02/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—In this high fantasy novel, readers are taken to an alternate world of kingdoms that exist in a kind of medieval time and place. Meridy is an orphan living with her aunt. She is about to begin an apprenticeship with the town soapmaker when she wanders off and comes across a dying man, a young ghost boy, and a ghost dog. This encounter sparks Meridy's growing realization that she has the abilities not only to see and talk to ghosts but also to control them and travel between the ethereal and the real worlds. Following the ghost dog, she travels to a larger city, and along the way, she comes to know another girl with similar abilities, while also befriending and helping other ghosts. As Meridy learns exactly what her powers are and how to control them, she is woven into the lives and deaths of the most powerful people in the realm. The pace of this story is sluggish, and the writing is laden with too much description. The world-building is extensive, but there is too much history, and in the end, the plethora of location names and people become difficult to keep track of. VERDICT Readers waiting for action and adventure to ensue will ultimately feel let down by this slow-moving fantasy. Consider for secondary purchase.—Nancy Jo Lambert, Reedy High School, Frisco, TX
★ 2016-11-23
Meridy Turiyn's black eyes and dark skin tell every small, fair-skinned mind in Tikiy-by-the-Water what they need to know—she's inherited the eyes of a witch from her late mother and dark complexion from an unnamed Southern father. In short: outcast. When she turns 15, Meridy's deplorable aunt pawns her off as an apprentice to the town's soap maker, a fate far removed from the romantic tales of sorcery and ancient kings Meridy loves. Before this life sentence can even begin, Meridy meets a ghost who is anchored to a dying stranger. In saving the stranger's life, Meridy is immediately propelled into a mission involving sorcery, claims on thrones, and a witch king supposedly dead for centuries—all while learning to wield the magical power brewing within her. As to be expected from this cerebral purveyor of fully realized fantasy worlds, Neumeier firmly establishes the laws and rules of this medievallike fantasy's reality early on, but she also gives Meridy's world a romantic tinge, from the colors of a couture gown to the gnashing tusks of a fire horse. Catharsis comes as Meridy rejects the life bestowed upon her by tradition and expectation and realizes the dark skin and eyes that set her apart physically aren't anything to feel shame for. A richly rewarding stand-alone story evoking far more color than its titular tint might suggest.(Fantasy. 14 & up)
