The Shepherd of Weeds

October 1, 2011
Ivy Manx, the noble child who, it is prophesied, will heal the land and free the old king, finds herself back in Caux, a prisoner of Sorel Flux. With help from her friend Rue and unlikely ally Lumpen Gorse, she escapes and is reunited with her friend Rowan and the rest of the rebels. With an army of scarecrows and birds, they march to Rocamadour to confront the growing power of Director Verjouce, Ivys father, as the scourge bracken, a toxic and deadly weed controlled by the director, threatens to engulf the whole of Caux. Can Ivy fulfill the prophecy by defeating evil and restoring the old king, or has the scourge bracken permanently tainted her?

Appelbaums third novel continues to captivate the imagination. She weaves elements of the background seamlessly into the story, enabling the reader to focus on the fast-paced action. As in Philip Pullmans The Amber Spyglass (Knopf, 2000/VOYA December 2000), the main character must save the world while confronting the threats posed by her father. In this third and final installment of the Poisons of Caux series, the fortunes of the multitude of characters encountered in the first two books come to a satisfactory conclusion. Caux is a well-designed fantasy world with enough appeal to satisfy younger readers, who will wish for a fourth book.Etienne Vallée.3Q 4P M J