Blood and Stars. (The Legend of Rhyme Series). Jaime Lee Mann. Toronto, ON: Blue Moon, 2017. 177 pp., trade pbk., $16.99. ISBN 978-1-988279-53-4. Grades 6-9 / Ages 11-14. Review by Ronald Hore. *** /4

excerpt:

“Aqua!” Freya says, and a pail of water lifts off the floor and into her hand. She adds the liquid to the concoction, and the kettle sails on its own power from the top of the table to the hearth, where it hangs over the fire.

Sibley sits barefoot and cross-legged on the table. Her blue hair is in its usual bun on top of her head. She wears a dress sewn from green ferns and coloured leaves. “A rest might do you some good, Freya,” she offers.

Freya clears the peelings from the table and wipes her hands on her apron. Her silver hair is in a messy braid. Her eyes are rimmed red from tears. “We must still eat.” Sibley knows Freya could make a platter of food appear with a flick of her wrist and a simple spell. This must be helping her cope with everything, the fairy reasons.

Blood and Stars is the fifth book in the “Legend of Rhyme” fantasy series for middle-grade readers. The book is made up of 179 pages opening with a page of review comments for the series followed by a page of copyright information. There is a listing of titles in the series, dedication page, three pages of contents, acknowledgements, and an introduction by the author. The story opens on page 12 with a prologue. The tale ends on page 164. From there on, we have the main character’s family tree, a five page character guide and bio, a page of discussion questions, a two page peek at the next book in the series, three pages about the author, and a page from the publisher.

     The story is broken into four sections further divided into 46 chapters, most two and a half pages in length. Most paragraphs are brief and usually less than seven lines. Each section opens with a poem that describes what is going on.

     Blood and Stars is the first book I have read in the series, and so I relied on the character guide until I fell into the flow of the story which follows several different characters, some of whom were already in crisis situations when this tale begins. The plot revolves around fantasy worlds and the complex struggle between the light and the darkness. Many of the characters are children, and they are faced with an assortment of witches, dragons, and mer-folk and the like. Blood and Stars should appeal to young lovers of fantasy stories, or get them interested in the genre.

Recommended.

Ronald Hore, involved with writers’ groups for several years, writes fantasy and science fiction novels in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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