The Horn Book

The winter solstice is a time for celebration in the city of Tova. This year also brings a solar eclipse, an event foretold to unbalance the world. While the priests continue to prepare for the solstice, a ship begins its route to Tova. The ship's captain, a Teek named Xiala, is forced to attempt this dangerous voyage because of her heritage, as Teeks are rumored to be able to calm the seas and warp minds. That is not all a Teek can do, but even Xiala knows that her cargo, a young, blind man named Serapio, holds power beyond hers. Serapio understands his destiny, one he has prepared for since childhood, and neither the seas, nor the squabbling priests, nor the factions in Tova will stop him. Inspired by pre-Columbian societies, filled with lush details and intriguing personalities, this new series launch moves back and forth between Serapio's past and present circumstances, intertwining the lives of characters who will bring meaning to his purpose. VERDICT Roanhorse (Trail of Lightning) introduces an epic fantasy with vivid worldbuilding and exciting prose. Readers will be attracted to the story, in which there is no real right vs. wrong. Only inevitable change will draw out the heroes of this imaginative tale. [See Prepub Alert, 4/20/20.]-Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton