From School Library Journal
Gr 6-8 The rulers of Sherath have special powers, known as the Gift of the Makraitis. The fear has always been that if improperly trained in its control, a family member could use the power for personal gain, which would destroy the country. Theora, heir to the throne, is living up to that fear. Her younger sister, Choria, encounters Theora in a battle of the minds, and nullifies the power in both of them. The two sisters then embark on a trek to a nearby country because ``the force inside her Choria told her that her fortune lay in that direction.'' And on that weak premise lies the plot of the remainder of this book. The journey is seemingly aimless; after spending the winter snowbound in a mountainside hut, they meet a woman who discloses that Choria's friend, the warrior Bethor, is alive. But before they try to find him, they travel to the Spinnerrl family, weavers who wove a silk scarf with a hidden message that Bethor had given to Choria. They then set out to find Bethor. There are many unanswered questions. The sisters' adventures in their endless travels are episodic, and the reasons for continuing any one segment obscure. Characterization is stereotypical, with an amazingly reformed older sister and a younger ``wonder woman.'' Characters appear with no groundwork laid for their introduction. This story just doesn't hang together. Better choices are Nightpool (Harper, 1985) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy and A Gathering of Gargoyles (TOR, 1985) by Meredith Pierce. Pam Spencer, Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1987 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
