Child of a Hidden Sea

April 14, 2014
Dellamonica (Indigo Springs) introduces a charmingly wide-eyed heroine to open a contemporary fantasy series. Sophie Hansa is on a quest to find her birth mother, Beatrice. When she rescues Beatrice’s sister, Gale, from an attack in a San Francisco alley, the two are whisked away to Beatrice and Gale’s home of Stele Island, part of the magical world called Stormwrack, where Sophie’s relatives are less than thrilled to see her. At first, Sophie is thrilled to be in this land of beautiful people and wondrous happenings, and she manages to get her adoptive brother, Bram, to join her there. But when she’s taxed with the investigation of a relative’s murder, she begins to realize that Stormwrack is not a wonderland. While Sophie’s relationship with Stormwrack and its people develops slowly, her amazement at this new world and its varied fauna is shared in a satisfying manner that leaves the reader looking forward to the next installment.

May 15, 2014

Searching for her birth mother takes Sophie Hansa on a journey to a whole new world. She is following her aunt on the streets of San Francisco one minute, and the next, she is in a strange nautical place where she doesn't speak the language. Sophie is in Stormwrack, and when her aunt is killed, she becomes embroiled in the harrowing local politics. Sophie may get to know the family she was born into, but when someone she cares about is kidnapped by pirates, she must decide whether she will fight to stay in this new world or return to her old life. VERDICT High adventure with magical spells and tall sailing ships makes for a rollicking, fun read from the author of the award-winning Indigo Springs and Blue Magic. The emotional stakes are high for the heroine, who is rejected and used by the family she has searched for all her life, but her curiosity and dauntless nature mean she will never stop trying to get what she wants.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Sophie was just looking for her birth family; she wades in to defend a woman she is fairly certain is her aunt and finds herself floating in an unfamiliar sea. Her aunt has been stabbed; there are moths falling to the surface of the water, and she doesn't recognize the species. Fortunately, she is an experienced diver and keeps herself and her aunt afloat until they are rescued by Stele Islanders. Sophie rapidly realizes that she's not anywhere in the world she knows. She's stepped into the midst of a delicate political situation, riddled with conspiracy, and is about to be forced to navigate without knowing all the details. The sister she has just met and the captain of her aunt's ship begin as unwilling allies, but as they work together to unravel the threads of conspiracy, they forge a real relationshipand Sophie gradually discovers more about why everyone seems to know her. Sophie is a delightful, curious, and engaging voice, and the political games of Stormwrack and the Fleet are a fine and entertaining framework for a story of intrigue and self-discovery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)