Sunderworld, Vol 2: The Unfortunate Responsibilities of Leopold Berry

As a kid drowning in grief, Leopold Berry escaped into the shabby fantasy world of an old TV show. As a teenager in a world seemingly stripped of wonder, he's stunned to discover Sunder is real--hidden under the skin of Los Angeles--and in dire need of a hero. Convinced it must be him, Leopold charges in with best friend Emmet and declares himself the long-awaited channeler . . . only to fail the required test in the most humiliating way possible, nearly die, and get kicked out in record time.

He never planned to go back--until an enchanted street atlas and a trail of clues from his dead mother pull him in again. Unwanted and expelled, he has to break into Sunder like a criminal--where he finds that footage of his humiliation has gone viral, and he's famous for failure in the world where he'd dreamed of being a hero. But when the trail leads to a mysterious girl and a powerful ring whose magic works only for him, he realizes there's more to his story.

Now the magical world that wanted nothing to do with him won't leave him alone. Stalked by tabloids, fly-by-night talent agents, and shadowy figures who want the ring, Leopold must unlock the secret of its power before someone kills him for it and uncover his family's connection to Sunder while the trail is still warm. Meanwhile, Sunder is coming apart at the seams: Noxum attacks are spiraling, panic is rising, and the need for a channeler has never been greater. The walls are closing in. And time is running out.

With his team of misfit allies--loyal Emmet, battle-scarred Isabel, eccentric Uncle Norm--Leopold fends off enemies while scouring Los Angeles for answers in the unlikeliest places: the decaying underbelly of a fading magical lyceum, the shimmering blood of a monstrous pet who won't stop eating the furniture, and in the most unmagical person he knows--his overbearing father.

It all waits to be discovered as Leopold Berry's extraordinary journey reaches its epic conclusion.

He might not be a channeler, he might not be very good at magic--but Leopold Berry might be the hero Sunder needed anyway. Because what makes a hero isn't power, and what breaks one isn't failure.

It's what you do after disappointment that matters most.