This book just didn't work for me. I didn't realize it was a sequel, or I wouldn't have asked for it. I just couldn't get into it.

This series!! Oh how I loved this series!! Such a rich world and delightful characters. It was funny and serious and so hard to put down. I'm still a bit miffed that we only got three books but so glad that we at least go those. Totally enjoyable and I highly recommend.

Although not as stunning as the first in the series, Dream Magic is a solid sequel following Lily and Thorn on more adventures as they track down a wayward sorcerer who is causing mayhem for the kingdoms. Really enjoyed this middle grade novel and cannot wait for more!

This sequel to Joshua Khan's first book "Shadow Magic" was everything I was hoping for. This story follows the adventures of Lily Shadow, the 12-year-old queen of her realm including all things dead such as ghosts and zombies, and her friend Thorne, squire to her executioner.

The story picks up with Thorne living and training at the castle and Lily, learning how to be a sorcerer. The book starts slow, but stick with it. Everything comes together about 1/3 of the way into the book and it pulls you right into Lily's and Thorne's adventures. When a family secret comes to light, it might just destroy the Shadow Realm along with Lily. Thorne stays by her side, even when others turn against her when they find out she is performing magic, but it takes both of them to fight the evil they face. Lily and Thorn use their unique talents to make amends to the past as well as saving the realm so they can have a future. The adventure, mystery, magic, and friendship in this story make it a wonderful read. I am looking forward to seeing what trouble Lily and Thorne get into and how they will solve it in the final installment of this series. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to others, from late elementary all the way up to adults.

I love this series so much! It's such an exciting, thrilling adventure.

What I love most about this series is the characters - they're a crazy bunch! The series may be aimed for middle grade, but I do think fantasy lovers of any age would find something they like in this series. It's very well thought out, developed, complimentary and varied characters and fun world-building.

I would recommend this series, and I can't wait for the third book!

This is maybe a weird way to think about a book, but I feel such relief with this series. The books are just consistently good and I feel like I can trust Joshua Khan to give me exactly the story I want.

The characters are well-developed and I like them. I like spending time with them, I like what they say, I like what they do, I like their hopes, dreams, worries, and fears.

The world is interesting, multi-layered, and feels real. I guess maybe that's a good way of describing these books: they feel real. Genuine. Nothing feels half-thought-out or inconsistent or false. Joshua Khan paints such a vivid picture of everything that I feel like I'm completely immersed in this world.

The pacing is pretty swift, but it doesn't feel like it's intentionally trying to keep the pace up to retain interest.

I don't have much to say about the plot without giving spoilers. I will say that this is an underappreciated series that I wish more people were reading. I love it.

Perhaps thirteen really is an unlucky number, or maybe your thirteenth year is unlucky if you happen to be Lady Lilith Shadow, ruler of Gehenna. (Don't read this next bit if you haven't already finished <i>Shadow Magic</i>. )In the first book of the series we learned that Lily's family had been killed by her uncle, who used magical artifacts in an effort to seize the kingdom. Now, as the lone survivor, she is the queen of the land and only thirteen years old.

In this second volume of her tale, Lily has still more problems to deal with. Her faithful nursemaid and companion has left the castle. The executioner Tyburn is missing. The trolls are on the march and heading towards Castle Gloom. Villagers are disappearing. A strange wizard attacks the castle and steals a magical key. Eerie crystalline spiders seem to be coming from nowhere and attacking people. Rumor has it that other kingdoms are sending assassins after Lily, because they fear her magic. How much can one girl handle?

At least she has a few trusted friends to help out. Thorn, the squire (and former poacher), is ready to do whatever Lily needs from him - even take lessons with the dancing master. Hades, the giant bat, still comes when Thorn needs him and can help with the search for the missing. Lily has befriended a young troll named Dott who was found alone in the Spindlewood. And, of course, there are all the undead. So, can a young queen, a squire, a misplaced troll, and some zombies manage to save the day?

Author Joshua Khan continues the world-building of Gehenna and the other realms in his fantasy series. We find out more of Lily's family history, more of the background of each of the other royal houses, and more of the Gehennish people and customs. Some things they have in common with us, including tales of a boy with wings made of feathers and wax or a princess who can be awakened with a kiss. Other things are very different; a doctor who sews zombies back together, royalty who become living flames if they indulge their magic too much, and flying ships, for example.

