ISBN: 0-380-77760-6 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
A deft coming of age story full of human emotion and magical wonder.
Reviewed by David on July 04, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (Rural Fantasy, Coming of Age)
Synopsis: A teenage boy helping his father run a hotel in a remote tourist village encounters a very strange family full of wonderful and sometimes terrifying abilities.
Full Review: Nick, the young hero of the book, spends his days helping out his cantankerous father run a small hotel cum general store, observing vacationers, and dreaming of getting away. The Keyes, a newly arrived family of tourists seem rather stranger then usual. The very attractive teenage girl has hypnotic powers, and turns invisible after singing. Her cousin can resembles a wild animal, and a child cannot be seen by anyone in the village except Nick. But the real excitement starts when the older Keyes object to Nick's meddling and punish him. Nick has to remember his estranged mother and her unusual abilities, and turn to a very unlikely ally to survive the Keyes' displeasure and help his new friends.
This is a novel set in the same world as the excellent The Thread That Binds the Bones, with the fairy-like clans living in the Pacific Northwest, and their relationship with normal humans.
The novel is an exploration of relationships: the arrogance of power, friendship, love, old resentments and nostalgia, adolescent rebellion and courage. Most of all, the book is filled with a sense of quiet wonder: of natural beauty, miraculous magic, and human affection.
All in all, this is a very good novel, albeit not quite as good as The Thread That Binds the Bones. It may be difficult to find, so try the used book stores and Hypatia Press.
Universe: Family Threads.
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 7; Style: 7; World-building: 5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1995, Avon Books (AvoNova), September 1995, Mass-market, 244 pages
ISBN: 0-380-77760-6 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com