way, Applegate shifts focus from the first outing and uses
Byx’s narration to explore Khara’s transition from a young girl to a leader. This
change serves the story well, pulling readers further into the political
turmoil of the land. The current reigning dictator, the Murdano, will soon be
under attack by the no-less-vicious Kazar Sg’drit, who is enslaving other
sentient species in his quest to build an army. Against this backdrop, Khara
must rise as a leader and raise an army to stop a war even as Byx evolves from
a pup to a leader in her own right. Themes of conservation, war, and human trafficking
are skillfully interwoven into a world of magic and wonder. This second
installment will have readers salivating for a third. Khara is explicitly
described as having brown skin; absence of such specificity implies Renzo’s
white.

Simply sublime. (Fantasy.
8-12)