Readers who enjoy fantasy with swords, sorcery, and similar elements will find the Shadow Magic series an entertaining read.

This is one of those books I wanted to review because it sounded so original. I have not read Shadow Magic, but I had no trouble following the plot and characters of Dream Magic, the second book in the series. I absolutely loved the writing. It’s dark, for sure—I mean, Lily’s magic interacts with the dead. Zombies, ghosts, and trolls fill the pages of the story. But it’s also cheeky and off-beat and fun! Maybe a little bit of a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of tone, though obviously a completely different story. (It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie, so don’t quote me on that.)

Both Thorn and Lily had me from their earliest scenes. I loved his courage and her determination to bring justice and fairness to every one of her people. There’s a gentle romantic pull between them which was really fun, too. Their struggles to figure out what their roles are in the midst of their crazy world felt real and compelling.

Another thing I really enjoyed were the illustrations at different places in the book. I liked getting to see drawings of some of the critical moments, and character depictions brought the story even more to life.

Thorn and Lily's ages (Thorn is twelve and Lily thirteen) make this more of a middle grade read, but the writing struck me as more like young adult. I guess it’d be considered upper middle grade, but I think it’d have strong appeal to young adult readers as well. Definitely a great fit for fifth and sixth grade readers especially.

I really, really, really wish that I had read book one of this series. Not that I didn’t like the book (I did) but I felt kinda lost during the first couple of chapters. But, besides feeling lost, which really only lasted a couple of chapters, I loved the rest of the book. Like I had mentioned in another blog, I have reviewed a fair amount of middle-grade books lately. Like I also mentioned in that blog, my two oldest children are in 3rd and 5th grade. I am always scouting out new books for them to read and again, with this book, I have found a book that I think that they would like. Scratch that, I know my son, the 3rd grader, would love it. This book is right up his alley. My daughter, the 5th grader, is difficult to find books that she would read.

While this book has some darker elements in it, they weren’t completely dark….if you know what I mean. Zombies are featured predominately in the book. While they are scary and they do want to eat brains, they aren’t typical zombies. They can communicate, they can work. Their other urges are nulled by being in Lily’s general area of power. Which I thought was very cool and it toned down on the creepiness factor.

I liked Lily a lot. She was dealing with the aftermath of her parents’ and brother’s murders by her uncle, trying to run a country at 13 and trying to keep her magic (necromancy) under wraps because of superstitions of her people about a woman doing magic. On top of it all, she has to deal with an arranged marriage to a boy who is the total opposite of her, she is trying to find out who is behind the abduction of her people and the trolls have amassed an army and is marching on Castle Gloom. She also found out that using her magic, a lot, can cause some unforeseen issues with her body. Poor kid was dealing with a lot and she was dealing with it the best that she could.

Thorn, I loved. He was exactly what Lily needed. He was trustworthy, loyal to her and he was willing to do whatever he could to protect her and to protect Castle Gloom. Plus, he had a pretty cool bat mount named Hades. He was the one who found out where the crystal spiders were coming from and he was part of the group that stayed at Castle Gloom when the rest of the army went to fight the trolls.

Now, I will say that the storyline surrounding Weaver, the bad guy, was very dark and I actually felt bad for him….which is rare for me. It was a tragic story and I did like the small plot twist that took place when his story was revealed. I was shocked, along with Lily, when it was revealed who Weaver was. But my feeling bad for him lasted exactly two chapters and then I didn’t like him again….lol. The crystal spiders were an interesting aspect of the book too.

All of the storylines were merged beautifully and there was no lull in the chapter between the author doing that and the ending chapters. I will say that the couple of plot twists in the book (one that was mentioned) got me. The one at the end absolutely had me fooled and I was surprised when it ended up not being what I thought (and feared) it was. I also liked how the author left the book open for a book 3.

How many stars will I give Dream Magic: 4

Why: I think that this will be a great book for kids in 3rd grade through 7th grade (as mentioned above). The characters were fleshed out and likable (or unlikable…depending on who you were reading), the potential scary characters were made not so scary by humanizing them and I really liked that the book had a strong female main character. I would be very comfortable letting my 3rd and 5th graders read this books

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Child

Why: Mild violence. Potentially scary characters for younger readers (trolls and zombies)

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I am so enjoying this series, and so far every student who has read it has asked when am I going to get the next book. They are also excited about it which is always a good sign that the author has hit all of the right notes with a book. This book comes out today in fact, so I will be adding it to my school library very soon.

