Awesome Read: The Inquisitor's Mark

Premise: After the all-out Eighth Day war in Mexico, Jax, Riley, and Evangeline have gone into hiding. There are still rogue Transitioners and evil Kin lords who want to use Riley, a descendant of King Arthur, and Evangeline, a powerful wizard with bloodlines to Merlin, to get control over the Eighth Day. So when Finn Ambrose, a mysterious stranger, contacts Jax claiming to be his uncle, Jax's defenses go up—especially when Finn tells Jax that he’s holding Jax's best friend, Billy, hostage. (from the author)

Title: The Inquisitor's Mark
Author: Dianne K. Salerni
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 in the Eighth Day series
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-10
Format: ARC provided by HarperCollins and the author
Publication Date: January 27, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: intense, intriguing, exciting

Even better than Book 1! The Inquisitor's Mark is an intense, action-packed fantasy set in a world where Arthurian descendants can enter a secret spell-created day between Wednesday and Thursday.

This one picks up right where The Eighth Day left off, and our characters need to find and protect one of Merlin's descendants, otherwise she will be murdered to destroy the people living in the 8th day.

The Inquisitor's Mark kept me glued to the page throughout. A new set of characters are developed as an enemy clan, and they are creepy and fun to read. I loved the addition of Dorian's perspective for helping us understand just how evil the Dulacs are and how hard it is to make the right decisions.

Salerni also used this book to develop her world even further. We meet magical creatures and explore fascinating time-and-space travel tunnels.

Second books often have a hard time living up to their counterparts, but I found this Book 2 to be even stronger than Book 1, even though Book 1 was a 5 star book for me. Salerni doesn't ease into the story like she did in The Eighth Day, she jumps straight in. The dialogue is more authentic, and the world was crafted more clearly.

Also, I love that this series is steering clear of annoying love triangles. Some twinges of romance exist in the background; as in, he has a crush on her... they're holding hands. As a result, this book focuses on plot and world development, with actual character development, rather than drowning in irritating romance.

If you're looking for a fun, addictive read these books are highly recommended!