First sentence: Erner woke, as he did every morning, from a nightmare: being pushed off the back of a dracogriff, into a cold lake far below.

Premise/plot: A Vanishing of Griffins is the second book in a trilogy of MG fantasy inspired by the Piper of Hamelyn. (Darkening of Dragons was the first book in this trilogy.) The first third of this one wraps up some of the drama from book one. (Erner is reunited with his former friends/companions. Wren is no longer cursed. One of the leaders (I forgot his name) has been healed.) The remainder of the book is essentially a new action-adventure fantasy story. New characters. New main story. Big battle. Huge battle. Way more action than character development. (They are facing off against the same villain.)

My thoughts: I really LOVED A Darkening of Dragons. Or at least I remember really, really liking it. I don't recall off hand if it was four stars or five stars.) I loved the storytelling, the characterization. Everything I loved about the first novel in the series seems to be absent in the second. It might be mostly me. It might not be either. I did read the first third of the book in one sitting. Took one day off of the book. Came back and discovered that there were a thousand and one new characters and a big shift in story. It might just be that I blanked out on the transition and some key moments where those new characters are introduced. This one has a LOT of action. At least twice the action. So for readers who enjoy action-packed fantasy, this one may appeal. I like a little more characterization. (Which I got for the first third.) ( )