Moonkind

by Sarah Prineas

Overview

Fer must save her realm from the Forsworn, a group destroying the land with their broken oaths, in Moonkind, the conclusion to award-winning author Sarah Prineas's fantasy-adventure series, which includes Winterling, Summerkin, and the short story Thrice Sworn.

As the Lady of the Summerlands, Fer has vowed to serve her people without the deception of the glamorie, and she had trusted other leaders to fulfill the same promise. But not all of the Lords and Ladies want to keep their oaths, and they've unleashed the consequences of their betrayal onto the lands. Only Fer, with the help of the puck-boy Rook, can fight the stillness invading the realm. But can she trust Rook? And can she protect her people before it's too late?

Sarah Prineas combines a brave and resourceful young heroine with a richly detailed fantasy world and beloved folklore into a story that will delight middle-grade fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Ingrid Law, and Rick Riordan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062285607
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/31/2013
Series:	Summerlands , #3
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	788,760
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sarah Prineas lives in the midst of the corn in rural Iowa, where she wrangles dogs, cats, chickens, and goats, goes on lots of hikes, and finds time to write. She is also the author of Ash & Bramble, a retelling of Cinderella. She is married to a physics professor and has two kids. You can visit Sarah online at www.sarah-prineas.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2014
Gr 4–6—In this conclusion of the trilogy that began with Winterling (2012) and continued in Summerkin (2013, both HarperCollins), a poisonous curse called the stilth is oozing through the magical realms, spreading stillness and rot wherever it goes. It stems from the fact that young Fer, part-human Lady of the Summerlands, asked that all Lords and Ladies swear an oath to remove their glamories. The Forsworn have defiantly kept this masking magic, which not only makes them beautiful but also causes them to resist change and desire power. Meanwhile, Rook, Fer's tricky friend, and the Puck brothers have found a powerful and dangerous antidote to the glamorie in the form of a giant spider's web. What Rook does with this antidote causes the fragile trust between him and Fer to finally snap. After the Forsworn spirit Fer away to a remote, magical island, only Rook can rescue her-and only Rook and Fer together can save the realms, not to mention Fer's human grandmother. Fer's fierce determination to deal with the consequences of her actions meshes with Rook's realization that Fer is every bit as important to him as his brothers. This creates a tension that keeps the pages turning, even as the stilth threatens to destroy the world. Fer's refreshing humanity and Rook's exasperating but charming trickiness add humor and warmth to this fine fantasy.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

Narrator Erin Moon tackles a wide cast of characters in the concluding volume of the Winterling trilogy. Fer, the half-human, half-fey heroine, sounds young and determined. Rook, her trouble-making fairy friend, has a burr in his voice that softens only when he talks to Fer. Magical creatures like wolf girls and water sprites are all convincingly not human, with hitches or burbles or growls in their voices. As Fer works to save her magical land, she must confront powerful fairies who refuse to change and grow. Moon performs them with an icy haughtiness that crumbles into quavering tones when they get their comeuppance. Prineas’s story is slight, but Moon’s bright and engaging narration would enliven a family road trip. G.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile

Narrator Erin Moon tackles a wide cast of characters in the concluding volume of the Winterling trilogy. Fer, the half-human, half-fey heroine, sounds young and determined. Rook, her trouble-making fairy friend, has a burr in his voice that softens only when he talks to Fer. Magical creatures like wolf girls and water sprites are all convincingly not human, with hitches or burbles or growls in their voices. As Fer works to save her magical land, she must confront powerful fairies who refuse to change and grow. Moon performs them with an icy haughtiness that crumbles into quavering tones when they get their comeuppance. Prineas’s story is slight, but Moon’s bright and engaging narration would enliven a family road trip. G.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile

2013-10-20
The finale to a low-key middle-grade fantasy trilogy falters under the weight of earnest moralizing. Fer is now the true Lady of the Summerlands, oath-bound to serve her people. But there are other Lords and Ladies who would rather rule than serve, and by forswearing their oaths to remove their mesmerizing "glamories," they have brought a deathly sickness to their realms. Only the half-human Fer can stop the spreading curse of the "stilth," and that will require trusting in Rook and his brother-pucks--whose very nature is to lie and betray. The magical lands are small and contained, drawn with exquisite attention to detail, which makes the creeping ruin all the more horrifying. Fer remains a likable heroine, having outgrown much of her earlier naïveté while retaining her compassion, bravery and unwavering sense of right and wrong. Rook is an appealing foil as he struggles with unexpected feelings of friendship and loyalty. Unfortunately, the remaining characters are barely sketched, with their personalities changing to serve the convenience of the plot. Too many fortuitous twists and nick-of-time rescues drain the narrative suspense, and the climactic confrontation is less inspiring triumph than wince-inducing bathos (spoiler alert: All you need is love). Still, in a genre overstuffed with grim dystopias and angst-y Chosen Ones, there's pleasure to be found in a quiet, gentle--if excessively well-meaning--adventure tale. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews