Simon & Schuster delivers the second book in Kevin Sands’ The Blackthorn Key Series, Mark of the Plague, available on its own or in a hardcover slipcase collection that contains all six books in the series.

Picking up a couple of months after the first book, the tale finds apothecary apprentice Christopher Rowe working to make a living as the plague spreads across London. As people fall ill, as quarantines are in place, Christopher, his friend Thomas, and another orphan, Sally find themselves caught up in an all-new mysterious, adventure.

As the plague spreads a rumour begins about a plague-masked prophet, Melchior, wandering the city who can accurately predict which home will be struck by the plague next, and what families will die. He strikes fear in the hearts and homes of the magistrates and inspires the locals to follow him.

But perhaps there is hope, an apothecary, Galen, arrives and he promises that he has developed a cure for the plague, and with the help and finances of the city, he says he can save the entire city.

It’s a fast-paced tale that puts Christopher and his friends in constant danger, and when Melchior predicts plague for the Blackthorn apothecary that Christopher calls home the story kicks into high gear.

Like the previous novel, there are fun puzzles and mysteries to solve and Christopher works hard to figure out what is going on. Sands tells a fascinating tale, marrying historical fact with his highly enjoyable narrative and fascinating characters.

Once again, calling this a young adult book seems to do the series a bit of an injustice. It’s a fun and enjoyable ride, with well-realized characters, and lots of fun to be had as story and character threads from the first book carry over into this tale.

I love the way Sands writes, the continuity of the characters, the sense of loss Christopher has over the loss of his master Benedict (and the clues Benedict left for him after his death) and the real sense of friendship that is portrayed between Christopher and Thomas. The introduction of Sally makes it a delightful triumvirate, and I like how we caught glimpses of her in the first book.

In fact, Sands is continuing to fill out and build his world through the story, bringing us returning characters, and new ones, and grounding Christopher in the reality of the time.

And it ends up being so much fun. These are lightning-fast reads that are rollicking adventures with characters the reader can relate to. I am loving this series so far, and you can check this series out, either as single volumes or in the gorgeous six book collection available now from Simon & Schuster.

Next up in the series is The Assassin’s Curse! I can’t wait to see what happens with Christopher in that tale!