Heir to the Sky

March 28, 2016
Princess Kallima is the heiress of Ashra, one of the floating islands that hover over an earth overrun with monsters. Three hundred years have passed since a powerful creature, the Phoenix, broke away a piece of the earth so that Kali's people might live safely in the sky. Betrothed to a stranger, Kali longs for freedom; after she falls off the edge of Ashra one night, she survives and discovers that humans remain below, though their numbers are small, and the dangers are great. Luckily, monster hunter Griffin finds Kali and agrees to help her get home. Kali's time with Griffin, fighting mythical creatures alongside him, brings out an inner strength that she'll need in order to confront the truth about her people's past and face their future. Both Kali and Griffin are brave heroes who learn to find hope in each other and beauty among the ruins. Sun (the Paper Gods series) tackles big themes like discrimination and genocide within the framework of a rich fantasy, all building to an exciting and poignant conclusion. Ages 14âup. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency.

May 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Sun combines the increasingly popular setting of floating realms with dashes of dystopia and romance and tops it off with some monsters for a wonderful fantasy novel. Kali is the daughter of the Monarch of Ashra, who rules over the lands in the sky of Ashra, Burumu, Nartu, and the Floating Isles. Although Kali does not love him, she is betrothed to Jonash, the son of the Sargon, protector of the realm. She overhears the Elder Aban and an officer of the Elite Guard talking of rebellion in Burumu and knowledge from the ancient annals that has been hidden. She reveals this conversation to her best friend, Elisha, and Jonash as they are strolling at night near the edge of Ashra. Jonash stumbles, and trying to save him, Kali falls. She awakens later, alive but in pain on the earth below, a place that she was always taught was filled with monsters. She is saved from her first monster attack by Griffin, a young man about her age. Kali is surprised to learn that a few humans still live in the land below, and Griffin begins to teach her that many of the other things that she learned in Ashra were false. This brilliant tale should appeal to fans of Lauren DeStefano and Veronica Rossi, as it mixes the sky kingdom world of one with the survival elements of the other.

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