Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

The fourth tale of Septimus Heap delivers action, adventure, magic, and a good share of surprises.

The tale begins when Nicko Heap and Snorri, who in a previous book found themselves transported out of their own Time, discover a clue that might allow them to return to their home Time. However, the path home is a tricky one: Nicko and Snorri must find their way to the mysterious House of Foryx, "the place where all Times do meet." Once they are there, the difficulties are not over. Finding and entering the House of Foryx is hard enough, but once they are in, they must wait for someone from their own Time to enter before they will be able to leave and return home.

Meanwhile, the notes regarding Nicko and Snorri's preparations for this journey have survived until Septimus's time, under the care of the long-lived alchemist Marcellus Pye. Using the notes and lists that Nick has left behind, Septimus and Jenna are able to figure out what it is that Nicko and Snorri are attempting, and set off to reach the House of Foryx themselves, so that their appearance might allow Nicko and Snorri to return to the correct Time. However, their plans are complicated by the pernicious ghost of Tertius Fume, who contrives to send Septimus against his will on a Queste from which no apprentice wizard has ever returned.

While the plot rambled in places, I enjoyed the overall arc of the story, and in the end I was glad for the slow development at the beginning which built up to the climax. Sage's characterization was impressive; I got a good idea of the relationships that had formed between characters in previous books, as well as a sense of their internal states and motivations. Her large cast of secondary characters was deftly managed as well.

As a newcomer to the series, getting my bearings was slightly confusing, but after a while I began to understand the backstory better, thanks to the author's hints and insinuations at what had happened before this book. There were still moments when I felt like I was missing out on something--moments where I was sure that the emotional impact would have been greater had I read the previous three books in the series--but overall I was still able to enjoy it, and would recommend it thoroughly. ( )

A nice little sequel to Physik... I didn't think it was as entertaining as the other books, but still a good read. ( )

Queste is a wonderful book in an amazing series. Probably the best story of the set thus far, although the first one - Magyk is also excellent. I am very glad I read these.

The series will inevitably be compared with Harry Potter, as both are wonderfully funny tales set in a world of magic, and with some other plot similarities. But the Septimus Heap books are not obviously derivative of the Hary Potter phenomenon. They stand very well on their own merits.

There are still some loose ends so I suspect Angie Sage is not done with this series yet. We will see.

In thuis story we see Septimus, Princess Jenna and Beatle searching for Nikko and Snorri, lost in the past at the end of Physik. But Merrin Meredith also re-emerges as a villain, which leads to an attempt to darken the destiny of Septimus Heap.

The plot is more intricate than previous novels. There are perhaps a couple of areas where perfectionsist would quibble over plot details, but if you read it for the story you won't care at all. Highly recommended - this series is a new favourite of mine. ( )

This is a great series. This continues the story begun in book 3. Can't wait for book 5. ( )

Susan says: This is the latest book in the Septimus Heap series, and Elly had suggested that it might be the last - there are a lot of things in it that are wrapped up, seeming to indicate an end, although I always assumed there would be 7 books in the series. Septimus, Beetle and Jenna end up having to go on a Queste to rescue Nicko and Snorri, who are trapped in another time. There are a lot of elements to this queste, and they do all come together at the end of the book. However, while I liked this book better than Physik, I still felt like it took too long to read, and there were times when she focused so long on Septimus, Beetle and Jenna that I forgot who other characters were when she reintroduced them. So that was sort of frustrating. All in all, I do like the series, and the way things twist and turn. While this would not be a bad place to leave the characters, I would be surprised if this is the end of the series. ( )