Liza lives in a world that has been ravaged because of a war between humans and fae. Trees and other plants have a thirst for human blood, and during the night shadows that cut deeper than any thorn roam the land. Humans live in constant fear of this magic, and when Liza's little sister is born with faerie pale hair and eyes, she is cast out to die before she can turn on her parents. As if this isn't bad enough, Liza soon finds that she too has magic, and runs away before she can turn on her town. A boy from Liza's town, Matthew, follows Liza and tells her that all children born after the war have magic, and not all magic is bad. Matthew is proven right when he and Liza are taken to another town, and their lives are saved by Caleb and Allie, both of whom possess healing magic. Soon, Liza, Matthew, and Allie are off on a quest to save Liza's mother from the remains of the Faerie realm. Will they be in time to save Liza's mother?
I liked
Janni Lee Simner's Bones of Faerie trilogy (
Bones of Faerie,
Faerie Winter, and
Faerie After) for many reasons, including the rich and original plot and fantastic storytelling. I also liked
Thief Eyes, in which Haley, a girl from Tucson, goes to Iceland following her mother's disappearance and becomes swept up in a spell cast by her many times great-grandmother Hallgerd.
Janni Lee Simner lives in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to her books for teens, Janni has written a middle grade adventure story published under two titles:
The Secret of the Three Treasures and Tiernay West, Professional Adventurer. For more information about Janni, visit
her website.
- Emily C.
