This is the second book in the Mither Mages trilogy by Orson Scott Card.

In this instalment, the reader finds out more about Loki, who was the first person to wield the ability to make gates and who caused a rift between worlds. It also explores the extent of Danny's powers as he trains with different mages.

This, in my opinion, is better than the first book. It has a lot of magic involved, which I always enjoy, but it also deals with some pretty deep issues, such as power and control and whether to abuse these things or not. The Norse Mythology is also explored more here, which is another plus, if you're a fan of that sort of thing.

Because Danny is in high school, there is some teen angst and drama involved, which I found to be a bit passe, but I could overlook it with all of the good things this book had going for it.