Jennifer Bell, Legendarium (Wonderscape, #2), Walker Books, May 2022, 320 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406391732
Play the game.
Brave the legend.
Arthur, Ren and Cecily are stuck in Legendarium in the year 2493, where the secretive villain Deadlock has discovered dangerous time-travel technology. To save the universe, the friends must enter the deadly Irontide Tournament, where legends are real and one wrong move could cost them their lives…
Legendarium is the follow-up to 2020’s Wonderscape, a thrilling new instalment in Jennifer Bell’s expanding universe of excitement and adventure. I did ask for a sequel when I reviewed the first book, and I got all that I wanted and more!
The story picks up a year after the events of Wonderscape and wastes no time in hurtling our young heroes into new dangers and challenges. Once again, the three friends must overcome obstacles and adversities greater than they believe they are capable of; and must learn once again what it means to trust one another, to become a team, and to have faith in themselves in order to win the day.
Bell has done an excellent job in broadening the horizons of her already rich and diverse worlds. She has created a panoply of characters who show real development and depth, and which bring her page-turning narratives to exciting and satisfying conclusions. Her descriptions are colourful and evocative, and she explores complex themes while addressing her audience as mature and capable readers.
As with Wonderscape, the pace of Legendarium never lets up for a moment. You find yourself thinking, “Just one more chapter…” more and more as you go along, as it becomes very difficult to put down once you get started on this grand adventure.
We can only hope that Bell has more stories and adventures planned for Arthur, Ren and Cecily in the future – perhaps just one more tale to fill out the triptych? Pretty please, Jennifer?
Reviewed by Christian Price