The author continues to amaze me with his imagination. Those spiders on the cover are quite creepy and the main cause of all of the issues in this story. I've never been a big fan of spiders, but now I'm even more wary of them, especially if the glow and look like crystal. The dream magic is also fascinating and something I haven't encountered before, although references to Sleeping Beauty are made, there really is very little that is the same.

Thorn and Lily continue to tell the story from their points of view and their friendship continues to grow. I have to remind myself that they are only 12 and 13, as they often act more mature. The differences in their social status doesn't bother them at all either which I really like and I think sends a nice message. Also Thorn comments every now and then that he isn't smart because he can't read or write well, but can you can tell that he really is smart in his own way by how he figures things out. He is also very kindhearted even to zombies, considering that the country he comes from is so totally different from Gehenna.

We learn a little bit more about the history of the different countries in this world and we meet some more people from some of them. I hope at some point that maybe Thorn and Lily will get to journey to the other countries as well. A nice addition to the story is Dott, a troll girl that befriends Lily and is sort of her maid and bodyguard. I hope she sticks around and we see more of her in the next book.

Speaking of next books, I am hoping there is one or more than one. This is a very imaginative world with some great characters that kids really seem to enjoy. I will definitely keep my eye out for the next one.

Dream Magic takes place shortly after the events of Shadow Magic. The would-be assassin has been caught and Lily and Thorn are acclimating to their roles in Gehenna. In Shadow Magic, Lily tore open the Veil separating the land of the living from the dead and now has to deal with the consequences, zombies and spirits are roaming throughout Gehenna. She has been meeting with her father's ghost who can only appear in the library and attempts to learn how to control her shadow magic. While Lily is the ruler of Gehenna, she also has restrictions placed on her that keep her from using magic, including an ancient curse that forbids women from performing magic under the penalty of death. Yet, Lily is strong willed and uses her magic to save Thorn, even if it causes her people to fear her and leads to some unwelcome side effects. Thorn meanwhile is searching the countryside with Hades for the source for the recent mysterious disappearances of people and attacks in the nearby villages, which is suspected to be due to trolls advancing on Gehenna. Lily is then attacked and her precious skeleton key (which allows her to enter the library) is stolen by a mysterious man called the Dreamweaver, she and Thorn learn that he has an army of jewel spiders and plans to use them to gain control over Gehenna and exact revenge on Lily's family.

I really wish this series was getting more recognition, it's such a lovely fantasy and delightfully creepy while having a nice balance between the darker story elements (zombies and jewel spiders that come crawling out of dead bodies and who's bite puts you into a dream state) with these humorous and light moments. One of my favorites is a dinner party that Lily is holding and she has the zombies serving her guest's their soup. I love how despite Thorn finding it strange that Lily grew up with zombies for a nursemaid, and can commune and command the dead, they have a warm fondness and friendship with each other. There's even an epic sky battle aboard a cloud ship where Thorn and Hades are put into danger, and I'm hoping we'll learn more about their bond in the next book in the series. Lily and Thorn struggle to help their friends, to do the right thing and there's the dynamics of two people who've lived very different lives. Shadow Magic and Dream Magic were such a fantastic enjoyable read for me and I can see myself revisiting this series again. I loved everything from the world, action, creepiness factor, to the characters, humor and the shadow magic itself. I also appreciated that Khan didn't end either of these books with a cliffhanger and although they could stand alone, I still wanted to re-read them both. There's some lovely detailed prose, with the description of the Old Keep of Castle Gloom being one of my favorites, "Seeds, drifting in from beyond the walls of Castle Gloom, had found fertile soil, and grown, undisturbed by mortals. Ivy crept over the battlements, thick, black, and shimmering with ice. Scarlet roses bloomed despite the snow, their heads hanging from worn statues like blood drops. Oak trees rose from the broken flagstones, their branches having brought down the walls and now spread out high and wide over the keep." Did I mention that there are also really lovely illustrations?

