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Gr 4-6-In this installment, the young thief-turned-wizard Conn is not only back from exile but has also been appointed to the post of ducal magister by his friend (and Duchess of Wellmet) Rowan. Conn, hating the idea of living in a suite in the palace eating fancy food, goes undercover to discover who is stealing  the magisters' powerful wizard stones-something that should be impossible. It turns out to be Conn's enemy Crowe, aided by treachery within Rowan's inner circle; his diabolical plot threatens to upset the delicate, uneasy balance between the two City "magics," which would lead to disaster. Fans of the series will relish Conn's return to his old gutterboy life, full of dirt and danger, though they might wish the plot had a bit more of Conn's friends Nevery, Benet, and Rowan in it. The protagonist's trademark uncommunicativeness with everyone around him is balanced by his voluble no-filters narration, and the back matter (including a hoity-toity palace menu scrawled with Conn's dismayed comments) adds to the charm.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gutterboy-turned-wizard Conn once again saves his beloved city from magical and other disasters while irritating friends and enemies alike.Showing signs that the well of inspiration may be running dry, Prineas continues or recycles plot elements from previous episodes, brushes contradictions aside and doesnt even bother to come up with a new villain. Spurred by a string of wizardly thefts and a vague feeling that all is not right in Wellmet, Connas has been his practicemulishly rejects the offered help of his friends and returns to his grubby roots for a solo investigation. While said friends exchange hand-wringing letters of concern (arbitrary parts of which are written in a runic code for readers to decipher), Conn discovers that his old nemesis, Crowe, is back from exile. The evil wizard brings with him magic cages that block some spells but not others, depending on the needs of the plot, and also a scheme to take over the government with a few well-placed bombs. As only Conn is aware, such blasts will actually destroy the whole city by upsetting its uneasily balanced magical underpinnings. Multiple chases, captures, escapes, conveniently overheard conversations and encounters with dragons ensue.Contrivances, filler and laboriously manufactured suspense stall a formerly nimble fantasy series. (map, cast list, menu) (Fantasy. 11-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.