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CITY OF ISLANDS

Kali Wallace

A middle grade fantasy set in an archipelago of peculiar islands where a diving girl discovers bones on the ocean floor from creatures—and magic—that shouldn't exist.
Mara is a diver for the Lady of the Tides, swimming through the murky ocean between the city's many islands searching for treasures that might please the Lady. On a routine dive, Mara discovers the bones of strange hybrid creatures that hum with magic, creatures that haven't existed since the ancestors' days of long-lost underwater palaces and magical verses so powerful they had shaped entire islands. The Lady is more than pleased and she rewards Mara with a special assignment: sneak into the Winter's Blade, the dark asylum island of the Lord of the Muck, to retrieve his spell book. In exchange, the Lady will teach Mara her magic, the only source of power in the islands. Mara agrees, but the Lady's machinations have made Mara question what the Muck is up to in his tower, and how he might be connected to the mysterious bones piling up on the ocean floor. Then Mara's friends begin to disappear and she realizes much more is at stake than one orphan girl's fortunes. Kali Wallace is the author of two novels for teens and many short stories. She studied geology for years but now devotes her time to writing. She lives in Southern California.
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Published 2018-07-24 by Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins

Comments

Wallace creates an intriguing world. The racial and ethnic diversity within this seagoing nation, as well as its powerful female leaders and acceptance of same-gender marriages, make for a welcome reboot of the standard sword-and-sorcery setting. An adventurous story that will appeal to middle school fantasy readers.

CITY OF ISLANDS churns with mystery and adventure, friendship and betrayal. I fell right under its singing-spell, and didn't want to leave.

A thrilling, magical adventure, full of surprises.

CITY OF ISLANDS is a richly imagined, thoroughly engrossing adventure featuring terrible secrets hiding in murky depths, power-hungry mages battling over ancient magic, and, best of all, one brave girl with the vision and heart to set things right. I loved this book.

Wallace builds intrigue, layer by layer, page by page, until readers are glued to each word right up to the magnificent end.

A unique, beautifully crafted adventure spun with just the right amounts of darkness and sparkle.

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