Full Text Review(s)
"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."