Flyte
by Angie Sage
Flyte, the second book in the Septimus Heap trilogy, follows the adventures of Septimus, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's apprentice, as he and his newly-discovered brother Nicko attempt to rescue the kidnapped Princess Jenna and bring the royal Dragon Boat to a place of safety. The evil Dom Daniel has returned from the dead - and Septimus's eldest brother, Simon, has a lot to answer for.
The large cast in some instances means that characters aren't as well developed as you'd like: Septimus's mother feels like a stereotype, while Simon is so over-the-top evil as a villain that it's difficult to take him seriously. Another quibble is the over-obviousness of the writing. Sage has an irritating and unsubtle habit of summing things up for her readers, when allowing them to draw their own conclusions would be far more effective.
However, readers of nine and above are sure to love Sage's humour and quirky characters. As in Magyk, the first novel of the series, Flyte is packed with fun ideas. It's a big, sprawling novel that never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously, and Sage brings some fresh ideas to the young fantasy genre.
Buy this book from Amazon UK