cover image White Heart of Justice

White Heart of Justice

Jill Archer. Ace, $7.99 mass market (298p) ISBN 978-0-425-25717-3

High stakes and powerful magic collide in the third installment of the Noon Onyx series (after Fiery Edge of Steel). Noon, a Maegester-in-Training, has won the opportunity to compete in the Laurel Crown Race. Noon’s goal is to retrieve the White Heart of Justice, a famed and mythical sword that has been missing for centuries. Retrieving it means she’ll repay her debt to her school and have the freedom to work where she wants. If she doesn’t, she will lose everything she has struggled for, including her partnership with Guardian Angel Rafe Sinclair. Traveling to a frozen, dangerous wasteland called Tartarus proves to be Noon’s most challenging effort to date, especially after she’s attacked and badly hurt. Noon’s voice is wry and genuine, encompassing her sharp sense of self. Some of the major conflict scenes are succinctly and sparsely written; the emotional journey for Noon is far more of the focus, along with the excellent world-building readers have come to expect from Archer. [em](June) [/em]