Horn Book

“Our worlds will die unless a sand warrior can rise up and light those beacons.” In this epic sci-fi/fantasy series opener, three kids from different backgrounds band together after a neighboring planet launches an unprovoked attack on their home planet, Mon Domani. Oona Lee is an unconfident sand dancer, raised with other trainees in relative privilege in the capital city’s Sand Castle. The invasion occurs as Oona embarks on a search for her runaway sister—a gifted sand dancer who had been Mon Domani’s hope for survival before mysteriously disappearing seven years earlier. Escaping the wreckage of a crashed sky ship, Oona saves orphan An Tzu, a part-vegetal homeless boy living in the slums, and Jax Amboy, a beloved celebrity starball player. The universe’s looming environmental crisis has contributed to extreme shortages, economic inequities, and disease; Oona is convinced that finding her sister is the key to averting a planetary catastrophe. This sweeping graphic-novel saga features inventive world-building, with history, mythology, and traditions naturally integrated into the narrative. The nuanced panel illustrations help advance the complex plot and deepen readers’ understanding of the intriguing, dynamic characters (though some smaller panels are crowded). The installment ends triumphantly and tantalizingly; readers will eagerly await book two. kitty flynn