Secondhand Charm

January 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Berry's latest fantasy novel is laced with romance, intrigue, and adventure. Evie Pomeroy, 16, lives in the small village of Maundley with her grandfather. Her parents, both physicians, died during an influenza epidemic when she was just a baby. Evie herself is the village healer, all of her knowledge gleaned from her parents' old medical textbooks. When she is offered a scholarship to attend the university, she eagerly accepts. But the journey to Chalcedon is fraught with danger both on land and at sea. Along the way, new friends are made and astonishing secrets are revealed about Evie's heritage and special powers. And this is just the beginning.... Evie is a likable heroine who will capture readers' imagination. The secondary characters, though not as developed, provide the protagonist with suitable, and sometimes surprising, enemies and allies. The many plot elements are deftly woven together into a novel sure to please fans of Berry's Amaranth Enchantment (Bloomsbury, 2009).-Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.