Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Complex fantasy sequel more absorbing than first book.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Sophia is back in New Occident -- 1890s Boston -- still determined to find her parents. She's thrilled when she uncovers clues to a diary her mother kept on the journey when she went missing. The only problem: The library where she found the lead is run by the fanatical cult, and the library where the diary is kept is across the ocean in Spain, which is stuck in an earlier time period and ravaged by a strange disease. Still, she's determined to book passage across the Atlantic and finds an easy way onto a ship departing the next day. When she can't convince her Uncle Shadrack to accompany her, she and her friend Theo make plans to meet on the ship and escape in secret. But disaster strikes at Uncle Shadrack's house before Theo can sneak off: The prime minister is found dead in the map room, and Theo hides himself and the clearly forged evidence of Uncle Shaddrack's guilt in the closet while he waits for the authorities to leave. Sadly, Sophia's ship leaves before the police do and Sophia sets off alone.
Is It Any Good?
In this sequel, Sophia's lone journey across the ocean to a distant time with a mysterious magical world trapped inside is just one of the intriguing mysteries packed in its 500-plus pages. There's also the murder of the New Occident prime minister in Uncle Shadrack's house, the disappearance of healers called the Eerie, the discovery of a book on a ship written in the future, and so much more.
Author S.E. Grove loves to stack up the mysteries and does a better job in THE GOLDEN SPECIFIC than she did in The Glass Sentence, balancing mystery with almost enough clues to lead the reader along. But still expect some head-scratching over how everything fits together. This sequel is a treat for fans of rich fantasy and will be enjoyed by adults too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Nihilismian movement in New Occident. What are they collecting in their libraries? Why? Why do they think it's so important that history happen the same way again?
Which would you rather have: the powers of the Eerie to talk to all of nature or the power of the prime minister of New Occident to shape history?
What map would you find waiting for you in Ausentinia?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : July 14, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 17
- Number of pages : 528
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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