Synopsis
In a magical realm, three teenage girls-Jade, Opal, and Amber-are chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Although they meet as strangers, they must learn to trust one another with their lives as they embark on an epic journey, armed only with magical stones and one another. On the day of their fourteenth birthday, they set out on a quest that will require them to overcome heinous enemies-like the ferocious raptors, birds of prey that feast on fear; and the torturous Ghibduls, who inflict pain for sport and theater-in an effort to save an enchanted yet threatened land called Fairytale. Along the way, they encounter miraculous horses that have the gift of reading their riders' thoughts; the brave Adrien of Rivebel, who captures the heart of one of the girls; and Oonagh, the girls' childlike guide, living in the remote crystalline grotto, who will advise them on their course. At the same time, in a parallel world, a young girl named Joa fights for her life in a hospital bed in Paris. While she is dreaming, her thoughts transport her to an unknown realm where three young heroines fight a spectacular battle. Their success or failure will determine the fate of Fairytale. . . and Joa's s
Reviews
Grade 7-9-Jade, Amber, and Opal meet for the first time when they are 14 and find that their destinies are inextricably intertwined in some way that they have yet to discover. Each girl possesses a stone that matches her name. These stones have great power and are related to an ancient prophecy about the saving of the Light. The girls embark on a quest to understand their role in life and, in the process, enter the kingdom of Fairytale, where some of the magical beings are good, and some are evil. Another key figure is a knight errant who calls himself the Nameless One, who is also destined to be part of the fulfilling of the Prophecy. This is a long, involved story that often takes on the quality of a B movie. The style is somewhat flat and the voice is very youthful. Characters are constantly explaining situations and history. There is a dependence on magical objects that descend willy-nilly into the story and chance meetings in which the girls and the Nameless One are immediately known and accepted. Dialogue is stiff. While there are some interesting fantastical creatures and plot twists, there are also some very odd elements. Death, for instance, is "on strike" so no one can die. There is a small parallel story of a dying girl in a Paris hospital who has dreams that somehow relate to Jade, Opal, and Amber. The purpose of this device remains fuzzy to the end. Jacket information reveals that the author is 15 years old. While the story is a definite accomplishment for one so young, it is not a polished or mature work of fiction.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
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Gr. 5-8. Bujor's debut novel was a sensation in Europe, garnering lots of attention because the author was 14. This celebrity may be worthy of note (a big media campaign is planned for the U.S.), but the fact is, the book sounds as if it were written by, well, a 14-year-old. The story, set far in the future, starts off well enough. Jade, Amber, and Opal are thrown together because of a prophecy and their possession of stones that allow them to do magic and have psychic powers. In an incredibly long march to stamp out evil, the girls find themselves struggling against hardships and embroiled in battles, including a final bloody one in which "the Chosen One" fights to unite the lands of "Fairytale" and the "Outside" into one realm. If all this isn't enough, Bujor injects a saccharine story about a girl dying in modern-day Paris. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot derivative, and the writing sluggish. So why purchase this? Because of the buzz, which will be heard at libraries, and perhaps for the inspiration it can give young writers. If she can get published . . . Ilene Cooper
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