Chaos King
by Kacen Callender
High School    Tor Teen    384 pp.
4/25    9781250890283    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781250890290    $11.99

Ash Woods, the transmasculine alchemist who saved the city from his father’s destructive magic in Infinity Alchemist (rev. 3/24), begins this novel now licensed, honored by House Alexander, and cohabiting with the two people he fell in love with, Callum and Ramsay. But Ash is coping with symptoms consistent with PTSD and is worried that the other two will realize they love each other and not him. When Lord Alexander suggests—threateningly—that Ash become his spy in the outlaw Alchemist Liberation Party, and then the ALP kidnaps Ash to recruit him to spy on Lord Alexander, Ash becomes a double agent to protect Callum and Ramsay from attack but ends up forced to betray each of them. The motivations and pressures brought to bear can be difficult to track at times, but Ash finds he aligns with the goals of the ALP and takes steps he can’t back away from, alienating both of his lovers in the process. Meanwhile, chaos energy left over from Ash’s father’s attack raises the stakes to potential universal destruction. Fast-paced action sequences and a dollop of metaphysics make this exciting sequel a good fit for those who like their fantasy to take big swings.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.