Serafina and the Twisted Staff

This one was even more layered than the Black Cloak, what a great read! Having been to Biltmore Estate several times, Mr. Beatty's descriptions of the house and grounds are spot on, as one would expect. There truly is nothing like it. It's great to see the author using the Southern Appalachian mountain magic and lore as subject matter, brings back some great memories of stories shared around fires in the Smokies. Thank you, again, Mr. Beatty, for another tale well told, so looking forward to the next!

I had the opportunity to be a part of an "advanced reader" group and cannot say enough good things about this book! I was so excited to get to continue the story of Serafina, which I was completely taken in by in "Black Cloak". This book DEFINITELY does not disappoint. It is a total page turner! I realize this is a young readers book and I am a 30-something, but I really feel like it has no age limit. It's entertaining and highly suspenseful. The continuation of Serafina's personal story along with a new adventure were excellent reading. Robert Beatty has done a great job in continuing this saga and I CANNOT WAIT for the 3rd installment. If you liked the first one, I would be HIGHLY surprised if you did not LOVE this one. Serafina has really grown and started to come into her own.

There is frequently a sophomoric slump in the work to follow such a worthy effort as is "Serafina and the Black Cloak", but happily, that is definitely not the case with this second novel in what I hope will be a continuing series. The villainy is even more dire and dastardly! Our heroes are even more determined to prevail so that evil may not flourish!The puzzles are yet more daunting, and all players may not truly be what they appear or represent themselves to be. But, along with several crucial life lessons, they learn that the deepest darkness is best met by all friends and neighbors finding uncommon spirit to weld them into a powerful weapon to follow the lead of the most fiercely loyal and courageous in common cause against defeating the most vile forces which threaten one and all.And, as before, the resolution is all at once meaningful, insightful, and soul-warming... even as storm clouds appear once again upon the horizon...

I know that the target audience is young adults but I as a young 62 year old found Serafina's story exciting. I found the story while I was searching for a weekend vacation.I decided to visit Ashville North Carolina. I did not visit the Biltmore but I was reading The Black Cloack. The description of the mountains and the forrest was exactly as described in the book. Looking out the window of the car I could picture Serafina running through the forrest. I was totally emersed in the two books and can't wait for the next book. We should all be bold.

Robert Beatty has created a compelling sequel that more than lives up to the first book. The action takes off in the first chapter and never really lets up (although Serafina has a few quieter moments they are few and far between). Just as Serafina is coming to terms with her shapeshifting abilities and is trying to figure out where she belongs: Biltmore or the forest. While wandering the forest one night she observes a strange carriage pulled by four wildlike stallion that drops off a strange man and his wolfhounds. She nearly dies when the wolfhounds attack her. Only with the help of her catamount mother and a feral boy does she manage to escape and return to Biltmore. But she is left with concerns about the person in the carriage that she didn't see that is now at Biltmore intending harm.But an awful series of events sends Serafina fleeing into the forest where she discovers that things are even worse than she thought. Only by finding a way to harness her own abilities and rallying her friends to her side can she find a way to defeat the evil that seeks to take over the whole region. The strange behavior of the animals complicates things as does the arrival of a Detective seeking to investigate the disappearance of Mr. Thorne (see book 1).I found the book compelling and fascinating with lots of twists and turns, especially at the end. This is the sort of book that I love to hand to children who like scary/suspenseful stories that are well told and don't follow overdone tropes. The underlying themes of the choices people make, and finding oneś way to peace within and well done and not overly preachy at all. Serafinaś efforts to protect the people and places she loves shines through loud and clear, but her struggles with fear and shame feel very real. A great sequel that I will hand to students with great pleasure.

This review was written by my 10-yr.-old daughter.Serafina and Twisted Staff is a really good book. The Twisted Staff Begins 3 weeks after Serafina defeated the man in the black cloak. If you haven't read the first book (Serafina and the Black Cloak,) consider going to the Biltmore Estate or read about it because both of the books talk about the rooms in Biltmore. I visited Asheville and the Biltmore Estate and it really helped me get into the books because I could picture what things looked like.Other people should read Serafina and the Twisted Staff. It's got one mystery after another. If you like adventure, this book is great for you. My favorite character is Serafina because she is adventurous. I like to go outside a lot, and I can really relate to her. The new characters in the Twisted Staff are a girl named Rowena, a boy named Wasya Fredrick Law Olmstead (designer of Biltmore,) Detective Grathan, a maid named Essie, and the creepy man in the forest.I really hope there is a 3rd book coming soon. Make sure you don't miss Serafina and the Twisted Staff on July 12th! I hope you like it as much as I do.From mom:We received an advanced reader's copy and have a hardback on order. I am donating one of them to my daughter's school. I think these are wonderful books for young girls. Thanks for the opportunity!

As we were finishing reading book 1 in this series, we came across this second book in the bookshop and my grand-daughter was absolutely delighted. Our expectations were fully met; the story is good, the characters develop and new ones are added, this time to include Frederick Olmstead, the creator of Central Park [one of granddaughters's favourite places] and of The Biltmore Estate. We explored the history of the Biltmore and read Beatty's afterword. We are both looking forward to more books by Paul Beatty.

Brilliant sequel to 1st book - full of new ideas and fun to read with my daughter!

I thoroughly enjoyed this second foray into the world of Seraphina and Braedon. There were more twists and turns in this tale and I loved watching Seraphina discover her true self. Well worth reading

This is an amazing book! I love how Robert Beatty depicts Biltmore estate. I was not surprised that it was real!!! I cannot wait until the next Serafina book comes out! I also love the characters and how they work together to solve the hardships in their way!!!

Brilliant series