Huntress

Starred review from February 28, 2011
Two teenage girls—Taisin, a sage who has visions, and Kaede, a brave fighter from a powerful family—must travel to see the Fairy Queen to try and save their land. A persistent winter has settled over their kingdom for two years, halting not only trade and harvests but the natural course of life itself, and threatening the survival of Taisin and Kaede's fellow citizens. The journey to the city of Taninli, home of the Fairy Queen, is treacherous, and along the way Taisin, Kaede, and their travel companions face many dangers and tests of their abilities, not least of which are Taisin and Kaede's growing feelings for each other. Lo's storytelling and prose are masterful, and her protagonists will fascinate, particularly Taisin and her relationship to death and its accompanying rituals, her visions, and the way she can occupy another's mind. As with Ash, Lo's characters are emotionally reserved, which makes the unfolding of romance between Kaede and Taisin all the more satisfying. Fans of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy will love this. Ages 15–up.

March 15, 2011
Set in the same universe as, although many centuries earlier than, Ash (2009), two 17-year-olds at the Academy of Sages find their destiny and each other. Taisin already has visions, which she cannot parse. Kaede is at the school because her powerful father wished her there, but she is not magically gifted. Their lands suffer under a never-ending winter, and people are starving. When an invitation from the Fairy Queen of the Xi arrives, both Taisin and Kaede travel there with the king's son. They hope the Xi know why nature is out of joint. On their journey, the party is attacked, and Taisin's visions grow fiercer and less clear. But it is Kaede who must cross to a tower of ice and face the evil that threatens Xi and human alike. There is far too much telling rather than showing, far too many feelings described without being displayed and the mythos of its place is not well delineated. The lovely thing about this fantasy, however, is the completely natural sweetness of the attraction between Kaede and Taisin, which is unremarkable in their culture and which finds a bittersweet resolution but not an end. The promise of sequels seems obvious—Ash's fans will hope they hew to the tightness of craft of the former, not this companion. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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June 1, 2011

Gr 10 Up-Set in the same world as Ash (Little, Brown, 2009) but centuries earlier, this stand-alone novel tells the story of Kaede, a 17-year-old studying at the Academy of Sages. When climate changes cause terrible storms resulting in the loss of crops and livestock, she, along with Taisin, another sage-in-training and seer; Con, the king's son; and some trusted guards are sent to renew an ancient treaty with the Fairy Queen, hoping that together they might restore order to the land. After many arduous weeks of travel, they arrive only to discover that the fairy realm is in straits nearly as dire as those they left behind in the human lands. Together, the three young people embark on a desperate mission to destroy the being responsible for draining the fay of their magic and wreaking havoc on the land. In spite of the prohibition against sages forming intimate relations, feelings develop between Kaede and Taisin, and the two girls must decide whether to follow their hearts or their destinies. Lo has created a wonderfully detailed world, and this dynamic and moving story of love that must find a way against nearly insurmountable odds will be as well received as Ash. Select where historical fantasy and GLBT fiction are popular.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2011
Grades 8-11 Set in the same universe as but in an era long preceding that of Los earlier fantasy, Ash (2009), Huntress follows the physical, intellectual, and romantic adventures of two teen girls: apprenticing guard and huntress Kaede and future sage Taisin. Elowen, the daughter of the Fairy Queen, threatens to destabilize and destroy both the land of fey and the land of humans; Kaede and Taisin must employ their different strengths to face and overcome her and to rescue the Fairy Queen. Along the way, the two girls recognize and act upon their attraction to each other, knowing that they have no future together because of Taisins vocation. Los alternately languid and heated descriptions of the politics and obstacles in Kaedes lifefrom her fathers presumption to marry her off to her fight with Elowenbuild a compelling world to pull in readers and hold them fast to the final page. A gripping fantasy with high appeal for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin as well as for readers in search of a smart, female-dominated adventure tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2011
A powerful vision of herself standing on an ice-bound shore, watching helplessly as her beloved Kaede rows away to near-certain death, catapults Taisin from a quiet life as a student magician to a member of a historic expedition. After centuries of silence, the Fairy Queen has invited the King to a midsummer parley at her palace, perhaps to address the persistent wintry temperatures that are blighting the crops. However, the King sends his son in his place, along with Taisin and Kaede, whom -- despite the vision -- Taisin does not yet know and certainly isn't in love with. On their journey, Kaede can't figure out her reserved travel mate, but feelings grow between them nonetheless, even as they face supernatural creatures and dangers that pick off members of their party one by one. A "Tam Lin"-inspired rendition of fairy society blends nicely with the author's Chinese and I Ching-inspired human society, creating a delicate, unusual setting; and although the expeditionary plot has an overly deliberate pace, the episodes are varied and emotional enough to retain interest. Most notably, the inclusion of gay characters in a young adult fantasy, and the natural unfolding of their relationship, comes as a refreshing change. Those hungry for more gender role-bending fantasy will want to read Lo's Ash (rev. 11/09), to which Huntress is a several-hundred-years-earlier prequel. anita l. burkam

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)