FANTASTIC FRIDAY: Luck Uglies #2: Fork-Tongue Charmers by Paul Durham

FORK-TONGUE CHARMERS

The Luck Uglies #2

by Paul Durham

HarperCollins, 2015

ISBN: 9780062271532

Middle Grade Fantasy

Ages 8-12

Source: publisher for review

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's not easy being the daughter of the High Chieftain of the Luck Uglies.

Now an insidious new lawman in Drowning has declared Rye an outlaw, and she's stuck on the strange and remote Isle of Pest. But the island quickly feels much less remote when the battle to control the future of the Luck Uglies moves to its shores.

To defeat the Luck Uglies' bitterest rivals, Rye must defy a deranged earl, survive a test meant to judge the grit of the fiercest men--and uncover some long-buried family secrets. And when Rye leads the charge to defend the island, she and her friends will meet an eerily familiar enemy. 

REVIEW

Paul Durham has written a worthy sequel to his fabulous Luck Uglies.  Like most second books in trilogies this one throws some real wrenches into the works as Rye and her family face off with not only the Earl's new Constable but with enemies from within the Luck Uglies themselves.  The new constable is especially dangerous because he is determined to bring the village of Drowning to heel, even going so far as to entering the Shambles the 'rough' side of town that even the Earl has left alone in the past.  When Rye discovers that her family in particular has been targeted she finds herself leaving town with her mother and sister to take refuge on the Isle of Pest, to which she has some surprising connections.  Along the way she learns things about both her family and their enemies that change what she's always believed.  She must find the courage to face her enemies while fighting for those she loves best.  Like most middle books, this one leaves a number of questions unanswered.  But thankfully the book does have an ending, too many middle books these days just end without a read ending to the book, this one doesn't have that problem.  Durham has done a great job of creating an unusual story that is compelling with numerous interesting twists and characters that aren't black and white.  I can't wait to read the final book in the series.