The missing
(Book)

What was supposed to be a quick trip for Astraea, Zephyr, Jake, Cylus, and the others--to a new planet to recruit allies in the fight against the Mimics--becomes a race against time to rescue the abducted Titan leaders, learn to trust and collaborate with each other, and find an effective way to fight the shape-shifting alien species known as the Mimics before they take over more worlds. Book two of the Titans series, the sequel to Titans (2019), is a thrill ride of episodic encounters, with a new danger or confounding wrinkle every couple of pages. The action includes snakes as allies, life-threatening injuries to favorite characters, time travel, planet hopping, and clashing personalities that threaten missions, yet somehow O'Hearn syncs it all together for a fast-paced, satisfying adventure. This is more of the same for her fans, especially of the Pegasus series, which shares characters with the Titans series. Give this also to young Percy Jackson fans, and try it with readers of Michael Carroll's Super Human series.

Following Titans (2019), human Astraea, winged equine Zephyr, and company seek out allies against the Mimic threat. Astraea and Zephyr have teamed up with human Jake, half-Rhean/half-human Tryn, and the centaur trio of Render, Darek, and Cylus, the centaurs' antagonistic leader. The unlikely group journeys to Zomos, the home of Jake's companion snake, Nesso, to recruit more snakes, as their venom is the Mimics' greatest weakness. But difficult encounters with the deadly wildlife of Zomos result in serious injuries to both Astraea and Zephyr--and, to make matters worse, Shadow Titans under Mimic control are also hunting the snakes. To get reinforcements and help for Zephyr, Jake and Tryn head to Xanadu only to find that Emily, Riza, and the Olympians (characters who will be familiar to readers of the previous Pegasus series) have been captured by Mimics. They also learn the truth behind the dangerous pod-people--style villains (who menace with lines like: "You believed you could defeat us! So many have tried, but none succeeded") and team up with Pegasus. Near-death fakeouts and supposedly serious injuries that impede the characters only when the plot demands it form a repetitive pattern that lowers the stakes. The endless round of action scenes takes readers among multiple worlds before setting up an ending that promises to take the heroes to yet another one. A lengthy bridge to the next book--for dedicated fans only. (Fantasy. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

What was supposed to be a quick trip for Astraea, Zephyr, Jake, Cylus, and the others—to a new planet to recruit allies in the fight against the Mimics—becomes a race against time to rescue the abducted Titan leaders, learn to trust and collaborate with each other, and find an effective way to fight the shape-shifting alien species known as the Mimics before they take over more worlds. Book two of the Titans series, the sequel to Titans (2019), is a thrill ride of episodic encounters, with a new danger or confounding wrinkle every couple of pages. The action includes snakes as allies, life-threatening injuries to favorite characters, time travel, planet hopping, and clashing personalities that threaten missions, yet somehow O'Hearn syncs it all together for a fast-paced, satisfying adventure. This is more of the same for her fans, especially of the Pegasus series, which shares characters with the Titans series. Give this also to young Percy Jackson fans, and try it with readers of Michael Carroll's Super Human series. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.