The Second Siege is the second book in the Tapestry series. The book begins with a new school year at Rowan Academy. Max and David stayed at the school over the summer and Max's dad now lives at the school with them. (He's been recruited to work in the kitchen by Mum and Bob.) While Max is excelling at exercises and battle training, he knows he will have to use the skills outside of the Course soon. And he's right.
It all starts with the visit of a witch who makes a claim to Max and David. If they do not follow through, she says, Rowan will be cursed. Max and David must figure out what to do, which sends them running through war-torn countries. In the process, they learn more about Max's mother, the secrets of Rowan and the real purpose of the Kestral. And just when the two think they've figured all of it out, the second siege begins.

While the first book, The Hound of Rowan, was similar to Harry Potter, this sequel radiated more of a Percy Jackson vibe. The story is a long one and filled with many twists and turns. Some of the plot twists were cliche, and yet I was still shocked by them. That's good writing right there!
I had a little trouble remembering everything from the first book, since it had been a while, but once I got it all figured out reading it was a breeze. Well, no. Not exactly a breeze. The events and suspense had me very nervous. But again, that's just a sign of good writing!
The only part that I didn't like was when he's with the Sidh. I don't know much about them and I got pretty confused. It happened with another fantasy book too when the Sidh got involved, so I'm going to say that maybe it's just me. It's only two chapters and all you really need to know is that the world of the Sidh is very similar to Wonderland. Roads change, marching armies, riddles. Very similar. The rest of the book makes up for the slightly confusing part.
The story takes the time to build more on Max's character, as well as the people who accompany him on his journey. While we're on that note, the group that goes with him is most interesting and I loved it! It's not who you would expect, but once they get going, you see that it's actually a really well-balanced group. And on top of that, the balance of action was wonderful too! The timing for travel, battles and down time was realistic, which I always appreciate.

On the whole, the 476 pages of this book are worth your attention. If you don't believe me, start reading it. The book will steal you attention instead.

I recognize that I'm probably too harsh on good books and authors. However, I just cant give 5 stars to a book that irratated me. This book was a departure from the Harry Potter gibe of the first. In this novel, the main characters (at 13) are put in charge of basically saving the world. Odd choice. Also, loads of training that apparently took 2 years was skipped with barely a mention except to point out a new found fighting prowess. weird.
I did enjoy the book. The story is enjoyable. I just found myself shaking my head too often to warrant 5.

This was a really good but sad way to continue the story. I almost cried for half of the time, and the other half of the time I was holding my breath. I love the twists this book has in it's plots.

Max McDaniels is only a second year in Rowan Academy. Yet he and his room-mate David are becoming more and more woven into the plot of the world and Rowan.Now they have a plot to foil, and a book to save.

It has lots of sad parts, and it is full of things to smile and cry about, but looking back, I really enjoyed this book.

awesome