The invincible kingdom

Ryan concludes the trilogy that began with The Invisible Kingdom as John, the king who fled his throne, attempts to outwit Lord Von Dronus, who has replaced him with an imposter. This circuitous installment follows John and his friend June as they grow closer while contacting a plan to take down not just Von Dronus but the monarchy itself. Ryan attempts to fit quite a bit of story into this final volume, and the drawn-out and sometimes repetitive text crams the pages, often pushing his trademark cut-paper artwork to the sides. Fans of the previous books, though, will be glad to see John's long quest reach a happy conclusion. Ages 8-up. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A fugitive king finds his queen and his true calling in this trilogy closer.In a final outpouring of wordy, labored storytelling, prince John and his saintly friend June elude the clutches of evil Lord Von Dronus, then persuade Von Dronus puppet king to act so silly and disrespectful that Parliament abolishes the monarchy altogether. This ploy sends the suddenly powerless bad guy scurrying off, which leaves June free to reopen her mobile food pantry and John to pursue his vocation as an artistplus, to close on a traditional note, pop the question. (All of these recent events have been quite, quite incredible, marvels a character with perfect accuracy.) As in his previous episodes, Ryan layers silhouettes over cut-paper backgrounds in a range of, usually, murky colors to create atmospheric illustrations that heighten the drama but also make large swathes of the superimposed, low-contrast text hard to read. The figures are usually solid black, but the artist sometimes tints them faintly to show that beneath her two kinky ponytails June has darker skin than her beloved companion. Admire the pictures, skip the thoroughly overblown text. (Illustrated fiction. 11-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.