FANTASTIC FRIDAY: The Transparency Tonic by Frank L. Cole
ABOUT THE BOOK
It has been nine months since Gordy and his friends, Max and Adilene, Saved B.R.E.W. (the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide) and the Vessel—the power source for the secret society of potion masters. Now, Gordy is starting the eighth grade, and has been trying new potion brewing techniques, but when he starts zoning out during practice, he knows something is wrong.
Gordy and his friends continue to work on their potions, but when Gordy chooses Max as his lab partner, Adilene starts to wonder if she still has a place with her old friends. She turns to a new friend, Cadence, who might know a way to help Adilene become a potion master on her own.
And in Greenland, Mezzarix has a chance to escape his Forbidden Zone—as long as he agrees to work with the mysterious Ms. Bimini and replicate an unusual solution known as “Silt.” It could be just the weapon Mezzarix needs to destroy B.R.E.W. forever.
With both B.R.E.W. and the Vessel in danger, and with the potion world in chaos, it’s up to Gordy, Max, and Adilene to rally the remaining Potion Masters before it’s too late.
REVIEW
I was eager to pick up this second volume in the Potion Masters series. I found it to be a worthy sequel. In fact, the ending left me wanting the next book immediately. After the trouble that Gordy and his family and friends confronted in the first book, I expected Gordy to be a bit more cautious about the people around him, but like many teenagers, he wasn't. Despite his families precautions in dropping him off at school and trying to protect him from his enemies, Gordy finds himself in a great deal of trouble. It starts seemingly harmlessly with trouble at school, the principal threatens to expell him if he brings potions to school, but the principal's daughter pushes him into coming to a potion party at their house. In the meantime, Gordy struggles to maintain his already existing friendships with Max and Adilene. Adilene is frustrated that she can't mix potions the way Gordy can and as a result befriends a girl as obsesses with potions as herself, but who she knows little about. While Gordy struggles to learn new potion skills, he also struggles to rein in his tendency to follow his feelings rather than actual recipes which B.R.E.W. the governing agency of potion making frowns upon. And while all this is going on, Gordy's grandfather Mezzarix has joined forces with the strange Ms. Bimini and is seeking to break B.R.E.W. once and for all. The book reads fairly quickly, but does require knowledge of previous events. The creative potions and challenges that Gordy faces make for a refreshing series full of unusual twists and turns. This series provides a lot of entertainment and some interesting themes for young fantasy lovers.
So how are you doing now that Cybils is over? I have time to read some fiction. In fact I have strted a reading challenge to read books I own. Check it out and join me if you want: 'My Own Books' Reading Challenge
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