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SUMMER READING CORNER
Reggie & Ryssa and the Scavenger Hunt, by Bo Savino
Book Two
of an Ongoing Series
To
order: www.kobocapublishing.com
To
order Reggie & Ryssa and the Summer Camp of Faery: www.kobocapublishing.com
Twins: Age 14—just finishing 8th grade
Competition Measures: Resourcefulness, Honesty and Team Work
Objective of Faery: To teach the potentials stronger elemental magic use. To develop Teamwork amongst the potentials, including delegation, appointment of duties contribution and keeping up with your end of the bargain, and to promote Honesty—especially in dealing with others. All of these qualities necessary in the future leaders of Faery.
Objective of the Book: To show more of the separation of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts and the political maneuverings done by the Faery. To introduce some of the other characters of the Faery, and develop their thoughts and attitudes. To allow Reggie & Ryssa’s curiosity instilled by living in the Zombie Zone to start leading them toward trying to unravel the mysteries that are plaguing the Fey. To begin the separation of the twins as their personalities begin to drive them in different directions.
Synopsis:
Book 2 begins with a
Prologue that takes place not long after the twins’ return from
Faery. A Hurricane is headed directly for their home, pushed into
their path by the Storm Elders of New Faery. When Ryssa connects with
Reggie, Moira, Jet, and Hammie to stop the hurricane, she makes a
discovery—someone else is controlling the storm.
By the end of the twins’ eighth grade school year, Ryssa has emotionally withdrawn from everyone around her. Reggie is concerned, because he suspects that Ryssa is starting to lose control of Darkwind, which he knows will lead to the Faery elders breaking her bond with the Sprite, and most likely insanity. Their foster mother, Debra Chambly is growing sicker with each passing day and Ryssa suspects it is due to the presence of the twins in her life. The twins use their birthday wish to ask for Debra’s good health, and are nearly suffocated by the overwhelming strength of the magic’s response.
When the twins step into the mists of the In-Between with Moira, Jet, and Hammie to return to Faery, their Sprites begin acting strange. Hammie is given his True Name in the In-Between. For some reason, Ryssa also hears Hammie’s True Name, and she is disturbed, knowing that it gives her control over Hammie’s magic in some way.
Aurelius Starborn, the twins’ uncle, waits for them on the other side of the mist. He takes the children to New Faery City, where the Faery Court has been called to session early, in a blatant attempt to discredit Aurelius and the twins. The twins discover that some changes have taken place in their absence. Ocea Waverider, once head of Team Serpent, is now the acting Queen of the Seelie Court. The rift between the courts of darkness and light is widening and becoming more obvious to the twins.
The team leaders for the potentials are no longer responsible for the sole training of their individual charges. A series of classes have been developed and the potentials are expected to follow a strict regime of magic studies in addition to their competition task this year: a New Faery scavenger hunt.
Following Court, Reggie & Ryssa return to the Team Phoenix common area after being grilled by the Storm Elders about last year’s hurricane. The Storm Elders refuse to admit to the twins that anyone is controlling the storms being sent toward New Faery. The twins discover that one of their team members, Jade, has been added to the growing list of missing potentials.
The children start their rounds of magical classes, each finding their own areas in which they excel. Hammie is beginning to become more agitated and stand-offish from the team. Other new friendships and interactions begin to develop between the twins and some of the other children of New Faery.
After a day of relaxing at the lake, one of their new friends is found dead, and Hammie goes into a deep depression. Team Phoenix is invited to a tea party held by their aunt, Queen Medwyn. While two of the Faery boys, Taz and Storm, vie for Ryssa’s attention, she is attacked by Shadows, and Reggie is the only one who is able to drive them away. Due to the Shadow attack, Ryssa’s link to the magic is weakened, and she fights hard from that point forward to regain full connection to the magic—almost desperate in her need.
Midsummer’s Eve launches the start of the scavenger hunt. Team Phoenix quickly locates a major item, only to lose their chance at retrieving it when Hammie and Pyro, Jr. get caught up in the ancient “Wild Hunt” of the Fey, and drag their teammates along for the ride. It is their first exposure to Faery from outside the island, and the Twins are introduced to Titania and Morgan LeFey, two of the rulers of the other Faery Courts.
Weeks into the scavenger hunt, New Faery has a rough experience with a hurricane that manages to assault the island. More potentials join the missing or dead lists, and Team Phoenix has bad luck in accumulating items for the competition. While going for a golden apple from the healing orchards, they have a dangerous encounter with a dragon.
At the end of the allotted time, the items for the scavenger hunt are tallied for each team. Team Dragon is missing the golden apple they collected, and are caught being “less than truthful” about how they retrieved other items , but it is Team Firefly that is eliminated from the competition by the Lia Fial.
When the twins return from New Faery, Reggie discovers that Ryssa had stolen Team Dragon’s apple and smuggled it home to Debra. She eats of the apple and shows immediate improvement in her health.
