A full-fledged review that comes along five years after first publication is always surprising: to get such a thing is encouraging.It also ought to be encouraging to readers: suggesting that there are books worth reading beyond the ones that publishers decide on for us. Is it still a mystery to many readers that publishers essentially decide what books we read by giving those books "a push," launching a book with the force of money and strong promotion?
As what is called "a mid-list writer," this idea used to bother me. I'm not really sure whether it's a good thing that it no longer does, yet I am glad that it does not.
I am also glad when a book bobs along and refuses to die. And I am grateful to the people who refuse to let it vanish.
* * *
From the end of Daphne Lee's review, "Vividly magical," in Malaysia's "most widely-read" newspaper, The Star:
This is a fantasy adventure and has some (not overly) violent and disturbing scenes. But it is by and large a quiet, magical book that glows with the beauty of its vividly imagined settings.
Ingledove herself is as lovely as her name – a kind, thoughtful girl who is brave not because she’s a born heroine, yearning for adventure and itching to do battle, but because she chooses to be so she can help those she loves.
