Avielle of Rhia

by Dia Calhoun

Since the blood of her great-great-grandmother, Dolvoka, had sprung up in Princess Avielle-because she looked Dredonian-would Dolvoka's evil magic spring up in her, too?
With her silver skin and silver hair, fifteen-year-old Princess Avielle of Rhia resembles her Dredonian great-great grandmother who practiced evil magic. Everyone in Rhia expects Avielle to turn evil, too. Shunned by those around her, she feels unloved and unable to love others. In addition, Rhia is on the verge of war with Dredonia, which suffers under the rule of evil the Brethren of the Black Cloaks. They have placed impossible demands upon Rhia, but the king and queen have refused to acquiesce.
One terrible night, the Brethren attack, killing the royal family and hundreds of others. Only Avielle escapes. She must keep her identity secret to avoid death from the enemy. While hiding among the common people, she learns that she has a magical gift for weaving. But will this gift, rooted in her Dredonian blood, lead Avielle to the same evil that possessed her great-great grandmother? Or will it help her free her people from further attacks?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Young Adult Fantasy, High Fantasy, Fiction, Princesses

397 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Author, essayist, and poet Dia Calhoun won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature for her novel Aria of the Sea. Three of her eight novels are American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults. Calhoun’s contemporary novel Eva of the Farm was a Hornbook Magazine Best Verse Novel. Reviewing Calhoun’s most recent book, After the River the Sun School Library Journal wrote—“Lovers of gaming and Arthurian legends will thoroughly enjoy this one.” Calhoun’s 7:30 BELLS blog essays explore creativity and inspiration.

Calhoun is a cofounder of the literacy social media project, readergirlz, recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize. Calhoun has taught at Seattle University and the Cornish College of Arts. She currently offers private coaching in writing to kids and adults. Calhoun lives beside the wild Nisqually River in Washington state. Not only does the natural world inspire her writing, it’s also the basis for her new work as a sculptor.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I start with this book? There is so much that I would like to say about it. I guess I can start with the first thought that came to mind... Wow! This is one of the few fantasy books that I have ever read that completely engrossed me into its world. Calhoun paints a glorious picture of Avielle's world leaving very little unanswered. The reader understands their religion, their history, their customs.. you name it, Calhoun included it. This aspect is only one of many things that I loved about this book.

The plot was paced well, but not too fast. For this story, this is not a bad thing since I believe that the reader needs to fully understand all aspects of what is going on this world. Avielle (I LOVE this name) is an interesting heroine. She has flaws, but you cannot help but love her. The other characters are wonderful, and add much to the story. The only character I did not fully understand was Edard. Calhoun gives the reader hints about his hatefulness, but never comes right out and explains it. I also would not have minded a bit a romance. The possibility is there for Avielle, but it is never explored.

There are two things (three if you count the cover) that I absolutely loved about this book. First, was Avielle's world, which I already discussed. The other is how Calhoun dealt with racism and prejudice. Both issues are handled flawlessly, and leave the reader with a nice message. This would be a great book to use in middle/early high school classrooms to highlight those issues.

The only question I have about the novel is: Where is the sequel??? The ending leads you to believe that there is much more to explore, and I really, really want to, but Calhoun has not written a sequel yet.

This book is definitely going on my keepers list. It is well written, has a beautifully explored world, great characters, has a great underlying message for its readers. I honestly do not have any thing bad to say about it... except that there is no sequel in site (the book was published in 2006). If you decide to read this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Sheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Not much of a story, but a ridiculous amount of description. If I hear one more word about rich gossamer fabric like unto dragonfly wings I'm going to throw this book at someone's head. Fortunately, I've finished the book, so I am safe from endless descriptions of every bug in the room.

Could have been great, but failed.

Avielle spends the first half of the book feeling bad for herself, the second half making friends with random quirky people, and the last two pages saving the kingdom. Blah.

[Nicole N. (A Myriad of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this gem at the local library. Never heard of the author but the blurb sounded pretty nice so I thought, "Why not?"

