Aria frizzantina nel paese degli elfi

Altro titolo che richiederebbe una rilettura per beneficiare dello spirito critico un minimo più alto del ragazzino undicenne vorace che si sciroppava qualunque cosa nella biblioteca di Varedo.

In Herbie Brennan's sequel to [b:Faerie Wars|1134023|Faerie Wars (The Faerie Wars Chronicles, #1)|Herbie Brennan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322603708s/1134023.jpg|1121251], all is not well in the Faerie Realm. In fact, it's not going very well in Henry's world either. He's been banned from Mr. Forgaty's house, and his younger sister Aisling is watching his every move. All he wants to do is return to Pyrgus's world so that he can attend his friend's coronation, and he has a bad feeling that something is going terribly wrong. Henry's right. The body of Pyrgus's father has vanished, and there's a plot to assassinate him before the crown ever touches his head. The Purple Emperor is fantastic blend of magic and science, and will have you fearing for every character's life, even the bad ones.

Probably my favorite character addition to this novel were the Wyrms, especially Cyril. Don't me wrong, talk of parasites usually sends me running, but Brennan used these wyrms to hilarious effect. They're the flash drives of the faerie world. Simply plant one in one faerie's butt, leave it there long enough to learn that person's habits and speech patterns, and then transfer it to another faerie. The longest living wyrms have quite the encyclopdia of knowledge, and they can only communicate with and through their hosts. Poor Jasper Chalkhill gets hit with the biggest word vomit in literary history when he meets Cyril.

I also liked the Endlogs, which are, to the best of my knowledge, furry amoeba-like mammals. I actually emphasized with the one Henry meets on his travels. The Forrest Faeries, on the other hand, seemed a little cookie-cutter to my taste. Their faerie queen seemed a little too much like Robin Hood, and her subjects the Merry Men. Hopefully the character Nymphalis is developed more as the series goes on, as I'd hate for Pyrgus to end up with a flat love interest. Pyrgus's half-brother Comma truly developed into a very complicated character. Fascinating, since he seems so simple-minded.

As for the plot, it certainly had its moments, but certain parts seemed to drag. However, there's one plot twist in the end that completely caught me by surprise. The Purple Emperor deals a lot with the themes of coping with tragedy, and legacies. I really found I could to relate to Pyrgus's family. This book also demonstrates the ethics of power, and how its used. You won't want to miss it.

All of the characters (and many more neat ones) are back from the first book in this sequel that’s even more exciting than the first! Ever since Mr. Fogarty was appointed Gatekeeper by Pyrgus, the Purple Emperor Elect, Henry has been taking care of his home for him.

Until one day, when Mr. Fogarty shows up and asks Henry to come back to the faerie realm. It turns out that Pyrgus’ kingdom is not as peaceful as it should be. Someone has resurrected Pyrgus’ father, the previous Purple Emperor who was brutally murdered! Apatura Iris is a shell of his former grand self, but still powerful enough to sign his agreement on a contract drawn up by Lord Hairstreak, Pyrgus’ worst political enemy, stating the removal of Pyrgus from Emperor Elect. The position will now be transferred to Pyrgus and Blue’s younger brother, Comma, and the two eldest children will be banished to faraway lands.

Henry arrives in the faerie realm, only to discover that Blue and Pyrgus are gone, and the kingdom is in danger of being taken over by their political enemies. To make matters worse, both Brimstone and Chalkhill are back, each involved in their own plan to cause more trouble for Pyrgus. However, with the aid of a very mysterious and powerful group of people, Blue, Pyrgus, Henry, and friends just might be able to right all the wrongs in their kingdom.

Herbie Brennan once again brings readers an exciting and magical world. His books are impossible to put down and hard to forget.

Really am enjoying this series. The chapters are short so the story seems to move a long. The author doesn't bother with too many descriptions, which is nice for a change. Blue would make a fun Halloween costume ;)

good but I hope the ending 3rd book is better

This was a very nice follow-up to The Faerie Wars. Brennan has created a complex and multi-faceted world that is believable and well thought out. The political machinations throughout the book ring true and the pacing is fast and engaging. Well written and executed this is a great read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I really liked the first book in this series, but I really LOVED this one. It was slightly less predictable than the first (one happenening actually shocked me, though looking back I should have seen it coming, and the other was glaringly obvious, but still happymaking)

These books are fun and very well written, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the third!