The Books of Magic: Girl in a Box

John Ney Rieber

The Books of Magic has been an inconsistent series, and Girl in a Box, the fifth book in the series, typifies that perhaps better than any other single entry. Tim and Molly, separated in the last book, are still separated; Molly is off in Faerie, while Tim is facing down the demons tattooed onto his skin. The main story arc here is quite a good one; Tim and his old friend/nemesis Leah meet in San Francisco, then head off to the desert to find a place of magical power; the interaction between the two is very nicely done, and the plotline is interesting and well-written. All of the tertiary stuff in the book, though, could well have been done without.

If you've already gotten this far in the series, of course you're going to read this one; there's enough here for you to sink your teeth into. Others, start at the beginning and see if you get this far.