Alosha

June 28, 2004
Bestselling children's author Pike (The Cold One
) delivers a somewhat muddled elvish fantasy, the first in a new series aimed at an adult as well as a YA audience. Passionate about saving trees, 13-year-old Alison Warner just happens to live in a California town that's been targeted by the lumber industry. Ali protests and rides her bike into the forbidding mountains where the work is about to begin. There Ali starts to realize that she's not who she thought she was, that she has an important job to fulfill, that in fact she's the Queen of the Fairies from another dimension who has hidden in a human body. Flat supporting characters with little motivation other than a kid's need for adventure, plus a protagonist who too often acts like a whiny five-year-old one moment and a cranky 30-year-old the next, make this one of Pike's lesser efforts. Agent, Ashley Grayson.

July 1, 2004
When 13-year-old Alison Warner meets the leprechaun and troll who soon become her loyal companions, she learns that she is the Queen of the Fairies. Along with her friends, Ali undergoes a series of tests designed to judge her worthiness-or kill her outright. The author of numerous horror stories for YAs as well as adults, Pike here turns to fantasy. This series opener is a good choice for large libraries.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2004
Gr 6-9 -Alison, 13, heads to the hills to protest the loggers in their effort to clear the forest. She is an environmentalist in the making but finds her path taking an entirely different turn after she encounters a strange little man of odd proportion with sickly yellow-colored skin. This odd man becomes an ally in her quest to discover her true identity. While in the woods, Ali senses a presence around her and the feeling that something is chasing her. This experience escalates to creatures that want her dead and she finds refuge in a hole in the cliff until they depart. Once home safely, Ali recruits her friends to explore the mountains for evidence of the "Bigfoot." En route they discover the mythical and mystical enchantments that lie between dimensions and enter through a portal on top of the mountain. Ali must pass seven tests before she can assume her true role of Alosha, Queen of the Fairies, and she must face her fears and draw upon her inner courage to transform into who she once was. This story is a fast-paced combination of intrigue and fantasy. The main characters are all 13; the scary part is that one or more of them just may not be human. The writing is smooth and flows easily, and the author captures well the friends' dialogue and thought. Readers are sure to be captivated by the descriptive details and entertaining plot complete with dwarves, elves, fairies, and trolls.-Donna Marie Wagner, Harris County Public Library, Clear Lake, TX

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.