Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke

Angie Sage
Katherine Tegen Books (2011)
ISBN 9780061242427
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 13) for Reader Views (6/11)

“Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke” by Angie Sage is the story of fourteen-year-old Septimus Heap who must save the Castle from destruction at the hands of a powerful evil.   When the failed necromancer apprentice Merrin Meredith found the Two-Faced-Ring, an evil artifact with incredible power, his mind became slowly more corrupted.  With the ring, Merrin created a Darke Domaine, a black fog that sent people into an unconscious state.  The Darke Domaine began to threaten the safety of the Castle and its citizens, and Septimus was the only person who could help.  Will Merrin be defeated, or will he overpower Septimus and the wizards?

When a friendly ghost, Alther Mella, was accidentally banished to the Darke Halls, Septimus was tasked with finding and releasing him so that Alther could help Undo (destroy) the Darke Domaine.  Starting out on his mission, Septimus arrived at his old home, and his brother Nicko arrived with a boat to take him to the Darke Halls.  After reaching the Darke Halls and finding a maze awaiting him, Septimus was close to giving up.  But then he met a strange ghost who helped him to find the right way to Alther.  Septimus found Alther and was almost finished freeing him when the evil ghost Tertius Fume saw him.  Septimus was only able free Alther with the help of several other ghosts.  But saving Alther was only part of the many things necessary to destroy the Darke Domain.  Can the Darke Domaine be stopped before it destroys the Castle?

One major obstacle in Septimus’s path to destroy the Darke Domaine was Merrin and his Darke dragon.  With this sole thought in his mind, Septimus fetched his dragon Spit Fyre to face Merrin and his dragon.  Septimus would have to win, or else.  So Septimus and Spit Fyre flew in to face him.  Attacks, feints and dodges filled the next several minutes for Septimus and his dragon.  Several close shaves nearly ended it for Septimus.  Can Septimus defeat Merrin and his Darke Dragon?

In the first Septimus Heap book, Magyk, Septimus was “misplaced” by the Castle midwife soon after he was born and was drafted as an infant into the Young Army.  After several long years in the Young Army he went on an adventure with Jenna, the heir to the throne of the Castle.  Together they faced the evil necromancer Dom Daniel and triumphed.  In the books following, Septimus faced many other dangers and adventures.  All of the books are full of constant action, suspense, and adventure.  This was the sixth book in the series and my favorite.  As it is the sixth book, it might be a little hard to follow for people who haven’t read the preceding books.

I would recommend “Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke” to people who like adventure and magic.  With nonstop action and suspense, you won’t want to put this book down until you finish it, even though it has 640 pages.

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