The Cup and the Crown by Diane Stanley

This is the second in the series that began with The Silver Bowl.  Molly is sent on a quest to find a magical Loving Cup for the King.  Of course, she takes her friends from the earlier story with her.  They find a secret utopian city that had been the home of Molly's grandfather where Molly begins to learn more about the magic her grandfather used to make the Silver Bowl and the Loving Cups. The problem is, the people of the city do not wish Molly and her friends to ever leave because they do not want the whereabouts of the city to become known.  Molly and Tobias recruit the help of some sympathetic citizens to plan their escape.

This is one of the books where the main character's magical abilities grow to solve the problems in the plot.  The main character is in trouble, and suddenly, kazaam! she has the magical ability she needs to get out of the trouble.  As a result, by the end of the book Molly has some awesome and wide ranging magical powers.  That is not necessarily a bad thing but it makes me wonder how powerful she will be by the end of the next book.  She might be practically god-like. Over all, I liked the book and the growing relationship between Molly and Tobias fun.  I will probably read the last one when I get a chance. (344 p)