The inflated closing volume of Butler's generational Stoneways Trilogy (after 2007's Queen Ferris
) uneasily combines YA fantasy and romance. Hubley, the 10-year-old daughter of magicians Reiffen and Ferris, becomes the target of Reiffen's old teacher and enemy, the wicked Wizard Fornoch. When Reiffen's concern for Hubley turns obsessively irrational, Hubley's magical talent surfaces. She and Reiffen's friend Avender, himself tragically caught in a Camelot-style love triangle with the wife of his king and friend, struggle to redeem Reiffen with the help of stale fantasy-quest figures like the shape-shifting bear Redburr. A pedestrian, predictable plot; tired true-love platitudes (“Babies first, immortality after”); and a spoiled young drama queen heroine make for a sluggish conclusion to an initially promising coming-of-age saga. (May)
