The Broken World

June 15, 2017
Liv must rescue her brother in the alternate world Caelum and face the consequences the portals pose for Los Angeles in this sequel. In the magical world of Caelum, Liv and teen royals Cedric and Kat are working to rescue their relatives from the villainous Malquin when they're helped from a tough spot by Rafe, older brother of Merek, who's stuck in an LA hospital. The tension that develops between Cedric and Rafe, mainly over who should lead the people Rafe led during the events of The Marked Girl (2016), creates more tension between Cedric and Liv, who feels left out of the decision-making and strategizing, especially in the face of their tired love triangle with Kat. The Caelum storyline offers some surprises, and the protagonists learn that the portals are threatening Earth. The alternating storyline covers left-behind characters Joe, Shannon, and Merek as they seek the rapidly-going-extinct Knights of Valere to correct the strange happenings (including the orange sky, earthquakes, and magical anomalies) that are turning LA into an apocalyptic city. Although the plot relies on the occasional contrivance, the characters' joint solution to their problems is both good fun and fitting for the characters and city, and it yields a strong conclusion. Aside from Asian Shannon and one dark-skinned side character, most seem white. A popcorn fantasy. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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July 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Portal fantasy gets the Hollywood treatment in this sequel to The Marked Girl. Los Angeles is in chaos after Liv, Prince Cedric, and Cedric's betrothed Kat opened portals to the magical realm Caelum in order to rescue Liv's brother and the Royal Families from Malquin and his army of monstrous wraths. Back in L.A., Liv's friend Shannon and Cedric's cousin Merek have to contend with earthquakes, orange skies, and a string of murders. Liv and her friends need to find a way to save Caelum, stop Malquin, and prevent L.A.'s destruction. Like many blockbuster films, Klingele's conclusion to the duology is action-packed, with a convoluted plot, copious car chases, too many characters, and a weak ending. There are holes in the plot's all too convenient resolution. The novel's strength is its protagonist. Liv is a realistic and ordinary Earth girl-vomiting upon seeing blood, fawning over her brother, and remaining fiercely loyal to her social worker-despite the strange circumstances. The secondary characters, however, lack development, and chapters focusing on them crawl forward. Other characters are introduced and dropped pages later. Klingele substitutes death and magic for interpersonal connections. VERDICT Purchase only where urban fantasy, action books, and the author's first work are popular.-Bridgid Gallagher-Sauter, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
In The Marked Girl, Liv met street kid Cedric in Los Angeles. Now Liv is in Caelum, Cedric's alternate-dimension homeland, where as the prince he hopes to stop the evil Malquin's world-shattering mayhem. Meanwhile, Liv's friend Shannon deals with fallout from the dimensional portal opening, which has made LA look like an apocalyptic film set. This sequel is a page-turner packed with blockbuster action and romance.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)