DREAM MAGIC, A SHADOW MAGIC NOVEL

by Joshua Khan

Disney-Hyperion | On Sale April 11, 2017

Hardcover ISBN: 9781484737620 | $16.99 | $17.99 Can. | 352 pages | Ages 8-12

Ebook ISBN: 9781368002462

Even though I loved Shadow Magic and was intrigued by this cover, my fear of spiders almost stopped me from reading this amazing story. But I'm glad I chanced the nightmares, which I didn't have thankfully, because this book was just as good as the first one. The crystalline spiders were indeed quite creepy, but they totally fit with the story and I loved that they were so integral to the plot as they added a sense of urgency to the characters. I liked them so much that I drew up some of my own to share :)

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Speaking of art, there was some great art sprinkled throughout the book from Ben Hibon. I thought it did a great job portraying various scenes throughout and brought the characters to life. Then again, I am a sucker for art included in novels. Since I read this via an arc, I don't feel right sharing any of the art since it's not finalized. But you should definitely check it out. It's great!

The last thing I wanted to touch on with this lovely MG novel was the characters. We get to see both Thorn and Lily learn more about themselves and how to continue living with the circumstances of their birth and what is happening around them. The author deals with all the pieces of the book quite handily, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for book 3!



Summary:

A fabulously exciting sequel to the fantasy adventure SHADOW MAGIC.

People throughout Gehenna are disappearing, even the feared executioner Tyburn. Many of the nobles believe the kidnappings to be the work of the northern trolls, raiding south for the winter, and when Baron Sable and others head off to fight them, Castle Gloom is left guarded by only the squires.

Lily is struggling with her growing necromantic powers. The castle fills with ghosts, drawn like moths to a flame by the brightness of her magic. Zombies roam the country, some left over from those raised in SHADOW MAGIC, others awakened by Lily. Families are troubled by the returning dead, so Lily tries to incorporate them into day-to-day life, much to the resentment of the living.

Then Lily is attacked in her own castle by a mysterious sorcerer known as Dreamweaver, a young man determined to conquer Gehenna using jewel-spiders, strange crystalline creatures whose bite doesn’t kill, but sends victims to sleep. Lily soon discovers that Dreamweaver is harvesting dreams to fuel his magic.

Lily enters the realm of sleep known as the Dream Time, in an attempt to awaken all the captive dreamers. Instead she finds herself trapped within a dream, one where her family is still alive. With the help of Thorn and the ever loyal Hades, she must somehow overcome the evil Dreamweaver by using his own magic against him – and reclaim her kingdom.

Praise for Shadow Magic:

"If you are pining for that thrill you felt when you first discovered Harry Potter […]

here is a fantasy world you will lose yourself in. I defy you not to love this story."

—Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

I enjoyed the second installment in the Shadow Magic series. The characters continued on journeys that seemed organic and true, and the plot was different and exciting. This was a great book.
In the beginning, I did have a little bit of trouble getting going while reading, because it seemed like there were a bunch of different things just going on and happening to Lilly and Thorn, and nothing really seemed related. I felt like I was still waiting for the story to really get started and I was already 1/3 of the way into the book. Then everything snapped into place, and I was like, "Oh!" I also liked that, while part of the mystery of the book took a while to solve, once important clues were revealed, Lilly and Thorn figured it out immediately.
I really did enjoy reading this book, and would recommend it to others, from late elementary all the way up. The adventure, mystery, magic, and friendship in this story make it a wonderful read.

Thank you Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an ARC.

I was a little nervous going into Dream Magic because I loved Shadow Magic so much. It can be difficult to follow up a great first book and still meet expectations, but Dream Magic didn't disappoint.

I absolutely love this world and the characters that inhabit it (especially Hades). I love how Thorn is a dose of practicality amongst some of the crazy that happens, and Lily is still the sweetest Princess of Darkness I've ever met.

The world building is solid, and Lily is a wonderfully strong, yet flawed, character. She's learning as she goes, she admits to being afraid and unsure of her steps, but she's determined to do what's best for the people of her country. I've enjoyed watching her grow through the first two books.

Anxiously awaiting the third book, as I can't help but suspect certain things might be in the works and I would love to see them come to fruition. Already recommended that my library purchase it for their collection, and I have every intention of owning my own personal copy as soon as I can.

<i>Dream Magic</i> returns readers to the land of Gehenna, where things aren't going so well for the new Lady Gloom. Trolls threaten war, zombies are overrunning the castle and people are disappearing. In order to solve all these mysteries, Lily Shadow and her friend Thorn will have to set out from Castle Gloom and investigate the local towns. But there's a great threat on the horizon, and Lily will need all her allies and use all of her secret magic if she wants to save her people.

