by E. Rose Sabin
Recommended Age: 12+

One such gifted is Tria Tesserell, a farm girl from the central plains, who gets her acceptance letter and brochure for the prestigious Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted. After a childhood of hard work in which the use of her gifts is forbidden, Tria hardly knows what gifts she has. But to the Simonton School she goes—a sort of three-year, senior-high level magnet school for magically talented youngsters throughout the land of Arucadi.
After the acceptance letter, any resemblance to Hogwarts ends. Simonton is actually a very small academy, and on the face of it not very attractive. And Tria’s troubles begin right away, when an inadvertant use of powers she didn’t know she had gets her into trouble, and her roommate turns out to be a conniving, ambitious little minx who can turn into a deadly panther when the mood strikes her. And at first Tria is so unimpressed by the faculties, the curriculum, the building, and the food that she thinks the whole school is a fraud—especially the Headmistress, who is as cool as ice, and the mysterious school maid named Veronica, who seems to have more going on than floor wax.

The task of taking up that challenge falls, of course, to Tria. But it’s a bumpy ride for her, as she struggles with her own moral dilemmas, makes mistakes that have tragic consequences, learns to travel between worlds, and discovers more and more of her hidden talents. It is a lonely adventure for a scared, desperate young heroine, and one that probes more and more deeply into the workings of a fascinating new world of magic. The story gathers not only tension and danger, but also weirdness and complexity, until it reaches a ripping good climax.
Be prepared for horror and romance, mystery and intrigue, shocking violence, and a cast of interesting characters, each with different gifts and flaws. Also, be prepared for an equally entertaining prequel, A Perilous Power. This is a magnificent first novel from a new talent that could be a threat to Diana Wynne Jones, if not J. K. Rowling. So look out!
A Perilous Power
by E. Rose Sabin
Recommended Age: 12+

But their plans do not get off to a good start. Fresh off the train in Port-of-Lords, they fall prey first to a con-man, then to other calamities. Eventually a cleaning-woman named Veronica finds them penniless and in jail, and rescues them. But Trevor, always reckless and brimming with youthful bad judgment, spurns Veronica’s offer of magical guidance, and through one foolish decision after another, he embroils himself (and therefore his best friend) in the plight of a magically abused girl, the ambitions of a thief who specializes in stealing magical power, and the designs of an evil Adept who wants but one more weapon to seize control of the whole Community. And between Trevor and Les, he seems to have found the weapon he needs.

UPDATE: This author continues to write books set in the same fantasy world as those reviewed above. A third book in this set, already published, is titled When the Beast Ravens. The Florida-based writer is shown here with her dogs B'Elanna and Dax.
1 comment:
I remember reading those three books by E. Rose Sabin. They were amazing - although one confused the living daylights out of me.
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