Princess Avielle, silverskin and hair, scalloped forehead, and pointy-eared, fears that she will become like her great-great-grandmother, Queen Dolvoka, otherwise known as the "Cursed One" who sent the birds away from Rhia, and who happened to look exactly like Aveille. For this, most of Avielle's family is cold towards her, and her parents want to marry her off to a dull prince more than twice her age. Because who else would want to marry someone who might bring about evil magic?

But when tragedy brought one by the Brethren of the Black Cloaks in neighboring Dredonia strikes Avielle's family, she hides who she is, taking an apprenticeship with the local weaver, Gamalda, for she fears for her life. It's there that Avielle learns and tries to control her magic which she uses directly in her weaving. But when the Brethren issue and ultimatum to Rhia and laws become stricter, Avielle does nothing, hoping it will all go away. But when hope and courage rise in Avielle, she will dig deep into her past to discover that maybe everyone had it all wrong.

[SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.]

I'll say that for being a single book in what I felt could have been a series, there is a lot of description and details. A lot of information that can really weigh down the reader. There also seem to be a lot of lulls, a lot of Avielle moping, which can be understandable since she lost her family and then loses Gamalda.

The strongest message and I do get out of this book though is courage. Avielle had the courage and found it within herself to discover the truth about Queen Dolkova. She was able to use her magic to help her, and found out that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was.

I did think the story itself was written plainly and could be read by a middle schooler with ease. Maybe the length of this makes the book 'young adult' but I could easily see it as 'pre-teen.'

[Sareh · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I found this in my library today when I went to go to my writer's group. Only I found out that there wasn't writer's group today and decided to browse the shelves for books. I got way too many books.

Anyways, I happened across this book and I loved it! I could barely put it down, even when there was a demonstration about how the CSI solves crimes and stuff.

I LOVED the characters, they were my favorite part and you could clearly see how Avielle grew and developed at the end of the story. I was so happy to see her finally get rid of her grief and come out of her great-grandmother's shadow. The rest of the characters were awesome too. I was so sad when her family died although I wasn't so sad when her eldest brother died. I just wished we could have seen more of her siblings. They were only mentioned once and then never touched on again.

As for the plot, it was very good. I enjoyed seeing her struggle between good and evil and then eventually over coming her fears and embracing who she really was. And eventually saving her kingdom.

[K'tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book with an original twist on an old theme: it doesn't matter what's on the outside; its whats inside that counts.
Princess Avielle is forever running away from her appearance; many people hate her just because of her silver skin and hair, and pointed ears. Avielle is constantly living in the shadow of her "evil" great great grandmother whom she inherited her silver complection, and supposed "evil" from. When a magical whirlwind hits the castle it kills Avielle's family. Avielle, having snuck out before the whirlwind struck, is spared but not left without grief. The kingdom of Rhia is thrown into dissaray without the royal family, but there is one person left. Avielle is forced with the options of coming out of hiding to save her people or staying in hiding to save herself from hatred of the people.

[erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the world of Rhia, and the story of Avielle as she worked on her prejudices and internal hatred. I also loved her journey of becoming a better and more loving person. However, I found the ending a little rushed. I wish the part of her coming into her own power was longer, and let her have more time to think of all the things that had allowed her to reach that point.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has nice message though it seem to not be able to decide. I thought it was do not judge one person on their family's actions and appearance. But in the end when she fight her evil it is supposed to be about choice.

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, magical, YA read!

“Feed the hungry and you’ll feed your soul” (58).

“I tell you that men and women bring about evil by turning toward it in their hearts” (122).

“Don’t go calling failure before you’ve tried success” (279).

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avielle of Rhia, by Dia Calhoun, is another coming of age story. Avielle is a princess, although as one of the younger children, it is extremely unlikely she will ever inherit the throne. Avielle is a Dredonian Rhian, meaning that one of her ancestors was from Dredonia. Many Rhians are Dredonian Rhians, and they all have one characteristic of Dredonians, whether it be pointed ears or the scalloped ridge on their forehead. Then there are those called silverskins, who look completely Dredonian. Avielle is a silverskin.

