Synopses & Reviews
Sixteen-year-old Lyla lives in a bleak, controlling society where only the brightest and most favored students succeed. When she is caught buying cheats in an underground shadow market, she is tattooed—marked—as a criminal. Then she is offered redemption and she jumps at the chance . . . but it comes at a cost. Doing what is right means betraying the boy she has come to love, and, perhaps, losing even more than she thought possible. Graphic novel–style vignettes revealing the history of this world provide Lyla with guidance and clues to a possible way out of the double bind she finds herself in.
Review
"McCaffrey's first novel..both its setting and characterization are convincing...a solid blend of heartwarming coming-of-age tale and compelling adventure." BOOKLIST
Booklist, ALA
"rich characters, vivid descriptions, and suspenseful storytelling...much to think about...an excellent springboard for a timely discussion about war." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL School Library Journal
Review
"With political undertones as well as riveting personal drama, this fantasy will leave...readers looking for a sequel." (Starred Review) Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"The evocative settings, intricate plot and resourceful heroine make for an engrossing read." Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will...be caught up as Margot comes to terms with her magical powers and her mother's unfortunate secret." Publishers Weekly
"McCaffrey provides descriptive detail and excellent pacing...the book raises women's equality and censorship issues." VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
"The ending is thoughtful, lending readers to question if safety is worth the loss of personal freedoms." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Evocative descriptions and...Celtic folklore add much to this...young woman's search for a place that feels like home." School Library Journal
Synopsis
Alia wants nothing more than to be selected as a keenten, a warrior woman. Her friend Kay, strong and fierce, is sure to be chosen, but Alia is not nearly as certain about herself. When Kay stumbles upon a shelter in the woods belonging to two Beechians, enemies of their people, the girls see a perfect opportunity to prove their courage and worth. But then strange events unfold, and Alia begins to question everything that has always been certain in her lifeher friendship with Kay, her opinions of the Beechians and of war, even her singular desire to become a keenten.
A vividly portrayed, perfectly realized world and elements of the supernatural provide a magical setting for this stirring story, which will resonate long after the final page is turned.
Synopsis
Margot is the daughter of a king, but she is beloved by neither his court nor his kingdom. She has water in her blood,” a trait associated with magic and looked upon with distaste and suspicion. When she meets Orrin, a foreign king who is respectful, not scornful, of her affinity for water, she flees with him to his castle by the sea, though she soon realizes he is not as benevolent as she first thought. Intertwined with Margots story is that of Bird, a storyteller who must tell stories for Orrin, though he can barely stand him. When Orrin steals the Book of the Sea, a magical gift given to Margot by her mother, Margot knows she must run away once again, and the threads of the two stories begin to intertwine.
A convincing and beautifully realized world, a strong-minded female protagonist, and elements of Celtic folklore mark this rich, multilayered fantasy. Authors note.
Synopsis
Good girl Lyla Northstrom is marked as a criminal in this suspenseful, thought-provoking, and gorgeously written novel.