The narration was a little jumpy at times, which makes sense, but was difficult to follow sometimes when listening to on audiobook. ( )

Just did not like this book as much as the first in the series. The plot didn't flow as well or make sense and the story jumped around far too much. :/ ( )

Book #2. It is 1954, and now 16-year old Janie Scott attends a private school in New Hampshire. Her roommate Opal's father, Mr. Magnusson, kidnaps her and flies her to his private island in Malaysia supposedly for her scientific work on desalinization. In reality, he is trying to lure the Apothecary (Magnus Burrows) and his son, Benjamin to help with a much more nefarious project Janie's friends Benjamin, Pip and Jin Lo come to save her from three different parts of the world. A series of near-death experiences for the apprentices, but all does not work out in the end this time. Good illustrations!
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In the second book of the Apothecary series, the tone is changed. While the first book was told in first person, by Janie, "The Apprentices" is told in third person, and follows many different characters. We alternately are seeing the events in the lives of Janie, Benjamin and Marcus Burroughs, Jin Lo, and Pip.
The story line is largely new. It assumes you read the first book, but this tale begins two years later, and involves a villain, Mr. Magnussen, straight out the James Bond canon. The plot is far-fetched, but fun. An evil tycoon is mining uranium to sell to a mysterious unknown, but he wants Marcus Burroughs, the apothecary, to make his uranium tamper proof to apothecaries around the world (since in the first book they showed a talent for reversing the effects of an atomic explosion.) So the evil Magnussen kidnaps Janie in order to lure Benjamin and his father to follow.
The entire conclusion felt as much James Bondish as it did Apothecaryish... but I enjoyed the adventure immensely. ( )

It's been a couple years since Janie and Benjamin's adventure together. Benjamin is in the jungle with his father, who seems to have gotten sidetracked from his original mission, while Janie is at an American boarding school, slowly regaining some of her memories and working hard on a science project that, if completed, could be a means of desalinization that would make ocean water drinkable. When her project comes to the attention of an unscrupulous millionaire, Janie finds herself caught up in another adventure, but this time she's on her own... or is she?

I enjoyed this book just as much as its predecessor, for all that it took me years to get around to reading it. The characterization continues to be strong (though the bad guys are not particularly nuanced), and the pacing is well done. Readers who enjoyed The Apothecary should certainly seek out this volume. ( )