Description
As night fell, something stirred the darkness. Birds shrieked, rising into the air as the peace cracked and fell apart. Flashes of crimson uniform cut the smothering black of the woods. The smell of smoke lifted through the boughs and choked the leaves. A drum beat out a steady pulse as soldiers tore over the dead leaf matter, hacking their way through the web of forest.
The prisoner ran.
When Lowell Sencha finds the strange girl lying as if dead on the riverbank, he is startled to find that she is like them: waer. Human, but able to assume the form of a wolf. The Sencha family's small community has kept itself sequestered and unnoticed, free from persecution. The arrival of a fellow traveller, and a hunted one at that, threatens their very survival.
Sure enough, the soldiers of the blood-purist Daeman Leldh soon descend on the village searching for her, burning and slaughtering. Lowell and the mysterious stranger are among the few to escape. And now they must find their way to the city of Luthan where, she says, they will find people to help them bring down Daeman Leldh.
If she can persuade them not to kill her.
This brilliant young adult fantasy debut from young Australian writer Meg Caddy sees the emergence of an exciting new talent in speculative fiction.
Review
Lowell Sencha and his family live a quiet, sheltered life in their village. He and has his family are Waer’s - humans who can shift into a wolf.
When Lowell finds a strange girl lying almost dead in the river, he and his family nurse her back to health. Little do they realise that she is being hunted by the blood-purist Daeman Leldh, an unbelievably cruel and evil man who will stop at nothing to destroy the Waer.
This is at times a violent and cruel fantasy novel but it has some wonderful characters as all good vs evil stories do and is a really great read. Meg Caddy has developed an amazing fantasy world and I’m sure we will see many more great novels from her.
Perfect for boys and girls Year 9 and up who love fantasy.
Reviewed by Michelle
Teacher notes are available for this title at www.textpublishing.com.au
