Books for Christian Girls: "Race to Krakatoa" by J.D. Peabody

About this book:

“In book two of The Inkwell Chronicles, Everett and his little sister Bea find themselves drawn even more deeply into the secret world of the Inklings, those who seek to protect the world's rapidly diminishing supply of magic Ink. When a miraculous new type of ink called Inkanto begins to appear around the world, initial celebration soon gives way to suspicions about its mysterious origins. As the race to find and control the world's supply of Ink intensifies, signs begin to appear that not is all that it seems. Will the siblings and their fellow Inklings be able to uncover the truth in time?”

Series: Book #2 in “The Inkwell Chronicles”. Review of Book #1 Here!

Spiritual Content- Everett & his family live in a vicarage as his father (Marcus) is a Reverend; Everett has the same nightmare often and wonders if it’s a sign like he’s heard about in Sunday School about “people [who] had visions of the future” (he discusses this with his father and his father says those are “prophecy or premonition” and has known people who have those dreams, but doesn’t think that’s what Everett is having; Later Everett still wonders if his nightmare was a premonition about a trip); Everett thinks back about a sermon his father gave about not borrowing trouble, but feels guilty because he wasn’t fully paying attention; Going to a church (to steal an item from there, see Negative Content about this); Mentions of churches/cathedrals, clergymen/ministers, church events, services, & a homily; Mentions of priests, popes, a pope releasing a peace dove, & thuribles with incense; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of praying; A couple mentions of forgiveness; A mention of haughty eyes being used in reference to a Bible verse; A mention of the Bible; A mention of missionaries; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of saints;
*Note: The special Ink in this story is what is behind all the greatest creative works (stories, paintings, music, etc.), that it unlocks someone creativity when used (in the first book it was also said to be the source of all the stories where good triumphs over evil); Ink is used in multiple ways, mainly for someone to draw something (typically in the air) to help them on their mission (such as creating stairs to escape, wearing different clothing to fit into a party, etc.); There is a new type of Ink called “Inkanto” that affects what a person uses it for & the person using it (A man says it’s “devilishly clever” and that one “has to admire it for that”, which Everett isn’t sure one should), *Spoiler* It’s not real Ink and created to destroy Ink and it’s users, and is also able to undo those who have been turned to stone or gargoyles; Everett is shocked that so many who believe in the true Ink would fall for the imitation Ink; *End of Spoiler*); “Blotters” are the villains in this story who are creatures that despise the Ink (since they hate all that is good and creative, they called it “the Stink” and their pupils change once they smell it), and some of them have batlike wings between their shoulder blades and can fly (others look like part dogs or beetles with many arms); Blotters also have “dye hounds” that are wolflike beasts that serve the blotters (some are blotters that upset those above them in rank and were put under a “spell”); Blotters and other creatures like them cannot enter into a house of worship as that is a safe place for those trying to flee from them (if they enter, they will instantly become gargoyles); The Blotter Queen is called “your wickedness” and “your lowness”; Blotters use salt crystals as a way to communication with the other like a phone (by tossing the crystals into a fire); Everett has sticks that are called “divining rods” or “dowsing sticks” and leads the person holding them to Ink or Ink traces (when he uses them, they tingle and lead him to the Ink quickly; At another time, those tingles are described as a “current”); Everett is able to go into books (called “Leap Reading”) and it happens a handful of times; When someone drinks Inkanto, it’s said that “Ink absorbed through the skin fights many evils”, but the Inkanto goes to someone’s mind and darkens it; There is a new character who is an elemental-class Fomentori which is said that “Ink is not only for writing. It moves the whole created order—the earth, the sea, the air. I find where it is moving and join it”; About ten things are described as “magic” or “magical” but are either not magic or not confirmed to be actual magic (used more of as an adjective for something unusual or unordinary); Everett and Bea are hypnotized by a villain and hears her voice in their head, telling them lies (which they start to believe until she is stopped); *Spoiler* Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori, goes into dormancy and turns into a seedpod when she’s used too much energy; There’s a goodbye scene before that is similar to a true goodbye, but it’s said she will be okay and wake up again *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of “Mind Murk” that Blotters use to make humans forget about them (we also see adults sprayed with it); Mentions of the Pantheon; A few mentions of spells (mainly being mentioned with Blotters being turned into other creatures, another thinking a spell is being casted on him, and hypnotizing being called a spell); A few mentions of the legend of the Fountain of Youth (said to have magic healing properties and that a Saint found it); A few mentions of a statue of a sphinx (it partially comes to life); A couple mentions of a mosque & singing that calls people to prayer; A couple mentions of gopuram & Hindu temples; A couple mentions of a book that features a spell and an evil witch; A couple mentions of some things being evil; A couple mentions of a comic book story about an alien attack; A mention of Inkanto being called a “miracle”; A mention of a book on Egyptian magic.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘cursed’ (to describe something), a ‘good heavens’, a ‘stupid’, and four ‘dumb’s (including Blotters mispronouncing a word in another language and it sounding like they’re saying they’re dumb); A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm (mostly from Blotters); The housekeeper, Mrs. Crimps, for Everett’s family used to be mean and he would call her “The Cramps”, but after the events of Book #1, she has become much nicer to the kids and apologizes for how she was; Some Blotters do name calling to others (“Dinosaur” for a Blotter with three horns on his head, “Dogface” for a Blotter with a head of a dog, and call other older women “old bat”s); An adult gets cut-off in the middle of his (history) speeches by another adult (multiple times with no apologizes or regret because the other knows he will talk too much); Being squeezed by a big bug & Almost passing out, Being trapped in a fire, Being kidnapped, Being locked in a room and threatened (twice), Fighting and killing bugs and other creatures, Being chased by an elephant (a very close-call) and swamp dragons, & Being chased by Blotters (all up to semi-detailed); A fire (up to semi-detailed); Nightmares (they cause Everett anxiety and his dad tells him to try to change the dream, up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone be knocked out in a fight (barely-above-not-detailed); A close-call with someone drinking Inkanto & getting fever-like symptoms (up to semi-detailed); A giant bird is injured (but will be fine, up to semi-detailed); The villain gasses a room of people and they pass out *Spoiler* This is part of his plan for revenge to knock out those who use Ink and create a fire that will take care of all of them *End of Spoiler*; A villain from the prior book tells Everett that he should have stayed dead (he attempted to kill Everett by throwing him out of a tree in Book #1); The main villain threatens our main characters, another adult human, & her minions with death or strangulation (up to semi-detailed); Some of the Blotters argue, hit/smack each other, & throw sand in the other’s eyes (we see this on-page); Everett gets a bit annoyed at Bea a couple of times (he apologizes for snapping at her once); Everett feels guilt for taking something out of a story when he Leap Reads (because it feels like he stole it; Other adults that are authors tell him that it’s his book and that it wasn’t truly stealing); Everett is stressed and has anxiety, thinking that everyone is counting on him to find new Inkwells (his dad and another adult try to talk to him about it not all being on his shoulders; Later he feels angry with himself and insecure when a plan of his doesn’t work out); Bea sees a painting of a fight where one person is trapped under another and there are bird circling him (barely-above-not-detailed); Bea is concerned that they have to steal from a church, but an adult with them says that “every utensil in the cathedral has been consecrated for a specific purpose, I can think of no more sacred mission for this pen than the one we are on.” and they take the item when the priest isn’t looking (Bea is told “well done!” by an adult with them); Blotters use Mind Murk to make someone pass out; Everett and Bea are told to stay at a place, but they sneak off to try to help the adults (*Spoiler* They end up kidnapped and realize that what the adult meant by it being dangerous *End of Spoiler*); Everett and Bea are hypnotized by a villain and hears her voice in their head, telling them lies (which they starts to believe until she is stopped); Everett and Bea are told that they can’t go on a mission, but the adults in charge let them go around with a friend to explore a new country (with a couple of rules); *Spoiler* Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori, goes into dormancy and turns into a seedpod when she’s used too much energy; There’s a goodbye scene before that is similar to a true goodbye, but it’s said she will be okay and wake up again *End of Spoiler*; Everett and Trey sneak off to go flying (they weren’t told they couldn’t and they do not get punished for it because they learn something important on the flight); Bea picks a lock and is able to get them out of a room a villain locked them in; *Major Spoiler* At the very end, Everett is thrown into a volcano by a villain & Bea sees this (up to semi-detailed); She and the another adults think Everett is dead until Bea notices a sound coming from the comic book Everett was holding and she knows that he’s “not really dead” (the book ends here) *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of break-ins, stealing, & thieves; Mentions of fires (including ones intentionally set by Blotters in Book #1 as well) & volcanoes; Mentions of Inkanto saying mean things to Bea (trying to turn her against her brother and others); Mentions of some who have used Inkanto getting a big ego; Mentions of lies & lying (including the vicar telling an untruth that’s as close as he could “bring himself to telling a full-fledged lie”, and someone saying that “the most powerful lies are those we wish very much to be true”); Mentions of pipes, smoking, & drinking pints (by adults); A few mentions of a villain throwing Everett out of a tree (Book #1); A few mentions of kidnappings (Book #1); A few mentions of prison; A few mentions of an injured bird & her pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of wars & fights/battles; A couple mentions of someone struggling with claustrophobia; A mention of Everett’s father being missing (Book #1); A mention of grieving a spouse (Everett’s father for his mother); A mention of a man stealing money from a church; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a rumor;
             *Note: Mentions of authors & their books (including George MacDonald, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, J. M. Barrie, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Jules Verne, & Astrid Lindgren); A few mentions of body odor; A couple mentions of artists; A couple mentions of time travel in a book; A mention of a woman saying something is “predictable male behavior”.

