We follow the three siblings in their journey to uncover the Books of Beginnings (magic books of great power). Of course they are racing to reach it before our villain who is trying to unmake the world. In this second book of the series we follow Michael as he faces challenges in his quest to find the the book of life. Will he succeed? I mean, there's a third book, but I guess you'll have to read it to find out. ( )

I liked the second book of this trilogy better than the first. I think author John Stephens developed all three sibling's characters, although once again they are separated as Kate time travels back to the turn of the 19th century Chicago when the magic world went into hiding. Her time there, and her relationship with Rafe and his troupe, was well done, and we are provided with helpful background about the evil Dire Magnus. Meanwhile, Michael leads an expedition to recover the Chronicle into a magical forest with tall trees inhabited by elves and a volcano protected by a dragon. Michael shows his strengths in outwitting the dragon and aligning with the elves against Rourke and the Screechers. ( )

It is hard to avoid comparisons with Harry Potter when your story stars parentless children, a hidden magical world, and a wise old wizard, not to mention an evil sorcerer rising to regain power. Add in the conventions of an epic fantasy and you may be thinking that The Fire Chronicle is not a book for you. I, however, would urge you to look beyond the cover and read at least a few pages. You will soon discover that Stephens has not written a quick and hasty fill-in-the-blanks story. Instead The Fire Chronicle is great mix of historical fiction, fantasy, and adventure all in one.

This is the second book in the Books of Beginning series, and, for the most part , it concentrates on the second child, Michael. He has always had his sister Kate to make the decisions and take control. In this book he must learn how to be the leader and look after Emma. She may be less than a year younger than Michael, but she is still the baby in the family and needs him more than ever. All three siblings have very different characters and voices, and throughout the story they all learn, develop and grow. Michael in particular is written with great affection and humour; reading about him and his worries you can’t help but empathise with him.
The story itself moves quickly, with plenty of action to keep you turning those pages. There are dragons and elves, magical worlds and time-travel. This book really does have something for everyone to enjoy. ( )

I've had this audiobook for a while and just hadn't got to it because I got distracted by the Night Huntress series and had to listen to all of those. It took me an hour or so to get back into the feel of this series but once I did, I was not going anywhere. I like the way that Stephens builds a story and tells it. He takes the time to develop his characters and let them grow. He shows them dealing with the consequences of their prior actions. He's also inventive with his words and funny . But it's not the kind of funny where he's telling sarcastic jokes and expecting you to laugh. It's just little things thrown in that are funny - like the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. That's a great and funny name.

This audiobook is narrated by the great Jim Dale. Again, he is almost flawless. The only complaint I have about Jim Dale's narration is I hear Hermoine and Dumbledore when I listen to him. That's not his fault. He just does wonderful and memorable voices.

If you like middle grade fantasies, you should definitely pick up these books. ( )

In questo libro mi è sembrato di cogliere un miglioramento per quanto riguarda la capacità dell'autore di attrarre il lettore alla sua storia. Forse saranno i numerosi colpi di scena, o forse il fatto che manca la lunga introduzione presente nel primo libro, in ogni caso mi sembrato pi coinvolgente del precedente.
In un certo senso il protagonista diventa Michael, mentre le due sorelle vengono lievemente messe in disparte, ad ogni modo non vi un eccessivo "squilibrio" tra i ruoli dei personaggi.
Mi piaciuta in particolare la parte riguardante Kate perchè strettamente legata alle origini del Ferale Magnus (non smetto mai di pensare a Magnus Bane accidenti...). A volte gli autori tendono a dimenticare le origini e la storia degli antagonisti, ma non capiscono che sono importanti tanto quanto i protagonisti! ( )