Amadan na Briona

The second of the volumes available at my local public library. Now I am actually engaged enough in the story that I may have to read the rest online. More power to Tom Siddell for having enough fans to sell hardcover volumes of his free web comic, but as much fun as it is, $26.95 for each of (I think) 14 volumes or so is a bit stiff.

This is the story of Annie and Kat's second year at HogwartsGunnerkrigg Court. We get a little bit more about the background of the Court and the forest and the beasties who live in it, as well as a bit more about the kids' parents. However, at the end of this volume, there really haven't been a lot of questions answered. Annie is now studying to be a medium, a guide who escorts the dead to the afterlife. Her natural gift for this sort of work, and the way in which it first manifested, was revealed in a scene that was as heartbreaking as it was shocking.

The various robots, faeries, dragons, and gods who inhabit the setting continue to be interesting if a bit silly at times, and the whole "magic vs. technology" theme that seems to be building around the Court leaves me not terribly interested - been there, seen that. I do really like Coyote, and love the fact that he's obviously going to be a regular returning character. And Siddell has refined his humor a bit in this second volume - it was a lot funnier.

I still wish it wasn't quite so derivative of Harry Potter (the flashbacks to Annie and Kat's parents' school days read like straight-up Marauders fan fiction), but I continue to find the friendship between the girls to be one of the most attractive elements in the series.

So, probably you won't get future reviews of the series because I'm going to finish it off online, but I am finding it enjoyable enough to continue.