Infinity Reaper

Gr 9 Up–In this second book in the elaborately plotted superhero “Infinity Cycle,” celestial Spell Walker heroes battle evil specter Blood Casters. Sensitive Emil and arrogant Brighton, Latinx brothers, may be dying. Emil was stabbed by an infinity-ender knife. Brighton has drunk a powerful elixir that might kill him. As other Spell Walkers keep vigil, the story is told through four characters’ point-of-view. Besides Emil and Brighton, the narrators are Maribelle, a hybrid celestial-specter, out for revenge for her boyfriend Atlas’s death, and Dominican shapeshifter Ness. He’s being held against his will and forced to impersonate Congresswoman Sunstar by his unscrupulous senator father, who’s losing the race against Sunstar for president. New characters include Wyatt and Tala, both queer Halo Knights who ride and protect phoenixes. Emil needs the knights’ help to create a power-binding potion to use against specters. The book lists the cast of characters and their powers and includes a glossary of the World of Gleamcraft. The cast is diverse, and many characters are described as having brown skin. Much of the lengthy story is character-driven rather than plot-driven, due to the alternating points of view that reveal insights into their characters. Patient readers will be rewarded with more action in the last third of the book, as the tension between the brothers heats up.