Fourteen-year-old Roger has a peculiar gift that allows him to cross from the land of the living into the world of the dead—but only at the point of extreme personal pain. He finds himself at court in the capital city, and he quickly becomes a tool in the deadly contest of wills between a young queen some say is not fit to rule and her mother, who refuses to relinquish the throne. Kendall’s debut novel is an atmospheric coming-of-age tale that weaves ill-fated courtly love with Roger’s difficult journey to understand the world. The involving story is weakened just a little by unnecessary and oddly placed references to sexual arousal and characters that exhibit little overall growth. There are tantalizing references to a mysterious place known as Soulvine Moor, which receives short shrift when readers are finally taken there toward the novel’s end. Despite this, Kendall’s first effort will find fans who will cheer Roger on and hope for his constancy. Grades 8-11. --Cindy Welch
Review
"...an atmospheric depiction of her hero's journey and freshly imagined vision of the afterlife should resonate with gothic fantasy fans." --_Publishers Weekly_
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Fourteen-year-old Roger has a peculiar gift that allows him to cross from the land of the living into the world of the dead—but only at the point of extreme personal pain. He finds himself at court in the capital city, and he quickly becomes a tool in the deadly contest of wills between a young queen some say is not fit to rule and her mother, who refuses to relinquish the throne. Kendall’s debut novel is an atmospheric coming-of-age tale that weaves ill-fated courtly love with Roger’s difficult journey to understand the world. The involving story is weakened just a little by unnecessary and oddly placed references to sexual arousal and characters that exhibit little overall growth. There are tantalizing references to a mysterious place known as Soulvine Moor, which receives short shrift when readers are finally taken there toward the novel’s end. Despite this, Kendall’s first effort will find fans who will cheer Roger on and hope for his constancy. Grades 8-11. --Cindy Welch
Review
"...an atmospheric depiction of her hero's journey and freshly imagined vision of the afterlife should resonate with gothic fantasy fans." --_Publishers Weekly_