Early Book Review: The Fantastical Exploits of Gwendolyn Gray by B. A. Williamson

The Fantastical Exploits of Gwendolyn Gray is the second book in a series by B. A. Williamson. It is currently scheduled for release on April 28 2020. While I do recommend reading the series in order, the author does a good job of giving newcomers a starting point, which helped remind this returning reader of what happened so far. 

Heroes never return from adventure unchanged, and Gwendolyn Gray knows this better than anyone. She faces a new darkness within herself—with no help or comfort from her friends Sparrow and Starling. On top of that, the City is only getting worse. When the Faceless Gentlemen return to menace her again, Gwendolyn escapes to the lands of the Fae. But even the dreamlike Faeoria holds dangers that even she could never have imagined. Gwendolyn must learn to master control her magic and manage her internal struggles if she ever hopes to defeat the villainous forces that control the City, find Sparrow and Starling, and save the people she loves.

The Fantastical Exploits of Gwendolyn Gray is a nice second book to a series, and I look forward to what will follow. It took me a few pages to remember which story this was, and who everyone was. However, I really liked that the author gave subtle hints and not so subtle summaries in the story, allowing newcomers to the story to catch up, and those of us with failing memories to remember what we have read previously. I also liked the narration breaking the forth wall, although there might be some readers that do not enjoy that style as much as I do. I thought the action and twists and turns of the plot were very well done, I just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I also liked that none of the characters are perfectly good or evil, they are changeable and imperfect just like everyone in the real world. Gwen continues to grow up, and her realizations about herself, stories, other people, and life in general were engaging and  sometimes hard to read emotionally. I think the book was very well done and look forward to following the story in whatever book comes next.

The Fantastical Exploits of Gwendolyn Gray is a solid middle grade fantasy that will have readers looking for whatever might come next from Williamson.