Avielle has lived all her life in the shadow of her evil great great grandmother, Queen Dolvoka, who was Dredonian. The people of Rhia, and even her family, despise or fear her because they expect that Dolvoka’s evil has also passed to Avielle along with her appearance. This is also what Avielle fears most. Dolvoka’s memory is still feared, and she is referred to as the “Cursed One.” Before she died, she cast a spell on Rhia, causing all the birds to die. Any birds that enter the country grow weak and eventually die as well.

Rhians are preparing for war, as Dredonia’s Bretheren of the Black Cloaks make harsh demands for slaves and mines of Rhia to be turned over to them. Avielle leaves the High Hall one night to seek out a woman who was kind to her, to ask her about her weaving skills. While in Gamalda’s shop, a Whirlwind sent by the evil Bretheren hits the High Hall, killing Avielle’s entire family. Convinced that the people of Rhia would never accept her as their queen, Avielle stays with Gamalda in hiding, as her new apprentice.

Now that the Royal Family is (presumed) dead, the High Council has taken over. There is actually talk of sending the people of Rhia to Dredonia as slaves! Avielle at last has made friends and is beginning to accept herself, part Dredonian and magic alike. In order to save her country, her friends, and even herself, she must make a difficult decision. And maybe with that decision, she can drive away evil and bring the birds home to Rhia.

I found this book in the “teen fiction” section of my local library. While I did enjoy the story, it seemed to progress a bit slowly for me. Avielle took way to long to learn her lesson. She also seemed a bit selfish, but I guess that was part of the coming of age story. During much of the book, I was reminded of the stories/cards that go something like this: “See Dick run. See Jane eat. See Spot sit.” Not to say that the author’s writing was bad, because it definitely wasn’t. Anyway…I think that this book would be better suited to much younger teens, maybe even around the 11 to 14 year old range.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly excellent book...with a so-so ending.

Avielle is a princess of Rhia who has the physical traits-pointy ears, silver skin-of a past queen, named Dolkova. This past queen came from a nearby country named Dredonia, where the people have great magical abilities, but also great potential for evil.

This past queen felt trapped in Rhia, and one day, as the legend goes, she made all the birds drop dead from the sky in a fit of rage. No birds have survived in Rhia since.
Because of Avielle's resemblance to Queen Dolkova, everyone expects evil to surface in her, so she grows up unloved and isolated from everyone, including her family. Because everyone is watching for evil in her constantly, she fears evil in herself.

One day, while weaving, she exhibits magical power, but fears the evil that may come hand-in-hand with it, so she denies her magical ability.

Soon afterward, the evil Dredonian wizards, called the Black Cloaks, attack the royal family of Rhia, and Avielle is the only survivor. She flees to the shop of a woman with magical weaving ability, and who has been nice to her, to live a life on anonimity, fearing for her own life from the Black Cloaks, but mainly out of a knowledge that the people of Rhia do not want her as their queen.

The woman she lives with believes that Avielle can use her magic in weaving for good, but should Avielle even try it and risk turning as evil as Dolkova? And what should she do about the Black Cloaks, who have continued to kill the citizens of Rhia?

I read this in the car on the way to and from Spokane, which was about 6 1/2 hours each way. It was a perfect book to read on a long car trip, because once I started, I didn't want to stop reading. The only problem is that the ending is blah, and the whole thing takes place too quickly. I feel like the author left the door open for a sequel, and I would like to read one, but she really should have done more with the ending. I want to know what happens with all the characters!

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I do agree with you. The cover is totally weird. That girl's nose. Ugh! Okay, I'll stop talking about odd and random stuff now.

Avielle of Rhia starts off wonderfully. A princess. A kingdom that hates her. Her evil prince brother who beats her up with words whenever he likes. Only one person says he loves her, who is Avielle's five year old brother.

I feel the I-Don't-Want-to-be-my-evil-grandmother plot is weak. Avielle mentions it once in awhile, but there's no feeling behind it. She screams, she yells, she thinks that thought, but the plot isn't very strong. I don't feel like Avielle really cares about her grandmother. I think there should be more details and thoughts on that matter.

Avielle herself is a great character. She is kind of selfish, but selfless towards the end of the book. She has great characteristics that greatly reminds me of myself. Avielle is high in society, but after meeting the poorer people, she realizes that every life is worth something. Avielle's personality between going to good or evil clashes together in the end. Her choice will determine the fate of the kingdom. But the ending is heavily flawed.

