http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2013/04/11/dark-mirror-dark-passage/ ( )

I read Dark Mirror over a year ago, so it took me some time to dig into Dark Passage. Tory and her Irregular friends made it back to their own time in 1803, but they were forever changed after their experiences at Dunkirk in 1940. Putney took time to develop Cynthia's character and her connection with Jack, which I really enjoyed. Tory and Allarde's connection grows stronger, but will they be able to overcome their situation in 1803? Putney does a nice job of weaving historical content with the characters of this series. I'm looking forward to Dark Destiny. :) ( )

I really enjoyed this exciting second adventure for Tory and her companions. They have returned safely to 1803 from their adventures in England in 1940 and are finding that their magical powers are stronger than ever. Unfortunately, their problems also seem to be growing. In the England of their time, aristocrats hate magic and magic users. Aristocratic children with magical powers are frequently disinherited or otherwise shunned by their families and society as a whole.

While Tory's father is shunning her, her brother and sister are not. She is invited to attend her sister's wedding which will be held at her brother's house and without her parents in attendance. She is glad to be able to be with her sister even though it means leaving her prickly roommate Cynthia behind. She does run right into the prejudice of the upper class society at her brother's home. She also gets to see her love Allerde who is a neighbor of her brother's. Visiting his home and meeting with his parents convinces Tory that she has to give him up for his own good. If he doesn't manage to conceal his magic and marry a girl with no magical powers, his father will be forced to disinherit him cutting him off from the land that he is connected to and losing him his chance to be a duke. Tory's decision manages to break both their hearts.

Meanwhile, with Cynthia left behind at the school, we get to know her a lot better. We begin to find the reasons why she is so sharp-tongued. She is invited home for Christmas by Jack Rainford and she accepts rather than face the loneliness of the school. She feels that Jack is definitely her social inferior and he possesses an absolute talent for ruffling her feathers but she is attracted to him anyway.

When Nick comes back through the mirror from 1940 needing their help again, Tory and Allerde are swept through time with him on a quest to rescue an imprisoned Jewish scientist from a castle in France. Elspeth, Jack and a very reluctant Cynthia soon join them in the rescue attempt. The action is fast and furious and the danger intense despite all the magic the group has.

This was exciting and romantic. I think lovers of time travel, historical fiction, and romance will really enjoy this sequel to Dark Mirror. I think they will be waiting eagerly, along with me, for Dark Destiny which will be published this summer. ( )

Tory and company return to 1940, this time to France, to rescue a scientist. But of course there are complications.

Unlike the first book, this is not really a school story. It's a worthy continuation, but *not* a good place to start. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:
www.allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com

Stilted dialogue, stiff delivery of background information, and a juvenile melding of history with World War II made this book a lackluster read for me. To a young YA reader, I think the adventure, mythology, and age appropriate romantic elements would be much more enjoyable, but I don’t think DARK PASSAGE has much potential as an adult crossover.

I had not read DARK MIRROR, the prequel to this book, and for a new reader the background information provided was useful (if stiffly delivered). Tory and her friends share so much information out loud to each other, dialogue issues are compounded ten times over. Of course, my advanced copy of DARK PASSAGE did not contain the final text, so the final edit may improve sections that bothered me. Any changes that tighten up the dialogue in the published book would improve the overall appeal this story quite a bit.

Dialogue issues aside, the adventure elements of DARK PASSAGE are interesting, if lightly handled. Putney touches upon 1800's class attitudes, and some of the difficulties of World War II, but in a glancing way that does not make these story elements too dark for young readers. As an adult, there were parts of the book that seemed a little naive (such as assuming that Tory and her friends are aware of class prejudices in their time, but not religious ones). For a young reader, however, I think Putney has done a good job of bringing in real-world elements without getting bogged down in too much darkness. The romantic story lines were the strongest part of the book for me, deftly written in a way that is appropriate for young readers but fleshed out enough for my adult interest. Tory and Cynthia both handle some tough issues and make well-thought-out decisions. It is rare for a YA to provide such a nuanced look at romantic decisions, and I was impressed by this aspect of the story.

On the whole, I would not recommend DARK PASSAGE as a crossover YA for adults (or for precocious teens used to darker, urban YA) but there is the foundation of a good adventure and sweet romance in this Paranormal YA. Most importantly, there is no darkness or behavior portrayed that would have me hesitating to hand this to any young reader, which means there’s no reason not to read an excerpt, give it as a gift, or pick up a copy to try for yourself.

Sexual Content: Kissing. ( )