Earth is safe… for now. With both sides sustaining heavy losses, it’s time for the next battle. While the Aliens are busy retreating to Pluto to regroup, Patrick and the rebellion head for the stars themselves. Believing they have stripped the King of his power, they head for Venus and Mercury in hopes of growing their numbers.

As the fate of not only Earth but the entire Galaxy hangs in the air, Patrick and his rebellion attempt to unravel the mystery and magic of the universe around them.

With the rebellion distracted and Earth undefended, the King of Pluto wastes no time in raising his army across the Galaxy. Earth must be taken back by any means necessary, sending a clear message to anyone who dares stand in his way.

Meanwhile, a mysterious newcomer watches from the shadows as the two forces battle it out. With a trail of perfectly placed breadcrumbs, this newcomer attempts to lead the rebellion right into her arms.

The Burn of Magic is the second in the Aliens From Arapholanx series – a science fiction series about a boy, Patrick, and his adventures after he accidentally stumbles upon an alien base in the woods.  While I was highly anticipating this second novel, I didn’t end up enjoying it quite as much as I had hoped I would.

The pacing of the story seems to be a bit rushed.  It starts out summarizing Patrick’s preparation with a small army to go into space and save other planets from Plutonian conquest, and suddenly just after talking to his parents, he’s on his way.  Unlike the last book, I didn’t feel like I was on the adventure with Patrick.  It was just being told to me.  It might’ve been just me, but I had a harder time seeing the areas that Patrick’s tale took place, whether it was with him on the ships, Venus, and Mercury.

It’s not a bad book at all, I just personally felt like I saw more telling than showing in the narration and there were so many new characters introduced that I found it a little hard to keep up.  However, there were still plenty of sections where I was really into the story and able to follow along better than other times.  It was the inconsistency that threw me while reading this one.

I was also disappointed that there were some events that only made one appearance, like with Patrick’s parents while he’s gone, as well as his old friend Mark.  I realize that might be the author’s intent and that those will be addressed in the next book, but I personally think those should have had some other mention at some point in the story.  But again, I’m not the author.

I can’t say that I wouldn’t recommend this book, because this is just my own personal taste.  The story and series seems to have merit, but I just thought that this book was a little more all over the place than the first book, which felt more adventurous than this did.

Rating: 3/5 stars