The Sea of the Dead

August 17, 2020
A startling discovery in the Dead Sea becomes a prize in the brewing war between the magicians of Atlantis and the demon god Thevetat in the predictable second fantasy of Kuivalainen’s Magicians of Venice series (after The Immortal City). Penelope Bryne struggles to acclimate herself to her new role as archivist of a rare collection of magical antiquities while simultaneously dealing with the unexpected courtship of Alexis, an Atlantean magician. When one of her colleagues, Tim, goes missing in Israel after uncovering a magical scroll, Pen and Alexis head out to find him—and the excursion quickly takes a life-threatening turn as Thevetat and his followers race to get to Tim first. To defeat these enemies of Atlantis, Pen and Alexis must find an ancient weapon, and Pen discovers along the way that her new life of magic and mayhem requires the painful sacrifice of her old one. Kuivalainen infuses the Atlantis legend with dark magic to great effect, but glosses over worldbuilding details and populates her hazy myth with a slew of shallowly developed characters. The new take on Atlantis will be enough for some, but readers shouldn’t expect anything substantial. (Sept.)Due to a production error, this review originally published as a starred review.

September 1, 2020
The second book in the Kuivalainen's Magicians of Venice series (after The Immortal City, 2019) lives up its predecessor. The story picks up where the first book left off, so readers should definitely start from the beginning of the series. Penelope, still in Venice and embracing her role as the new Archivist of the Magicians, receives a package from a long-time friend. Tim is as obsessed with the Dead Sea Scrolls as Penelope is with Atlantis, and while at an archaeological dig, he comes across the kind of find he's been dreaming of. It quickly turns into a nightmare, though, as Tim must run for his life and sends his find?an ancient scroll?to his trusted friend. Penelope and Alexis head out to Israel to help Tim and to use the scroll and its prophecy against Thevetat and his evil priests. Kuivalainan is working in a new space in urban fantasy, one that includes sweet romance, mystery, mythology, and alternative history elements, which only expands the series' appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)