Voyage of the Snake Lady

March 1, 2008
Gr 8 Up-Readers who followed Myrina, the teen leader of a tribe of women warriors in "The Moon Riders" (HarperCollins, 2006), will be delighted to see her returning after the Trojan War, following new challenges to keeping her people together. Once again Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, needs to be rescued from peril, and Myrina, accompanied by two young Moon Riders, hurries to her rescue. But aiding Iphigenia this time comes with a cost: Myrina must leave the Moon Riders just as they are beginning to settle in new lands, and she must leave a man she is growing to love. The description of the countryside around the Black Sea and near the Bosphorus is lovely, and Tomlinson's attention to the details of horse gentling are delightful. Unfortunately, though the Moon Riders themselves are warrior priestesses full of mystic talents, the subdued tone of the book holds little urgency, and the events of the plot seem less dire than the characters imply. The attempt to make the dialogue feel archaic instead feels stilted and false. Because of the time that has passed since the first book, nearly all of the characters are adults, including Myrina, and the issues of tradition and keeping a whole people true to their history, as handled here, seem somewhat out of place in a young adult novel. Teens who enjoyed the first book will be happy to accompany the characters into their adult lives, but other readers may be better served by Adele Geras's "Ithaka" (Harcourt, 2006)."Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
This sequel to The Moon Riders (2006) finds Myrina, also known as the Snake Lady, and her Amazon women captive on the slave galleys of Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, who raided their homes. The women overthrow their captors during a storm, which eventually leavesthe surviving women washed up on an unknown shore. Myrina is separated from her dearest friend, Iphigenia, though she is able to see that Iphigenia lives with her magical mirror-gazing. While the women make new lives for themselves, befriending the local warrior men, Myrina must put a new love on hold when she discovers that Iphigenia is in danger. Tomlinson makes effective use of ancient Greek mythology and history, but she doesnt provide much background for her story; readers unfamiliar with the first novel may find the characters indistinguishable at first. However, once Myrina sets off to rescue Iphigenia, the characters become better delineated, and even newcomers will find themselves pulled in bythe immediateaction. Myrinas simple heroism, compassion, and fierce warrior ethos make for an intriguing figure; and readers will welcome the happy ending that she eventually finds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)