From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–Avielle is a Rhian princess, but her own people fear her. She has the silver skin and hair of her great-great-grandmother, a Dredonian who used her evil magic against Rhia. The 15-year-old, ever fearful of taking after her relative, takes comfort in her lack of magic: no magic, she reasons, no evil. Her eldest brother is in line for the throne, and she hopes to live out of the public eye. Dredonia, however, is ruled by the Brethren of the Black Cloak, evil-wizard priests who will eagerly give their lives, be it only to see one Rhian dead. They attack, and Avielle is the only member of the royal family who survives. She is taken in by a kind weaver and learns that her gift is weaving. At first she hides her identity, but as the attacks continue and suspicion of Dredonian Rhians grows, she must find the courage to come forward and save her people. This is not a light-and-fluffy fantasy: in Avielle's world, readers will see some reflection of their own. They might also see echoes of the Holocaust, as Dredonian Rhians are required to wear identifying badges when they go out in public. Themes of free will and the classic nature-vs.-nurture debate are examined as Avielle discovers her magic and learns how to control it. This is a coming-of-age story disguised as a fantasy, and it should appeal to any girl who has ever felt uncomfortable in her own skin.
–Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Fifteen-year-old Princess Avielle is a "silver skin," a Rhian who has the silver coloring, pointed ears, and forehead ridges that mark the Rhian's magical Dredonian neighbors. Though many Rhians are part Dredonian, Avielle is shunned for resembling her Dredonian great-great-grandmother, infamous for placing a terrible curse on the kingdom. When Dredonia, ruled by evil wizard-priests, slaughters the Rhian royal family, Avielle escapes and goes into hiding as an apprentice weaver. In this close-knit community of artisans, she discovers that she has a magical gift for weaving but fears embracing it will cause further evil. Avielle is clever and compassionate, and her spot-on descriptions of the individuals she encounters ("the medals and the top of his head both shone, as if both had been freshly spat upon and polished") are delightful. Evocative scenes of Avielle's weaving symbolize her inner journey, and readers will empathize with the girl as she struggles to accept her Dredonian heritage, her magic, and her duty while weathering prejudice and her own unconscious hatred. The ending is pat and overdone, but the pattern author Calhoun weaves is rich and complex.
Krista HutleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
