The Shadowhand Covenant

October 15, 2013
Grades 3-7 Jaxter Grimjinx, the brilliant and inquisitivebut somewhat clumsythief 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 trapssome of which veer toward possibly deadlyand 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

August 15, 2013
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)

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January 1, 2014

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

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
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.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)