Review posted March 21, 2011.
Egmont USA, New York, 2009. 357 pages.
The story Zaria tells about her life reads like that of a normal teenager ready to try her wings -- except that Zaria really has wings. She's a fairy, living in Tirfeyne. She has a fascination with humans and earth, because that's where her parents and brother were when they never returned.
We had all been forced to wait until every member of our class reached the age of fourteen before a single one of us could go to Oberon City. Dreadful, stupid law, but like all the laws of Feyland, strictly enforced. We'd been stuck in Galena -- the land of babies, toddlers, and children -- until I, Zaria Tourmaline, youngest in our class of fifty, turned fourteen.
Now that they are fourteen, Zaria and her friends will find out how much magical power they have and how strong. When Zaria and her best friend Leona end up more powerful than any fairies in a generation, they suddenly get some unwelcome attention from the powers-that-be. When she follows Leona on a forbidden trip to Earth, the consequences may be bigger than they can handle.
This book has an elaborate and imaginative world that's communicated to us smoothly. Sinister plots unfold, and Zaria has plenty of challenges to overcome. We still haven't found out what happened to her parents, but I hope further books will be coming.