This second installment of the Shadow Magic series is definitely an improvement on an already good story. The characters are stronger here, the action tighter and the plot more exciting than its predecessor, hinting that the series will only continue to get better with each new book. I ended up loving Lily so much more in this book than in the first; she's really coming into her own as a queen and a magician and it's a joy to see her progression. Khan doesn't shirk on the darker elements, either. There are absolutely lovely bits of unsettling creepiness that helps balance out the action and the humor in other parts of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

When Lily uses the magic she's learned to save Thorn from death, her whole castle turns against her. There's an old tale about women having magic that started all the trouble through the ages. It doesn't help when the trolls on their way, people in villages have been disappearing and the undead are walking. What's worse is when they are going to autopsy a couple of dead villagers, they erupt. They were full of crystal spiders...

Disney Hyperion and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published April 11th. This book is even better than the first book and I liked that a lot.

Lily finds out that the original crystal spiders came from a cave in a small town. She and Thorn go on a trip to the town to see it and see if that is where they are coming from. Lily finds a dangerous ghost at the cave that tries to burn her up. When she finds her old lady in waiting in the town, she finds out the history of the ghost and the spiders. The worst part is that she learns her father was involved. He's dead now but she wishes she could ask him about.

Spiders are one of my worst nightmares so I shuddered as I read the description of how they blew out of the sky down on the unsuspecting people. As the story goes on, they get even stronger and more of them.

What Lily discovers is that she has a half-brother. She wants to make peace with him but he's for of revenge. The ghost in the cave was his mother who was burned to death. No matter what she offers he refuses. She has one last desperate attempt to save her land and her people. Thorn tells her no, all her friends tell her no, but she uses the spider venom to enter the dream world...

This is an exciting busy story with lots of detail and adventures. I enjoyed reading it (despite the spiders) and the ending is dramatic. Give it a try.

Readers who loved <i>Shadow Magic </i>, Kahn's hero's journey featuring a peasant hero, goth princess, zombies, and giant flying bats, will want to read this sequel. Now that Lilly and Thorn have saved her kingdom from her evil uncle, there's still plenty of work to do--especially with troll attacks on the rise and Tyburn, the royal executioner, missing. Unsure of herself and what others will think of her magical abilities, Lilly spends much of her time consulting the ghost of her father, until someone steals the key to the library where she meets him. It soon becomes apparent that someone is manipulating the various kingdoms to fight against each other. With the help of the Solar executioner (who's trying to rescue the spoiled Gabriel Solar), Thorn and Lilly take the lead in saving the kingdom from this new, extremely dangerous, threat. Kahn's ability to turn the traditional fantasy types on their head continues to make this a world readers will want to return to. Besides being a lot of fun, there are rewarding and complex examination of worthwhile themes such as good vs. evil, courage, and redemption.

My name is Lily, and people don't respect me, and fear me, as the new queen of Gehenna. I've been secretly learning magic, even though laws forbid it, and this scares them. Meanwhile, trolls appear to be invading my kingdom, as homes are destroyed, adults are killed, and children are taken. My best friend Thorn thinks the actual danger is from jewel spiders. These creatures feed off dreams, but something doesn't make sense. Someone must be controlling the spiders, but why? What do they want? I would normally send my assassin to investigate, but he's disappeared. I'm sure Thorn will do something reckless to help, just like me. I've uncovered a secret about my father that may explain everything.

This book is the sequel to Shadow Magic, a 2016 winner of the Cybils Award. What do I like about this book? I enjoy Lily and Thorn, as they defend Gehenna from internal and external threats. Thorn's character is interesting. He's respected and appreciated by those who know him best, but other people treat him as a mere peasant. Lily cares about her citizens, but she's leery of using magic. It changes her when she uses it and scares her people. She has a deep love for her deceased family and is frustrated when she can't talk to her father. Lily and Thorn have a cute relationship. It's obvious they're more than just friends, but they have trouble showing it. I mean, she's the queen, and he's a servant. I wish Tyburn had been involved more; I like his role as Thorn's mentor, and I like their interactions. You should read Shadow Magic first in order to fully understand the characters, conflicts, and plot.