[I received a copy of the finished book from the author and the publisher, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, for review purposes. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
It’s been while since Sam’s first adventure with the Department of Mythical Wildlife, and he’s itching for another case. His bodyguard/Guardian Tashi is by his side and his decoy, Nuks, is ready for action. The call comes in from Dr. Vance Vantana that a mythical creature – a selkie – appeared at Fisherman’s Wharf and then again at a fashion show with up and coming model, Pearl Eklund.
Everyone knows Pearl’s story. She was found after a boat accident that killed her parents. Her rescuer became her adoptive father, and she couldn’t be more well known.
Sam, Tashi, and Dr. Vantana need to get close to Pearl in the hopes that the selkie will try to find her again. But the selkie doesn’t want to hurt Pearl. He seems to think she is someone crucial to the continued existence of humanity and relative peace between the selkies and the merpeople.
Sam has his new case! But maybe he should be more careful what he wishes for.
Review
I enjoyed Sam’s first story when I read it, but my memory for it was pretty fuzzy when I started this one. Once the action kicked in with the selkie, though, I was in the swing of things and didn’t put the book down until I was done. This sequel was so good!
I love Sam. He’s bright and resourceful. He has great insights about people and situations. The rest of the team is great, but Sam is my favorite. There are tons of mythical creatures in this one – from lots of different cultures. Mythology and Rick Riordan fans should definitely try this series.
One unusual feature to this for me is the ever-changing point of view characters. It’s not often that adults get to be POV characters in middle grade novels. But it works here as the adults are the only ones with some pieces of the puzzle in the book.
The case takes the team all over the world, The book is long, but it’s not filler. Each step gave them pieces of either the selkie story or the Sam story at the center of the book – finding his father.
There are some emotional moments in this one. I’m grateful for the epilogue which redeems some of it and gives us a title for book 3 with hints for where the story is headed.
Thanks again to the author, Todd Calgi Gallicano, for arranging for a review copy for me!