Gr 9 Up--Two years have passed since the fateful night in 1911 when Frances and the boy she loved ripped open the veil to the afterlife. Consequences are still following her, with her magic acting unreliably ever since. Frances is now a teacher at Haxahaven, the magic school pretending to be a sanatorium to the outside world. Frances and her friends set off to Paris on holiday, only to discover that Frances's meddling with the veil has created problems even an ocean away. Smith casts the story back in time to a glamorous society full of magic and secrets, with cinematic prose and deeply developed characters readers can't help but root for. VERDICT A fun and atmospheric conclusion recommended for secondary purchase.

Trapped between guilt and honesty, how can one find redemption? Two years ago, in 1911, Frances Hallowell, whom readers met in The Witch Haven (2021), experienced a harrowing night in Manhattan during which she and a boy she once thought she loved opened a rift into the afterlife. Despite her magic's not working reliably since, Frances has found a place for herself teaching at the magical academy of Haxahaven. She and her dearest friends, Maxine and Lena, set off on a trip across the sea to Paris, where Maxine's family resides. It's also where Oliver, Frances' childhood friend and blossoming sweetheart, is studying. The holiday is set to be a grand time for them all, but it seems the repercussions of that fateful night have sent ripples across the magical world, opening a door to the veil in the Paris catacombs. There are also ancient organizations of male magic users eager to take advantage of its potential power--no matter the cost. Frances knows that she must help put things right again. In this sweeping adventure across high-society Paris, Smith's descriptions evoke the magic and beauty of the city. Frances is an earnest protagonist who desperately wants to do good despite what she feels are deep personal failings--offering all the more reason for readers to root for her. The cast is predominantly White; the previous volume established Lena as Onondaga. There is also some queer representation. Sparkles with magic but remains decidedly human. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.