Thursday, 27 March 2025

The Second Skater of the Apocalypse - Fiorella De Maria - Skaters Book 2

The Second Skater of the Apocalypse
Skaters Book 2
Magnificat
ISBN 9781621645917
eISBN 9781639671229
ASIN B0DXCDYBL4


Wow, what a heart-warming, wonderful family story about life during the first lockdown! But I get ahead of myself. This is the eighteenth time I have read a work by Fiorella De Maria. I have read all of her works but one of her non-fictions and I have read a couple of them more than once. This is the second in a new series jointly published by Ignatius Press and Mangificat. The category lists it as good for readers 9-18 making it tween, teen and young adult. But to be honest it is a great novel for readers of any age. Both the first and second volumes are excellent, and I can only hope that de Maria writes many more in the series.

The description of the book is:

“With both realism and humor, this heartwarming novel describes the joys and the challenges of a modern English family. Like its prequel, My Family and Other Skaters, it features the ups, the downs, and the sometimes-hilarious mishaps of six figure-skating brothers and sisters. In this story, the family's joy and resilience are put to the test during the COVID pandemic.”

And the author bio states:

“Fiorella De Maria, was born in Italy of Maltese parents. She grew up in Wiltshire, England, and attended Cambridge University, where she received a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a Master’s in Renaissance Literature. She lives in Surrey with her husband and children.  A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published four other novels with Ignatius Press: Poor Banished Children, Do No Harm, We'll Never Tell Them and the first Father Gabriel mystery, The Sleeping Witness.”

This story continues the tale of a family of figure skaters. This story begins with New Year’s 2020. The family is preparing for the season’s skating events. The family has helped a friend get back on his feet. They have a lot on the good, with school, work, the mother’s writing career, and of course skating. But soon the first lockdown is announced and all their plans change. 

Reading this volume was heart-warming. Reading how this family dealt with this situation was awesome. Their faith and service to others is inspiring. This novel and series really remind me so much of Madeleine L’Engle’s Chromos novels. In that it is real time, realistic experiences of the somewhat old-fashioned family. This could be a family you know from school, church or the rink. It could also be your family or part of your extended family. 

The characters are masterfully written. You will fall in love with this family and rejoice in their victories and feel sorry for their difficulties. The family and family dynamics are wonderfully written. As the oldest of three there was much I could relate to. Except for 2 of us were the hockey players on the ice before the figure skaters. But I have known many skaters over the years and this book captures many stories I heard from friends.

I have a dual form of dyslexia and my son had eye tracking issues and we both greatly prefer digital books. I was very thankful the eBook and physical book released at the same time. Because of my dyslexia I did not read much when a child, I read a lot of Madeleine L’Engle’s works in my twenties, this book and series really have that feel to them.

This is a wonderful novel, about a very difficult time. This is a volume that would be an excellent edition to any church, school, or home library. It is story that I can easily recommend. And it will leave you wanting more. I can easily recommend this book. And keep your eyes out for future books from the masterful pen of Fiorella. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 


My Family and Other Skaters - Fiorella De Maria - Skaters Book 1
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