Lake in the Clouds

Lake in the Clouds: Shards of Excalibur Book 3
by Edward Willett
Published by Coteau Books
Review by Courtney Bates-Hardy
$14.95 ISBN 9781550506167

Lake in the Clouds is the third installment in the Shards of Excalibur series. If you haven’t read the first two books, beware of spoilers. You’ll want to read the entire series for continuity. When we last left Ariane and Wally, they had just been separated by the evil Merlin-turned-computer-tycoon, Rex. Wally has been taken in by Rex’s smooth talk and lies about Ariane and her ever-growing power. Wally is about to discover that Rex isn’t as nice as he pretends to be. What does Rex have planned for Wally?

Ariane is busy sorting through her anger with Wally for betraying her and giving the second shard to Rex. She doesn’t have a clear direction without Wally but she’s determined to find the third shard anyways. Rex finds that he is at a standstill when it comes to finding the third shard and is left with no other option but to reach out to Ariane. However, that doesn’t stop him from threatening her family along the way. Will Ariane be able to find the third shard and keep her family safe?

Lake in the Clouds is a suspenseful read that keeps the pace moving. However, it doesn’t end on as much of a cliffhanger as the second book and we’re left wondering how long it will take them to find all five shards, when they’ve only found a few so far. Still, there’s some big developments hinted at in this book, so the fourth one promises to bring in some new characters that should shake things up a bit. Unassuming characters in the first and second books have already begun to reveal their more important roles in the story. Readers can remain hopeful that there will eventually be a payoff for all of this searching.

Wally and Ariane show themselves to be both independent and resourceful in this third book. Younger readers will find much to admire about these characters. Their many adventures take them all over the world, from Canada to Hawaii and New Zealand, although they never stray far from their strong moral compass.

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