Writer – Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn
Artist – Ric Estrada
Inker – Bob Smith
Colours – Carl Gafford
Letters – John Costanza

With this issue, Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn finally take Amethyst upon a full-on adventure in Gemworld after much of the previous books finding Amy/Amethyst on Earth. Though she has spent a little bit of time on the Gemworld of late, her connection to it has been tenuous at best as her being has been split in two – the paths to Gemworld still sealed off with only Citrina’s magic able to pull part of her through. So it is that Amy falls asleep and lets herself be pulled to Gemworld so that she might stop Citrina from being killed by Sardonyx who does so that he might save his kingdom from Fire Jade. Everything is connected in some way it seems and even more so when Amethyst finally does show up and does battle with the villain. As it is, the Lord of Serpents is more than a match for the young princess as her powers have been somewhat sporadic in their effectiveness, possibly due to the exhaustion that plagues the young woman, being Amy in the daytime and Amethyst at night. Just when it seems like she might be getting somewhere, a young hooded man arrives on the scene, the same one she saw at Citrina’s bedside issues earlier and he seems to have all the answers. Cohn and Mishkin do a great job at keeping things mysterious with the new arrival, making readers think there might be a slight chance that he is actually Dark Opal in disguise as Sardonyx recognizes him but be that as it may, they move the story along as said young man provides a bit of help that will effectively save Sardonyx’s kingdom. Here is where the book gets a little inventive and Ric Estrada gets to continue showing off his incredible art skills as the mystery is revealed, at least one of them and Amethyst once again gets to play the saviour. A second revelation is made known as the young man gains a name, though it is not one that readers would expect and altogether, the issue would turn out to be both highly entertaining and one that would continue to further the seeds planted since the beginning of this particular volume.

3.5 out of 5