Sexual Content- A few mentions of a woman developing romantic feelings for a man & her blushing; A mention of a book that has too much romance for Everett’s taste.

-Everett, age 11 (?)
                P.O.V. switches between him, Bea, & others (including villains and their minions)
                                           Set in 1952 (?)
                                                        368 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Let me first say: That ending of a cliffhanger is quite mean. I would almost suggest for fans of the first book to wait for the third book to be released before reading this one!

I was a little concerned going into this second book because I decided not to reread the first book before starting this sequel due to time constraints. Thankfully, because of the easy middle-grade writing style and storytelling, I had no difficulty following along and being reminded of past events in the prior book. Props to the author for that!

As an adult reader, I will say that the villains are at the level of comic book villains in the sense that their plans easily fail and their minions are most-of-the-time buffoons. Personally, I found something’s to be a bit weird and that affected my personal rating (such as the head Blotter being a dung beetle and a good adult turning into a seed pod because of her Ink talent making her go into dormancy). But that said, it was still an entertaining and unique read.

Like the first book in the series, the faith content is light. In this sequel, there was an importance place on knowing what the real Ink is, rather than the one that’s being shared. There’s mentions of the real Ink not leading Everett and Bea the wrong way and it feels very symbolic of knowing the Truth.

This series might not be a good choice for sensitive readers, but those who enjoy action and high stakes with some fantasy elements thrown-in will probably enjoy it the most.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!