Sorcerer Rob Lynburn has returned to Sorry-in-the-Vale, and is determined to return it to the old ways that ruled the place for centuries. 
 Now it's up to Kami and her friends to stop him from claiming human sacrifice, and dominating the entire village. Unfortunately, "Untold" has a case of middle-book syndrome here -- it's still a clever, gripping story with a likable, go-getting cast of characters, but often it feels like Sarah Rees Brennan is just treading water before the final book. 
 With Rob Lynburn returned, battle lines are being drawn in Sorry-in-the-Vale -- he's collecting as many loyal sorcerers as he can, as well as loyal mortals who want things back the way they used to be. Kami and her friends are brainstorming about what to do, but they soon find themselves with a deadline when Rob declares that Sorry-in-the-Vale will offer him a human sacrifice at the winter solstice. 
 With only Lillian, Ash and Jared on their side, Kami and Co. don't really have much of a chance -- especially now that her link to Jared has been severed, and the two of them are barely speaking. Their only chance at defeating Rob is for the boys to gain enough power, but the only ways available may be fatal -- and their time is rapidly running out. 
 After the mystery and Gothic beauty of "Unspoken," it's a little hard to not be disappointed with "Untold." It very much feels like the middle chapter in a trilogy -- the plot doesn't advance very much until the very end, which leaves you dangling once more on a cliffhanger. More than anything else, it's a slow rev up to the third Lynburn Legacy book. 
 Instead, Brennan tries to compensate by focusing on various characters' romantic relationships, which feels awkward -- when the town is being conquered by evil human-sacrificing sorcerers, why should I focus on Holly's struggle with her sexuality or Rusty dating a "bad girl"? It feels like a massive diversion from the main story. 
 "Untold" is at its best when it focuses on Rob's threat to Sorrow-in-the-Vale, and the roiling unrest that is growing under its veneer of normalcy. There is still a clever, tongue-in-cheek approach ("Lulubelle") and Brennan's beautiful writing ("The tree branches were limned with ice: it made the whole wood look as if it was made of moonlight"), but there's a darker undercurrent to everything the characters do, such as when a corrupt cop tries to intimidate Kami, or when her family starts to fall apart as her mother's secrets are revealed. 
 The most interesting development is actually for Ash and Jared -- Ash struggles with his mother's contempt for him, and the other sorcerers' belief in his weakness, while Jared is constantly tempted by his inner darkness and the loss of the link. There is a lot of tension between them, and not just over Kami -- both boys are seeking their "place," but don't want to hurt others. 
 Kami is still a sprightly go-getter, but the fragmentation of her family and the loss of the link to Jared make her a more serious, intense heroine this time. She also puts her skills to use by investigating some of the Lynburn secrets of the past, which promise to become even more interesting in the story to come. 
 About half of "Untold" -- the half about the Lynburns and Sorrow-in-the-Vale -- is beautifully written, but it's padded by too much "middle-chapter" fluff. But Brennan's story promises to regain its steam for the finale.