The Second Siege (The Tapestry Series #2) Book

Rowan Academy, the enchanted boarding school that is home to thirteen-year-old Max McDaniels and hundreds of other students in the magical arts, has a brief moment to relax. Having escaped confinement, Astaroth is sure to attack eventually, but until then Max and his friend David Menlo can focus on training for the final battle against the all-powerful Demon. The respite ends when Dame Mala, a witch, visits Rowan to make a demand: centuries ago the school's founder, Elias Bram, promised that the witches could take any two students to permanently keep. In return Elias received the Book of Thoth, which could destroy the world if it fell into Astaroth's hands. Now the time has come for Rowan to complete their end of the agreement by handing Max and David over to the witches. The school's Director, Ms. Richter, has no desire to relinquish two of her best students, but the witches will terrorize Rowan if their demands aren't satisfied. What will befall Max and David in captivity?

They needn't have worried. Agent William Cooper and Miss Boon, a teacher, flee Rowan with the boys. Cooper employs every tactic he knows to evade the witches hunting them down, but there's more to worry about than Dame Mala. Astaroth is coming, and he's worse than any witch. For months the refugees from Rowan remain on the run, taking a circuitous path back to the academy. The situation here is no more settled than before their departure.

"Beware the flatterers of the world...for what is music to the ears may be poison to the soul."

'David, The Second Siege, P. 89

Minor mysteries from before Dame Mala's visit offer clues to Astaroth's grand plan. Why did Julie Teller, a girl Max grew close with during their first year at the school, ignore him at the beginning of their second year? Was there more to her behavior than the unpredictability of a preteen girl interacting with a boy she likes? What is the truth behind Mr. Sikes, the miniature imp that Connor Lynch uses to bolster his grades? David, whose talent for magic eclipses even Max's, warned Connor not to trust Mr. Sikes, but is the imp as sinister as David suspected? Another journey lies ahead for Max and David, into the realm of Astaroth. The boys must locate the Book of Thoth before the Demon does, but there's a second reason for the journey. A message from Astaroth indicates that Max's mother, who mysteriously disappeared a few years ago, in this realm. What sacrifices will Max need to make if he wants a reunion? Astaroth is too potent even for Max and David's combined energies to stop, but can they prevent him from annihilating Rowan and all its inhabitants? Is there hope that the war with Astaroth is winnable as the Tapestry series moves forward?

The Second Siege is more than a reloaded version of The Hound of Rowan. Max and his companions are away from the school much of the time, whereas the first book centered on drama and action at the academy. The story is long and paced oddly, but Max and David's few victories feel more legitimate because of their enemy's strength. Their struggle with Astaroth is not between roughly equal opponents; the Demon is unimaginably powerful, and it's hard to see how he could be defeated. Book three, The Fiend and the Forge, is considerably longer than The Second Siege, but I look forward to how the series develops as it approaches the halfway point. I'll see you there.