What kind of ending was it? An ending that horribly reminds me of the last book in Blue Bloods series with vampire/angels. It is quickly written, as if the author didn't take the time to write a well-written ending to Avielle of Rhia. It's a quick ending and a quick epilogue that takes the place of about the last two chapters. Really short, isn't it?

The writing is mostly good. I like how it reel me in. I was absolutely absorbed into this book. My nose was stuck within the pages from beginning to end.

Rating: Three out of Five

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[Elyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a YA fantasy that would likely be enjoyed by reader 12-15 years old. For me, however, the book fell flat.

The plot was awkward and dragged a lot for me. The world-building was nice at first. But then it got extensive and tired. I found myself skimming paragraphs of description. The middle was so, so long, and while much of it was spent building secondary characters, I found it unsuccessful. Despite nearly 200 pages spent talking about them and seeing Avielle interacting with them, the only secondary character that made it beyond a one-dimensional stereotype was Darien, because we got to see him grow past his prejudice. In all, the middle was boring and too descriptive, and the moment of excitement felt forced.

There were too many devices that just seemed, well, a little too convenient. A lot of bad things seem to just "happen" to Avielle, for instance. The visions she has while weaving were confusing and added to this, giving her information she wouldn't have had otherwise. A book she needs to find is conveniently found in a community library. It just all seemed deceptively easy.

Avielle was frustratingly indecisive and spent nearly the whole story trying to decide who she was. There is so much of this book spent in Avielle's mind, go over her feeling and choices and thoughts. It's exhausting, especially because it never makes her any more sympathetic or interesting.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avielle is a princess, but she is the only one in her family who is a silver-skin- a race that the kingdom has been prejudiced against since her great grandmother, the "cursed one" and also a silverskin, sent all the birds away. Her family hates or ignores her, and wishes to get rid of her. She runs away and lives with a kind mentor woman who teaches her magic weaving. When the black magicians of the neighboring country start to terrorize her kingdom, Avielle finds herself alone, afraid, and denying who she is. She must learn to make friends in spite of her appearance, and possibly learn to lead her country as well.

I loved Dia Calhoun's books when I was in Middle School. I thought she was amazing, and I checked the shelves all the time for new ones. So when I JUST NOW found out she had new ones, I was SO EXCITED. While the story was intriging, I found her story so... obvious. It dealt with the whole race issue, and terrorism, and felt like she was really pushing to make her point. It felt like a pre- holocaust type story set in a fantasy world. The silverskin characters had to wear badges on their coat, and had a curfew... I mean come on. To her credit though, she had engaging characters, and made some excellent points about knowing the difference between your enemy and people who look like or may live under the rule of your enemy.

[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was just okay for me. The people of Rhia don’t particularly like the Dredonians, and thonl they’re evil, and measures are taken against those with silver skin. There’s definitely a theme of hatred and prejudice, and you really can’t miss it. It’s not really explained why people don’t like the Dredonians- in fact, the only reason I can think of is Avielle’s great-great-grandmother, who accidentally killed the birds of Rhia, and so all people with Dredonain traits are considered evil.

While Avielle’s hiding, the High Council rules in her place, but in the end, she takes her rightful place as Queen, and everyone accepts her because she defeats the Brethren and brings the birds back to Rhia.

It wrapped up too nicely, but I wasn’t surprised that she became Queen and was accepted as Queen, because it was pretty clear that’s what her journey was. I would have liked Calhoun to have gone deeper into the reasons why people didn’t like the Silverskins.

The ending was slightly ambiguous- if Calhoun wrote a sequel, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Rating: 2 out of 5. It was just okay, and while I liked the concept, there was something…off about it. The cover art was beautiful, and Calhoun is a good writer.

[EL · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really love fantasy and Sci Fi. I don't particularly care what age group they are written for. But this is one of the worst books I have read. I have now read at least 3 books (counting this one) by this author and this is the worst (although I can't say that I really liked the others.

