In exchange for immortality

In exchange for eternal youth

I choose you.

A soul that is as Good as it is Evil.

But every School Master faces a test.

Yours is balance.

Between the Goodness of your soul

And the Evil of its shadow.

Chainani brings readers straight to the action after the ominous cliffhanger. In fact, the two brothers are looking for Readers to replace the students that had been seduced to the Pirate Captain and Hook’s side. Rhian is disgruntled and ashamed of his actions, but unwilling to admit his faults. Rafael is still grappling with his revelation that he may be the good twin and whether it’s possible to fix the Prophecy of One. If maybe bringing these new readers to the school will help fix the unbalanced relationship of the two School Masters. If maybe, Rafael will try his best to trust Rhian and do anything for him.

But the greatest of intentions always fail when you’re stuck in a fairytale. . . and a boy comes between them. A beautiful boy whose heart holds shards of Good and Evil. He may be the key for each one wants the boy for their own as a buffer, a trustworthy friend, and a spy on the brother they are determined to destroy.

Like the first prequel, this story is divided into three with the Pen transcribing fairytales that have eerie similarities or important parallels to the brothers’ relationship that they could learn something if only they took the time to reflect. But that’s the Greek tragedy of it all as their emotions, doubts and fears blind them for the chance of reconcilation.

Or perhaps there was never a chance with one’s heart being so evil, always grasping, they never would have been content with the balance forever.

And I say Greek tragedy because that Good/Evil boy the brothers fight over is Midas! The first reader from Gavaldon who shows the importance of readers to this world, laying the steps for its world-changing importance in the original trilogy as pawns of the School Master that inadvertedly orchestrate their demise. Readers will be interested in this Reader because he goes through a relatable arc of getting more than he bargained for in this fairytale world, struggling to know who to trust, learning pain and betrayal and just wishing to go home.

But the greek myth of Midas’ touch isn’t the centerpiece of the story, rather it is the never-ending battle of Pan and Hook in Neverland that throws the battle into chaos.

Chainani pays homage to the original Pan novel by showing the true destructive personality of Peter Pan in his ruthlessness to his followers and his hedonistic, childish pleasure pursuit of pleasure. Only for himself, of course, but it’s still seductive as readers can see by how easily Pan leads people to follow him once again as a surprise third player in the Prophecy of One.

Continuing on from the other book, Hook, Kyma and Aladdin get a fair share of the spotlight as they try to negotiate where their loyalties lie in the ever-shifting battle ground. Kyma has a good mini arc as she realizes how men have overshadowed her story and that she has been letting them, leading to a break with Aladdin. One that is necessary as Aladdin lists all the reasons they should stay together and they all involve how good she makes him feel.

This leads to a surprising new implied connection between Hook and Kyma. Chainani writes that this is because Kyma is the first girl who got to know Hook for himself without ulterior motives but it all occurs off the page so I feel less invested and just was unnecessary with everything else going on.

Another important plot element is the return of the Sader family as readers get a hint to how their future importance will play out as they impart the important lesson of the uncertainty of future and fate. It’s almost as murky as morality.

Rafael believes he may be the good twin, but also worries that his goodness has been corrupted by all the evil he had done because he thought he was evil. Actions speak louder than anything after all. As for Rhian, he desperately clings to the belief that he’s the good twin, justifying each of his actions behind that shield. I felt like his denial was implausible after awhile but then it goes to show how everyone is the hero of their own story.

There’s actually a lot more discussions and internal monologuing of what it means to be good or evil or exposition of other character’s motivations that felt out of place for their characterization. Like I believe it from Rafael and Rhian who are in the midst of this battle for balance but for Pan who has been portrayed as cruel and immature to suddenly guess the chess-game the brothers are playing in one scene before returning to his usual character felt jarring.

Nonetheless, it’s another solid story in the universe with a comprehensive timeline that lays the foundation for the original trilogy but leaves unanswered questions and cliffhangers for readers to wonder about. It has the usual fun with fairytales, providing new twists on lessons of being careful of what you wish for and the rule of threes.

4 stars.