A Chalice of Wind (Balefire Series #1)

by Cate Tiernan

Overview

After seventeen-year-old Thais Allard loses her widowed father in a tragic car accident, she is forced to leave the only home she’s ever known to live with a total stranger in New Orleans. New Orleans greets Thais with many secrets and mysteries, but none as unbelievable as the moment she comes face to face with the impossible—an identical twin, Clio. Thais soon learns that she and the twin she never knew come from a family of witches, that she possesses astonishing powers, and that she, along with Clio, has a key role in Balefire, the coven she was born into. Fiery Clio is less than thrilled to have to share the spotlight, but the twins must learn to combine their powers in order to complete a rite that will transform their lives and the coven forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101119143
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/18/2005
Series:	Balefire Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	269 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cate Tiernan is best known as the author of the Sweep, Balefire, and Immortal Beloved young adult series. She studied writing and Russian language and literature at New York University and Loyola University. Tiernan has written more than 75 books under various names. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, daughters, and stepson.

Editorial Reviews

"Told in chapters narrated alternately by Clio and Thais, the suspenseful story moves quickly along, and a love triangle between the twins and a mysterious young man adds some depth. The action builds toward a tantalizing twist that will leave readers eager for future books in the Balefire series. This won't sit on the shelf long."

Booklist

Gr 9 Up-Separated at birth, Thais and Clio are identical twins who've never met. Clio lives with her grandmother in New Orleans, where they practice Bonne Magie, a branch of witchcraft similar to Wicca but much older. Thais has lived with her father in Connecticut, and when he dies in a freak accident, she is moved to New Orleans by her new guardian, Axelle Gauvin, also a practicing witch. Thais meets Clio on the first day of their senior year at her new school, and both are freaked. Why were they separated? And what happens now that they are reunited? The girls tell their stories in alternating narratives. They are the most fully developed characters, but even secondary characters are given some depth. Though the plot starts off rather slowly in Connecticut, it picks up speed when Thais arrives in New Orleans and other secrets are discovered. Each chapter holds a sense of mystery and uneasiness. The ending is wide open, leaving so many questions unanswered and raising so many new ones that the next installment is a necessity. Containing fantasy, mystery, romance, and the bar scene of New Orleans, the book will find a wide audience.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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