Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat #2)

Clive Barkers continuation of the Abarat series with Days of Magic, Nights of War brings us deeper into the magical islands of the Abarat and finally reveals to Candy Quackenbush what readers have suspected all along&that deep inside, Princess Boas spirit lives in Candy.

Before that major revelation occurs, Candy spends the majority of her time trying to escape the clutches of Christopher Carrions henchmen and the touch of the Lord of Midnight himself. At first bolstered by her faithful companion Malingo (who Candy rescued from the evil wizard Wolfswinkel in the first book), Candy is separated from him fairly early on.

Her path takes her through a few of the different hours, including a particularly enlightening stop at the Twilight Palace, where Princess Boa had once spent a great deal of time. Malingo, in the meantime, joins forces with old friends of Candys (including John Mischief) to try and locate Finnegan, the betrothed of Princess Boa.

As with the first book, this one is richly illustrated with Clive Barkers paintings. They are at turns shocking, lovely, dark, and beautiful. Even the most twisted creatures (and the Abarat is full of them) have an ethereal grace in Barkers illustrations.

Each hour seems to grow more desperate until the climax of the book throws the reader into veritable throes of surprise and agony. I wont give anything away, but lets just say that youll be surprised at some of the things that happen, shocked by others, and wondering what will happen next.

I recommend this book for fantasy readers of all ages and especially for those that want to immerse themselves in another time, another place, another world. The Abarat isnt for the faint of heart.