(Cover picture courtesy of Queste Wiki.)

There’s trouble at the Castle, and it’s all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus.  More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste.  But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in Physik.  But how will Septimus escape the Queste?

Queste, like all the books in the Septimus Heap series, is filled with nonstop action, humor, and fantastical adventure as Septimus continues his journey of Magykal self-discovery.

As you may remember, I wasn’t overly fond of Magyk, the first book in the Septimus Heap series.  Still, I kept on with the series because it showed potential and now that I’ve read the fourth book, I’m certainly glad I did.  With each book, Angie Sage’s writing got better, the characters became three dimensional and the world-building improved greatly.

Queste follows Septimus and Jenna as they try to bring Nicko and Snorri back to the present.  The only problem is that Septimus has drawn the Questing Stone and must go on a Queste.  Questing had been abolished because too many Apprentices died while on their Questes, but a loophole exploited by a villainous ghost revives them.  In Queste, Angie Sage created a lot more suspense than she did in her previous three books.  It suits the maturing writing style throughout the series, which allows fans to grow up along with the books.

Angie Sage rotates between different points of view, which can be confusing in the wrong hands, but she handled it well.  Queste is a bit more dark than the other three books, although it still has some of that humour Angie Sage is known for.  I would highly recommend this book for kids ages 8-12 who love fantasy.
And yes, I would even recommend it to adults and teens who love a bit of light reading once in a while.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Amazon    Barnes and Noble