Teen gets into more mischief in Obert Skye’s ‘Choke’

Beck Phillips has earned his reputation as a troublemaker in the town of Kingsplot.

It’s sad, really. You’d think that a sixteen-year-old boy with brown eyes, dark hair, and a mischievous smile, who had lost his mother, been shipped across country to live with his crazy uncle (only to learn he could make things grow and bring dragons to life), and practically ruined an entire town, would know better than to go messing around with things that could cause further amounts of trouble.

But no, Beck has not learned his lesson. And in Obert Skye’s “Choke,” the sequel to “Pillage,” Beck finds there’s no end to the amount of trouble he can get himself into — especially when he tries.

Though he has been living in the gigantic Pillage manor for a while, the enormous home still has secrets to uncover, and Beck is intrigued by the hidden passages and other surprises concealed on the estate. Beck knows he can’t let his curiosity get him into more trouble, especially after his earlier antics almost destroyed Kingsplot. He most certainly shouldn’t go messing around with dragons again. That would be crazy.

But when a mysterious man seems to know a lot about him, his family and especially dragons and the magic stones from which they come, Beck once again embarks on a dragon-filled journey that will force him to confront his family’s curse and question just who — if anyone — he can trust.

With “Choke,” Skye continues to use a great deal of humor while relating Beck’s adventure. There’s no end to the teen’s mischief, but his wit and charm make him an endearing character.

Skye’s books are full of the imagination readers seek in young adult fantasy novels. And with a healthy dose of comedy injected into the dialogue, fans won’t be able to wait to see what trouble Skye writes Beck into next.