This time it's Lucretia's turn for a bit of nasty revenge in "Beetle Queen", published today by Chicken House Books.
Insect fan Darkus is once again in danger as the nefarious Lucretia Cutter (a rather nasty character if we do say so ourselves) sends out her yellow ladybird spies to help her hatch a new plot to bend the world to her will.
With lots of beetle friends in tow, Darkus, Bertolt and Virginia will do everything to try and stop Lucretia's evil plans - but this time it won't be easy as her horrid sidekicks Humphrey and Pickering are out of jail, and rather fancy some revenge of their own.
Will Darkus's dad actually wake up and realise what's going on before it's too late?
A stunning sequel to Beetle Boy (which we've also just read), Beetle Queen is full of wry humour, breathtaking suspense and - oh - bugs, yes, lots of bugs. In fact if anything, Beetle Queen has made us incredibly paranoid about any yellow ladybirds we spot while out on our woodland walks!
Charlotte and I absolutely lapped this up, though I think this has an awful lot to do with Lucretia, who is the sort of baddie that you just can't help but admire, in their single-minded pursuit of foul evilness!
If you're still playing catchup, or if you're the sort of person who likes to get into a book series at book one, then don't forget to pick up a copy of "Beetle Boy"...
The two don't exactly hit it off at first, but when Darkus realises the big scary bug is actually trying to communicate, it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Mysteries unfold that will steer both Darkus and Baxter through a strange disappearance (as Darkus's dad goes missing), and a chilling encounter with a vile villain named Lucretia who is like a bug-loving version of Cruella De Ville, with a rather horrid penchant for bug-shaped jewellery.
Hugely original, beautifully paced and written and a real win for anyone (like us) who loves interesting bugs and truly rotten baddies, "Beetle Boy" and "Beetle Queen" by M.G Leonard are both out now, published by Chicken House Books.
(Both books kindly supplied for review)