I didn't finish it because I was so bored with the book. The protagonist is stupid and boring. She is whiny and has no empathy for anyone. The writing is boring. Despite this, the author would like you to feel that she is essentially nice. I would rather that she were evil. At least that would make her something other than deadly boring. With her lack of feelings for anyone, it also makes sense that she would not be all that good. In fact a person like her would normally be a psychopath.

A similar book is Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey. It also is not my favorite book as the protagonist is a bit too sweet again, but at least she comes across as being a real person with a reason for being the way she is. She is also willing to fight for what she wants.

The best tag for this book and protagonist (one can't call her a heroine) is insipid. Too bad.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With her silver skin and silver hair, fifteen-year-old Princess Avielle of Rhia resembles her Dredonian great-great grandmother who practiced evil magic. Everyone in Rhia expects Avielle to turn evil, too. Shunned by those around her, she feels unloved and unable to love others. In addition, she fears that Rhia will go to war with Dredonia, which suffers under the rule of evil wizard-priests: the Brethren of the Black Cloaks. They have placed impossible demands upon Rhia, but the king and queen have refused to acquiesce. One terrible night, the Brethren attack, killing the royal family and hundreds of others. Only Avielle escapes. She must keep her identity secret to avoid death from the enemy. While hiding among the common people, she learns that she has a magical gift for weaving. But will this gift, rooted in her Dredonian blood, lead Avielle to the same evil that possessed her great-great grandmother? Or will it help her free her people from further attacks.?

I liked this book a lot as Avielle began to see the truth of her childhood and come to grips with who she is and what she needs to do. A good message about racism and making generalizations based on appearance.

[Angie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a YA fantasy novel that I picked up at the library. I read the inside flap and thought it looked interesting. I really liked it. If your into fantasy novels it is a really fun read. All of my YA friends on goodreads would love it. It is the story of a princess, who as the only child of her five siblings, has inherited all the traits of her magically powerful great-great-great-grandmother, the Queen of Rhia, who was thought of as the wicked and evil in how she used her magic. The princess finds herself all alone after the entire royal family is killed from the neighboring country, Dredonia, which wan't to rule Rhia, and also is where her ggggrandmother comes from. She discovers she is magical and fears she will be like her grandma, and has to learn to use her powers to not only gain favor with her people, but to ultimately save them from being destroyed. A really fun read with lots of little teachings about courage, hope, and the power of love.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book about courage to defy the odds and to not change who you are. Avielle of Rhia is a Princess desecended from the Evil Queen Dolvoka. She looks just like the Queen, so people assume that she'll inherit the Queen's great and evil magic. As a result, people hate and fear her. Only a few people are nice to her. The servants, people of the court, and her eldest brother constantly make fun of her. She's secluded from the world. When her whole family is killed, and she's the only royalty left, she has a choice: to reveal her self, claim the throne and live the people's hatred of her, or risk the lives of her people to protect herself from hatred and harm.
This book had a good plot line and great internal conflict withing the main character. I love how the show the change of heart with Darien and the surprises along the way. Only, I really really don't get how it connects with 9/11

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of my library's Teen Book Chat, we asked the teens to write down the title of a book they recommend, and then everyone drew a title from a hat. Their assignment is to read that book for next month's meeting, and this is the one I drew. It kind of reminds me of Shannon Hale's stories, but a little darker.
The story moved quickly, so I stayed interested throughout, but there were a few aspects that prevented me from connecting with it on a deeper level. The young female protagonist, Avielle, is not explored from a very complex perspective. Her thoughts are either surface-level or not mentioned at all, which it made it difficult to relate with her experiences. Also, I would have appreciated even the slightest hint of romance thrown in there somewhere!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dia Calhoun creates an intriguing world in Rhia. Avielle's character development is strong, but her journey toward her true self and destiny takes a bit too long, too many tries to learn a single lesson.

Reading about weaving is fascinating. Avielle's weaving magic was beautiful to read about. Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic series features the character Sandry, who also has weaving magic. I was also reminded of the weaving in Juniper and Wise Child by Monica Furlong. Clearly, I like reading about weaving!

The climax and resolution were too short - especially the resolution. I longed for more of that part of the story, and maybe a little less of the middle.

