A Book of Spirits and Thieves

May 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Two parallel worlds collide in this first installment of Rhodes' new series when 15-year-old Becca Hatcher is left in a catatonic state after her spirit is snatched back to the ancient world of Mytica from modern-day Toronto. Her older sister, Chrys, is guilt-ridden, having witnessed the entire event, and vows to do whatever is necessary to save her... but from what? Nothing has prepared them for what's in store. Up until this point the girls' life was centered around helping their mother out at their family's used bookstore and coping with the loss of their father, Daniel. Then a package arrives at the bookstore addressed to the girls' mom, Julia. Thinking it was nothing more than another collectible book to sell, Becca opens the package and removes the book inside, triggering the magic and intertwining their fates with the powers that flow from a magical book of spells whose previous owners have all ended up dead. Told in alternating viewpoints, this first installment in the "Spirit and Thieves" series is a direct off-shoot of Rhodes's popular "Falling Kingdom" series. Like many high fantasy novels, the plot includes the usual political battles for world dominance, powerful magic, and relationship complexity. What makes the difference is how Rhodes puts her stamp on building the complexities between the characters' relationships and their worlds. VERDICT Strong writing yields a story that feels like a roller-coaster ride, filled with rich and suspenseful anticipation.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 Crystal Hatcher and Farrell Grayson are from very different worlds: Crys lives with her mother and sister in Toronto, spending more time with her camera than her schoolwork. Rich playboy Farrell is Toronto elite, getting deeper into a secret society and still reeling from a year-old loss. Crys' sister, Becca, is in a different world as well, but literally: a mysterious book arrives at their mother's antique bookstore and sucks her into fantastical ancient Mytica, where only a boy named Maddox can see her, and a vengeful, power-hungry goddess ravages the lands. And while Crys learns what happened to her sisterand what involvement her enigmatic family may have hadFarrell is sent to retrieve the book. As in her popular Falling Kingdoms series (set in Mytica several generations later), Rhodes alternates viewpoints between her characters, though this prequel splits focus between two worlds, somewhat slowing the narrative. But an impending sequel promises a more thorough collision of those worlds. An effectively twisted plot.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The Falling Kingdoms series has been a huge seller, and this spinoff is poised to draw from the same crowd, and that's without taking into account the huge promotional campaign.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)