Sathra watched as he turned the handle two or three times, raising the bucket to head height. Then Niall grabbed the metal grille and heaved it onto the top of the circular wall. He put both padlocks in place, clicked them shut and picked up the bunch of keys.
Sathra ran the tip of her index finger along the dagger-sharp edge of her thumbnail. She wasn’t sure what to make of this boy in strange clothing, his nose freckled, his hair untidy and fair.
He seems very friendly, she thought. Such a pity I have to kill him.
This young adult book is one that anyone of any age could read and enjoy, but it’s truly meant for the young teen population.
Niall is by himself in the house when he hears something so loud that he has to go out to investigate. Inside the abandoned and locked well in the yard is a girl. He wonders how she got in there.
Sathra is a girl from the thirteenth century, who created a spell but the spell went wrong. Instead of going to a different place, she went to a different time.
Niall hides her away in the barn, but she really needs to get back to her own time. She finds out that Niall is twelve, the same age as herself. She needs Niall to get back to her own time, except, he doesn’t know that his death is the way to get her back. She is a Banshee, not the dryad that she tells him she is.
Althought I thought maybe Niall and Sathra would form some kind of friendship, her Banshee background forbids that. She does come to care a little for Niall, but when push comes to shove, she needs him to get back to her own time. She tries to use other twelve year old boys, but it just never seems to work out.
She must lure the boy to the ring of the Thirteen Dancers, a bunch of rocks that are placed in a circle. But, the boy must enter the ring willingly. Then she could kill him and regain her magical powers to get herself back to the 13 century.
I can’t give away the ending, but let’s just say, I think there will be subsequent books about Sathra.
It was a fun and fast read, the writing is exceptional, and I give this book 5 stars. Kids of all ages (and that includes the big kids) will enjoy this book.
Beth's Reviews And Promotions 