A Turn of Light

January 7, 2013
A young woman trapped between two worlds must risk everything to save both in Czerneda’s charming character-driven fantasy of rich magic, multilayered characters, and dangerous choices. Jenn Nalynn longs to travel far beyond the remote village of Marrowdell to find adventure and true love. Unfortunately Jenn is “turn-born,” born in the narrow Verge where the mortal world and a magical realm overlap, and bound to the land by her birth; any attempt to leave Marrowdell will release the Verge’s wild magic, bringing chaos and death to both worlds. As Jenn’s 19th birthday approaches, along with the eclipse called the Great Turn, Jenn is drawn toward the dangerous Verge and torn between the two men she loves: an exiled prince and a disgraced dragon-turned-human sent by forces across the Verge to guard her. Science fiction author Czerneda (the Stratification series) will charm fantasy readers with multidimensional characters, a vivid setting, and powerful themes of hope and renewal.

Starred review from February 15, 2013

Jenn Nalynn, the miller's daughter, lives a charmed life in the tiny, secluded village of Marrowdell. She spends her days in the meadow near the forbidden place called Night's Edge, passing her time with her invisible companion, Wisp, her best and truest friend. But as she grows to adulthood, she longs to visit places outside the village, which has grown too small for her ambitious and hungry mind. Only then does she discover that Marrowdell sits on the edge of the Verge, a magical chasm that divides the world of mortals from a dangerous world of dragons and stranger creatures, and that she has the power to create chaos between the two worlds if she sets foot outside the village. The appearance of two strangers, former soldiers, in the village signals the beginning of tumultuous events that bring Jenn's safe world and her dreams of travel crashing down around her. VERDICT Known for her powerful and insightful sf novels (In the Company of Others), Czerneda brings the same exacting sensibility to her brilliant fantasy debut. Her characters are both charming and believable, and Jenn, her friend Wisp, and the soldier Bannan stand out as memorable and utterly real. While this can be read as a stand-alone, there are plenty of possibilities for more stories in the world outside Marrowdell. Fans of L.E. Modesitt Jr. and Charles de Lint will love this fantastic and magical fable.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2013
Acclaimed sf writer Czerneda turns to fantasy in her latest well-imagined outing. Crafting the mystical world of Marrowdell, she populates the valley with a variety of magical creatures, including house toads, dragons, and a beautiful but restless heroine who holds the key to Marrowdell's security. Although she longs to travel beyond the well-trod byways of her village, Jenn Nalynn, the miller's daughter, is moored to Marrowdell by the curse of her birth. Turn-born, she unwittingly provides the balance between Marrowdell and the darkly feral Verge. Precariously pinned together, these two worlds can only coexist if Jenn, who is defiantly beginning to flex her magical muscles, remains firmly rooted in place. Genre fans will appreciate all the vividly detailed attention to world building embedded in this entertaining fable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)