The Ruby Guardian

by Thomas M. Reid

Wizards Of The Coast. 308 pp, $6.99

The Ruby Guardian is book 2 of the Scions of Arrabar.

Vambran and Emriana Mattrel have survived assassinations, family feuds, arranged marriages, and monster-guarded secrets. Now things are getting dangerous, family feuds become part of a non-violent economic wars become violent wars of a larger conspiracy. Religious ambition joins the crowd almost killing both. In one plot by the cast-out brother and the leader of the sect in which Vambran is a soldier-priest, they escape only to be pursued and captured.

Lots of action and Vambran, Emriana, and Xaphira are reasonably well-drawn as characters. However, the author and editor chose to leave it as a cliff-hanger without creating any closure for the reader. This reviewer hates that when it happens. A TV cliff hanger can be resolved the following season, but the next volume may never show up. The writer has to complete the episode prior before I am interested in continuing the series. No recommendation from me on this one - Pam Allan