Review by Ian Keogh

Juniper Mae, or Juni lives an advanced, futuristic city, yet she’s still a genius level inventor. The city has a powerful President Onyx of Tycotech, and Juni thwarted his plans to level the nearby forest in Secrets of the Guardian Knights. The city is experiencing power cuts, but Juni has invented an independent power source, and because Onyx wants it, he kidnaps her father.

Sarah Soh and Tim Fraser once again collaborate on the writing, with Soh responsible for the appealing art. Detail is a speciality, with readers always given something to look at and wonder about in the panels, yet the storytelling is never sacrificed, so young readers will always know what’s happening. An occasional spread labels assorted devices.

Rescuing her father isn’t a mission Juni has to undertake alone. She has mechanical helper Bot-L and Albie the turtle, but hadn’t counted on her grandfather wanting to come along. An indication of just how good her engineering skills are is the speed with which she converts his wheelchair into a hover chair. Getting into Tycotech isn’t easy, and the assorted traps are drawn almost as puzzles to be solved, with Soh’s colour choices adding to the appeal.

Greedy corporate directors obviously not having the best interests of ordinary people at heart is an interesting route for an all-ages graphic novel to take, and it’s been consistent from the opening book. A scene near the end has Juni spotting all kinds of nastiness in development, which is possibly to be explored in future volumes, along with a captive threat from the last book. The final page certainly indicates there’s more to come.

This is another enjoyable adventure in a worthwhile series.