This second volume of The Last Descendants trilogy picks up fifteen years later with a new teen protagonist. Featuring the same blend of fantasy and romance, this trade paperback will have readers primed for the final volume, available in 2011.

Anselm Andros has clearly defined roles in his family, and they are roles he plays very well. He is confidant to his mother, Maria. He is confessor to his stepfather, Leo, a man haunted by the secrets of his past. And Anselm is also the patient, caring brother to his precocious sister, Jasmine, whose growing magical abilities make him especially protective.

Life for this family of secondhand traders is ordinary in many ways. But when the political landscape of Malonia starts to shift, their lives begin to unravel. Even though Leo and Maria have spent the past fifteen years leading a quiet life, their actions are forever linked to the turbulent history of Malonia and its parallel world, modern-day England. The voices from the past still echo in the present and shape the lives of their children, especially Anselm, who is desperate to penetrate the secrecy surrounding his birth. With so much uncertainty at home and in his world, it is more important than ever for Anselm to put all the pieces together. He must listen to his own voice and acknowledge his fears and desiresηwhatever the cost.