Shuckstack is a safe home for children, but soon, nowhere will be safe. The Darkness is coming, and the only way to stop it is to destroy 'The Machine', or as some call it, The Clockwork Dark. Three groups of travelers set out: Jolie the siren, and Conker, the giant, thought to be dead; Ray the Rambler, with his crow, B'hoy, Redfeather the Indian, and Marisol; lastly, the lone traveler Sally, Ray's sister, who later joins with Hethy an Quorl. Each group has thier own goals, but, even if unknowingly, they all lead to one source - defeating the Darkness. When the 3 groups meet with the rougarou, part human, part animal, at the Great Tree, they realize- things are more disastrous then they thought.
First thing I have to say is - this book was really confusing.(Even more so than The Fire Eternal series, if you've read that.) It really doesn't help that there were ten or so characters in the first couple of chapters. After reading to chapter 10 or so, it was less confusing, but still a little hard to understand. I think it is because this is the second book, so you definitely need to read the first before reading this. Other than that, the book was okay. It was interesting to read about the affects of the darkness, and loved the part with the rougarou and the Great Tree. In all, the book was okay, once you understood it.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Santa Fe, TX USA
