THE FROST CHILD
by Eoin McNamee and illustrated by Jon Goodell
In this final volume of the Navigator Trilogy, the Harsh have returned after a very short interval, determined to reverse time permanently and eliminate life from the universe. Owen, now a teen, travels through time finding ways to stop the frequent invasions, while the Resistors hold the enemy off at home. The series’s readers will rejoice at meeting favorites from previous books, while McNamee provides new (and predictably unconventional) acquaintances to balance them. Suspense and tension mount with each new chapter of this page-turner. The author’s skillful use of fantasy tropes produces interesting juxtapositions that place traditional elements in unexpected settings with unique, eccentric characters. The ending will please fans: The climax is breathtaking and the resolution satisfactory (if a little fuzzy on detail). Although the swiftly moving plot may draw in the uninitiated, devotees of the first two books are the natural audience for this one. The story ends with the dissolution of the villainous Harsh, but the Resistors have retired again to the long sleep of the Starry. Here’s hoping for another threat to the universe! (Fantasy. 10-14)