magic-thief-lostI reviewed the first of this trilogy by Sarah Prineas in October last year and recommended it as a  book for those lost when the Harry Potter series came to an end. That still applies, though this series is OK for those who are daunted by the size and the darkness of the Potter books, so is suitable for younger readers, perhaps good readers as young as eight. In this book, Conn, having lost his locus magicalicus, has turned to pyrotechnics, with somewhat mixed results. The explosions do put him in touch with the magic, but get him into trouble with other magicians and civil authorities, eventually getting him exiled from Wellmet. He has friends though, and makes others as he tries to work out what is causing the magical problems. Exciting and funny, with letters again providing another aspect to the storytelling, and great characters further developed in this second part of the trilogy.