In the fifth installment of the enthralling Septimus Heap series, we find several groups of our beloved characters heading off on various adventures. Jenna, Nicko, Snorri, Ullr and Beetle are in the harbors known as the Trading Post, where Jenna encounters her father, Milo Banda, who persuades them to spend the night on his ship. Milo promises his somewhat wary daughter "something special." But what is our hero up to? you may wonder. Well, Septimus Heap has gotten an amazing and sudden promotion, which (on the order of a teen finally getting his driver's license) enables him to head off on an adventure on his own. His escapade begins as he plans a simple flight on board his dragon, Spit Fyre, in order to retrieve his friends from the Trading Post.
Around this time, Aunt Zelda sends Wolf Boy from the Marram Marshes. She is giving him a challenging test as a first step in his becoming the first male Intended Keeper. Aunt Zelda herself has an extremely serious quest in her near future, and as soon as Wolf Boy leaves, she retrieves a SafeCharm, which appears to be a tiny, pear-shaped gold bottle. She has been troubled by the sight of Septimus on Spit Fyre in dire trouble, and must deliver the SafeCharm to him in order to keep him out of harm's way. But Aunt Zelda has been eating a few too many cabbage sandwiches lately, and she finds that her portliness slows her expedition down quite a bit. By the time she arrives at the palace gardens, Septimus is astride Spit Fyre, preparing to take off. Frantically, Aunt Zelda sends a young boy to deliver the SafeCharm...but Septimus doesn't understand that the trinket is from Aunt Zelda and refuses it.
Due to this unfortunate mix-up, the SafeCharm falls into the hand of a scoundrel who stole the little gold vial believing it to be fine and valuable perfume. When he takes the top off to sniff it, imagine his surprise when what goes up his nose is not a fragrance but an all-powerful jinnee! And the jinnee isn't exactly thrilled to find himself up someone's nose, to say the least. When the clueless fellow answers the jinnee's "What do you will?" by telling him to go away, "Jim Knee" is off on his own adventure.
Meanwhile, Wolf Boy is intent on his completing the task that Aunt Zelda sent him on test, a test that author Angie Sage describes in hilarious detail. Wolf Boy approaches the House of the Port Witch Coven as he begins his knee-knocking mission. While there, he meets the young witch Dorinda who adjusts the pink towel wrapped around her hair and says, "You're kidding me, aren't you?" when Wolf Boy tells her what he plans to do. Under Sage's talented pen, Wolf Boy's entire mission is side-splitting (think: a witch named Linda who reads detective novels, a monster who likes things very quiet, and vampire kittens!).
As poor Aunt Zelda envisioned, Septimus does eventually find himself in great trouble. He is marooned on an island with Jenna and Beetle as well as the deathly ill Spit Fyre. Nearby, nefarious happenings at a peculiar cat-shaped lighthouse threaten not only the unusual lighthouse keeper, but also two of Septimus's friends. However, Septimus's troubles are only beginning as he meets an unusual girl, Syrah Syara, who is under an enchantment...a dangerous Magykal charm that puts Septimus, as well as the castle, in terrible jeopardy.
As we've come to expect from this series, SYREN offers gripping adventure, whimsical characters, a mesmerizing plot, derring-do heroics, and tons of delightful humor.
