Serafina and the Twisted Staff
By Robert Beatty
Disney-Hyperion, 2016. 370 p.
In this sequel to Serafina and the Black Cloak (reviewed previously on our blog here) Serafina is still working to guard the Biltmore Estate and her family and friends. In this time-around things are a little mysterious in the wood surrounding Biltmore—and eventually within the Biltmore manner. Wolves come and chase Serafina through the woods, animals are either leaving the area or are under some sort of spell that controls them, and even the rats and insects inside Biltmore try to hurt Serafina. To top it all all, Serafina cannot change into her animal self the same way her mother does—which means she is more susceptible to all the dangers going on around her.
This is a good edition to this series. (And if you need a good audio book, this happens to be one that is quite enjoyable to listen to.) Readers who like characters being just as important to a story—it takes just as much time for Serafina to figure out more about herself and her family as it does to describe the action—will enjoy this book; especially if it is important to have the setting feel almost like another character. Biltmore is a character in its own right. And having been on vacation to Biltmore, I quite liked that all the bits that were described were just how I remembered them when looking at my vacation photos. This book is just a touch scary but full of friendship, adventure, animals, and courage.
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