The Underwild#2: Relic of Thieves by Shana Targosz

The Underwild#2:  Relic of Thieves by Shana Targosz
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Aladdin 
Format Read:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   464 pages
Publishing:  March 24th, 2026
Source: NetGalley

Opening Lines from prologue:  " Who knew a splotch of raspberry jam could accurately predict my doom?"

The first chapter opens with a timestamp, six days earlier.  Anya has been best friends with Lizzie ever since the second grade, she's the one person who truly gets her and makes school bearable.  But now Lizzie is moving out of state, leaving Anya feeling abandoned and alone.    

For years, Anya and Lizzie have believed that the strange, broken-down house in town belongs to a witch.  One day, while visiting the town park that used to be their special spot, Anya sees, Senka, the odd new girl with freckles who suddenly arrived at school walking with a man who squawks.  Curiosity gets the better of her, and she ends up following and spying on them through a cottage window.  There, she overhears Senka and Hecate, the goddess of ghost's discussing a set of magical keys capable of taking you anywhere you want to go.  Longing for the affection Senka seems to receive from Hecate, and desperately missing her friend, Anya steals the keys and uses them to travel to Lizzie.  

Once reunited, the girls attempt to use the keys again to return to their favorite spot.  Instead, they are transported to the Underwild, a world filled with ancient gods, Mormo's, people who have lost their memories and other unimaginable forms of nightmares.  By taking Hecate's relic Anya has unknowingly broken an ancient law set by Zeus and must pay a terrible price.  Now Anya must stand trial before the judges of the Underworld or risk being hunted down by a monstrous beast whose only mission is to ensure that she is brought to justice. Can Anya, with the help of Senka, complete a series of trials to reunite with Lizzie?  Or are they doomed to be separated and lose their precious memories of the living world?

Relic of Thieves is the second book in the Underwild series by Shana Targosz.  I read and reviewed the first book, River of Spirits, in March 2025.  The story centered on Senka and her duties working with Charon as a Ferryer of the dead.   What drew me in was how immersive the world felt and I was absorbed with Poppy's journey; an immortal girls search for her brother within the Underwild.

Relic of Thieves shifts the point of view to Anya, which takes a moment of refocusing since the first book focused primarily on Senka and Poppy.  Anya is a deeply sad and lonely girl whose home life is complicated by a brother who constantly belittles her and mocks the stories she writes in her notebook.  She aches for the warmth and comfort she sees in Senka and Hecate's relationship.  Opening up to others is difficult for her, she worries that she's somehow damaged and unworthy of friendship, destined to be alone.  

Senka's willingness to trust and share her personal story with Anya comes as a surprise.  Anya's character arc is incredibly relatable, and I love how she takes responsibility for stealing the keys and slowly begins to share pieces of herself with Senka, her sadness, fears and her memories.  Watching her shift from being closed off and self-doubting to someone who finds a supportive, caring found family of friends is one of the most rewarding parts of reading the book.  

I also love how the story of Persephone and Hades is woven into Anya's trials. The myth explains how Persephone spends six months of the year with her mother above and the other six months with her love, Hades in the Underworld.  How Zeus and Hades had a huge rift between them and the origins of the rules surrounding Hecate's keys.  There's even a delightful appearance from Dionysus, who now runs a kombucha business.  As a longtime fan of the 1981 Clash of the Titans film, I especially appreciated all of the Greek mythology references in Relic of Thieves, particularly the portrayal of the Graeae sisters.  Pick this up if you've enjoyed the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan, love adventurous friendship stories, or are craving an escapist journey into a world shaped by Greek gods.  I would suggest beginning with the first book in the series.