Overall, an enjoyable read that I will recommend to many fantasy readers.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, either. I'm discovering, as I read more YA books, that I require something very specific of them for me to really lose myself in the story. This one definitely caught and held my attention, mostly because the storyline--a girl who is feared and ostracized for reasons that don't really have to do with her personality, who then finds true friends and happiness and ultimately discovers that she's stronger and better than she realized--is one of my favorites, cliched though it may be. This book doesn't really do anything new, though, and the ending is entirly too pat.

[Brillare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read half the book and then just skimmed the last half. There was so much description, and everything felt very forced. And the people she met were all so very quirky, it was too unbelievable. I felt like, "Wow, not another crazy person to befriend, please!"



SPOILERS


And I didn't get why there was such a big struggle with her being evil or good at the end. We kept hearing about how good or evil is a choice, not predetermined. And at the end she had to fight against the evil that was kind of overtaking her. I was like, "Huh? I thought we'd decided that your looks don't mean you have evil tendencies...?"

[Kristie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of slow and I thought the ending was really dumb. I think my biggest problem with this book though was Avielle. I like a main character who is strong and decisive, someone I can identify with or someone I'd want to emulate. I love it when I'm reading and can think, "Thats just what I would have done in that situation." Or even better, "I never would have thought to do that, but I wish I would have! That was awesome!" Avielle was just too wishy-washy and had too much self-doubt for me to ever get to the point where I liked her. I just wanted her to get together her courage and go DO something. All in all, not impressed.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avielle of Rhia is a coming of age story. A young girl has been shunned my the masses for the majority of her life, to the point that she also tries to hide from herself.

But her family is killed - along with many others - and she finds refuge with a woman who knows the true meaning of love. Slowly as Avielle lives with her, she begins to learn how to love those around her, and ultimately to love herself and the history that she has spent her live dreading.

It is a book about forgiveness, and about overcoming prejudices... something we all need to learn from time to time.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out really enjoying this story but felt like the middle was a little slow. I felt like the author spent too much time dragging out Avielle's fears and self doubt although I could see that time was well spent building up the secondary characters. It seemed like there was a lot of potential for a monumental climax and ending but then it failed to deliver. It left me wondering if she's planning on writing a second book or making this into a series. I see a lot of potential in the story but if it was intended as a stand alone book I wouldn't recommend it.

[Breanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, despite some major dragging through the middle. I think Lauren is right: the author spent too much time dragging out Rhia's self-doubt and fears. I think she was trying to show how Avielle was slowly conquering those over the course of the book, but she still seemed as hung up on page 300 as she did on page 50. But the ending was better than I expected which redeemed it a bit for me. Still, I wouldn't recommend this unless you read a lot of YA Fantasy and you're willing to scrape the bottom of the barrel a bit with this.

[Marrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is there so little hype about this book?!?! I loved it!!! I felt like the story was whole, with a bit of a clifhanger ending (where is the second one?!?!), and had vivid imargry. There was also a lot of charcater developement, which I loved. I could not put this book down. And although it could be a bit cheesy at times and there wasn't much of a love story that I could remember, it was a great book, all in all. One of my favorites, actually. I highly recommend it!*

*Sorry for the short review. It's been about a year and a half since I last read this.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful fantasy about a princess who must face trials of death, discrimination, family, and fear, and not just from the world around her, but also from within. There is much to be learned from this almost fairy tale. The only thing I could have wished for was for Avielle to have come to her senses a little sooner--there were parts that bordered on draggy. Nevertheless, a good read which I very much enjoyed.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is giving prejudice a new twist-a fantasy twist! It was a GREAT novel, I couldn't put it down! The author really knew how to create pictures with words, I could see weavings of the main character, Avielle, as I read. Readers will love reading to see if Avielle breaks free of her great grandmother's oppressing shadow, and embrace her true self.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avielle fears to grow up and become like her evil grandmother. This story has so much potential! Things are unfortunately glossed over, left unfollowed and undeveloped. It does its job, and the storyline is good (standard princess/pauper fairytale format), but it could be So much more. Still an enjoyable read.