Status
Available
Publication
EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing / EDGE-Lite, Kindle Edition, 373 pages
Description
"Danay, my par'mida, you are important. One day you will see this too." Danay is an outsider on the water planet of Uma'Three. She's too tall, too thin, she doesn't have second lungs, and the water dries out her skin to the point she has to wear a reversed wet'skn just to survive. When her Nan'Dah gives her a coming of age bracelet on her fifteenth birthday, she knows she won't get a courtship pearl from anyone. She's happy enough when the one boy she likes mysteriously returns after being gone for a whole Turn, but she isn't surprised to discover he's more interested in her best friend. That is... until he sees her bracelet. The braid has Danay's pet name woven into it. Par'mida: 'Precious One' her Nan'Dah says. Phillip seems to think it means something different and now he won't leave Danay's side. Something doesn't seem right. Phillip is nervous around officials and he can't answer any of her questions. And then the Emperor's fleet arrives to perform loyalty tests. Caught in the middle and branded a traitor, Danay is swept into a secretive rebellion. When her best friend is taken by the Emperor's men, Danay will have to learn that only she has the power to save the ones she loves.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member amkj
A fascinating and vivid story. Bel'Harold does a wonderful job of creating an imaginative and beautiful world that paints itself into the reader's imagination. The plot is at it's roots a good vs. evil story, however as Danay discovers her identity she also grapples with the question of what
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actions are honorable. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cfraser
Better than I expected and very easy to read. Aimed at a young teenage audience, the characters could be more complex and less predictable (this goes for the plot also). The ending appeared rushed, but the magic was fun and quirky. I enjoyed some of the abnormal animals and I hope further books in
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the series will feature more on these Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyHarper
Where is the next book???!!! This one almost hit it out of the part, but was close enough that I am ready for the next book. Some of the book was very young adult which was okay it did not turn childish and some was quite predictable, but the story's premise, plot and magic have me hooked. This was
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a very good quick read that displays many possibilities. I hope that Aviva Bel'Harold continues the adventure. Waiting to see if Kit'Una, Danay's best friend, has a child by the Emperor and what will happen if she does and I sure hope there is more interaction with the sharks. . OK here I sit ----waiting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Scarlett_Rose
I kept the young adult target audience in mind while I read this book. It struck me as very Cinderella like despite the otherworldly setting. The story was very predictable and the defeat of the bad emperor happened very easily and quickly. It had some interesting characters and the way the planets
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were ruled was well explained. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladyoflorien
This novel is aimed at teens, a sci-fi/romance coming of age tale. The worlds were interesting with fascinating creatures inhabiting them. For the most part, I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. A fun read nevertheless.
LibraryThing member kaydern
The main character, Danay, is a teenage girl who has always felt like an outsider and discovers there is a very specific, classically YA reason for this, after she meets a handsome stranger named Phillip. She is the inheritor of a mighty gift, and a perilous destiny.
I think this book is best
However the world building fell flat for me at one specific plot point. Natives to Uma'Three, the world on which some of the action is set, have four lungs and tend to be fatter than earth-standard. Danay supposed to be unattractive and unpopular on this world because she's "too skinny". I initially appreciated overturning of traditional weight-based beauty standards, but it doesn't escape my notice that Danay is earth-standard attractive. It's especially irritating since most of the people in town work in a mill and everyone swims or rows everywhere, but everyone aside from the thin main character is portrayed as being unhealthy or ashamed of gaining muscle. I'm not saying societal standards can't be counter-intuitive, but it bothers me how much this one aligns with negative stereotypes about fat people.
I think this book is best
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enjoyed as a middle-school reading level fantasy style story. The world-building is decent, but the characters are a bit flat, the dialogue feels a stilted, and the main character's life is straight out of a fairy tale. None of these things are a problem for younger readers, and all are more than appropriate for a fairy tale. That being said this book was not something I enjoyed, so I can't rate it very highly.However the world building fell flat for me at one specific plot point. Natives to Uma'Three, the world on which some of the action is set, have four lungs and tend to be fatter than earth-standard. Danay supposed to be unattractive and unpopular on this world because she's "too skinny". I initially appreciated overturning of traditional weight-based beauty standards, but it doesn't escape my notice that Danay is earth-standard attractive. It's especially irritating since most of the people in town work in a mill and everyone swims or rows everywhere, but everyone aside from the thin main character is portrayed as being unhealthy or ashamed of gaining muscle. I'm not saying societal standards can't be counter-intuitive, but it bothers me how much this one aligns with negative stereotypes about fat people.
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LibraryThing member plappen
Quista is a very strange star system. It has three suns, a dozen planets and over fifty moons. The Emperor holds it all together with magic.
Danay is an outcast on the mostly water planet of Uma'Three. It is literally a piece of a larger planet, along with Uma'One, Two and Four. She is too tall, too
Danay wears a Coming of Age bracelet, which, in the local language, says "Precious One". In another language, it says something totally different. Phillip, a boy that Danay secretly likes, suddenly returns after being away for a long time. He now won't leave her side.
The Emperor's troops arrive to perform loyalty tests. Phillip tells Danay that she has to leave now, but can't answer her questions. Eventually, Danay learns the other translation of her bracelet, and she learns the real identity of her mother, who she never knew. Danay finds herself in the middle of a growing rebellion.
The author does and excellent with this Young Adult novel, from the characters to the story to the society-building. Young people will love this story; adults will, too.
Danay is an outcast on the mostly water planet of Uma'Three. It is literally a piece of a larger planet, along with Uma'One, Two and Four. She is too tall, too
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thin and she doesn't have a second set of lungs, like everyone else.Danay wears a Coming of Age bracelet, which, in the local language, says "Precious One". In another language, it says something totally different. Phillip, a boy that Danay secretly likes, suddenly returns after being away for a long time. He now won't leave her side.
The Emperor's troops arrive to perform loyalty tests. Phillip tells Danay that she has to leave now, but can't answer her questions. Eventually, Danay learns the other translation of her bracelet, and she learns the real identity of her mother, who she never knew. Danay finds herself in the middle of a growing rebellion.
The author does and excellent with this Young Adult novel, from the characters to the story to the society-building. Young people will love this story; adults will, too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ladyoflorien
This novel is aimed at teens, a sci-fi/romance coming of age tale. The worlds were interesting with fascinating creatures inhabiting them. For the most part, I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. A fun read nevertheless.