The Undoing

All 17-year-old Genevieve wants is for things to go back to normal, to care for her beloved circus animals and support her circus family.

But normal is not possible. Grieving the loss of those she loves, Genevieve also bears the gift and curse of her family’s legacy – a series of magical books called the Avrakedavra. Her connection to the texts gives her an extraordinary power to heal, but she must destroy the books – and her own power – to prevent the triumph of evil in the world. Pursued by a cruel magician and tormented by her own black-magic powered sister, Genevieve and her fellow heir, Henry, race around the world, assembling the parts necessary to destroy the ancient magic and complete the Undoing.

The Undoing is a sequel to Jennifer Sommersby’s first novel, Sleight, and much of the plot of The Undoing is anchored in the first book. Fans of Sleight will be excited to learn the fate of Genevieve after the events of the first novel and keep up with her developing romance with the kind and handsome Henry. The action is non-stop in The Undoing as Genevieve and Henry, guided by Xavier, the father she never knew, race from Paris to Naples to Athens to Pompeii.

Bloody battles and betrayals leave many bodies in their wake, and Genevieve has to deal with emotional upheaval while she tries to save the world. In many scenes, she is left overwhelmed and sobbing. Her breakdowns are understandable, triggered by the horror of the carnage, by her romantic feelings for Henry, and by her deep distrust of her mysterious father. But the sarcastic and tough Genevieve shakes off her feelings and rushes onward to her goal.

Genevieve and Henry know they will both lose something precious if they succeed. Henry’s connection with the dead and Genevieve’s healing gift will vanish when the magic is Undone. They use the magic for good, but Henry’s father, Lucien, and Genevieve’s sister, Aveline, use that same magic for destruction. A message that resonates in many other contexts, the book shows that power is not good or evil – it can become a tool for either or both in the hands of those who wield it.

Fathers figure prominently in the novel. Genevieve’s adoptive father, Baby, is in a coma for the duration of the plot, but her love for him motivates her to do what is needed. Her birth father, Xavier, is appointed their guide, but he has never contacted her, and the bitterness she feels at his abandonment results in much of her irresponsible behaviour. Henry’s father, revealed in Sleight as an evil magician, has left Henry with his own sense of isolation, and his ability to communicate with his dead mother is Henry’s last precious link to his family.

Genevieve is a satisfyingly strong female protagonist, a reluctant participant in the quest to rid the world of evil power but determined to do the right thing. She is a smart girl, able to think her way out of problems under enormous stress. In several situations, however, she does things that are downright silly – she abandons their guide and steals a boat, she uses a cell phone whose signal broadcasts her location, and she heals people in public, an action which quickly gets back to her tormenters.

Her impulsiveness eventually rattles even the always-understanding Henry. However, her irrepressible energy to succeed despite the physical and psychological torments inflicted make her a flawed but undeniable hero.

A fast-paced, action-packed, sometimes extremely bloody story, The Undoing is a satisfying sequel with strong characters and an unexpectedly thoughtful message.