Laura Williams McCaffrey

This was an enchanting read. The author really wove a beautiful work, taking aspects of real folklore. The main character is realistic and indecisive in her thoughts. She feels as if she belongs nowhere. She can't trust others because her whole life she's been harassed and belittled. But she has an inner fight. The magic brings a real element of curiosity. I wanted to learn more the whole story. I couldn't wait to see it's secrets unfold.
The book is just so amazing. A real tale told by a master storyteller.
Brilliant. I was completely sucked in.
Clean read. Would even be safe to read aloud as a family. Fairy-tale lovers would enjoy this book.… (mehr)

To be honest, it's a good book. I had to take a star off just because it's not my cup of tea, all this woman warrior fantasy kind of stuff. But I do agree with other reviewers that lots of girls could benefit from reading it - girls who are about to get pressured to be boy-crazy, and to neglect their own development of their own strengths.

I do have to warn you of a slow start. Even though it's short, and for tweens, I almost put it down until I started to get deeper into it, about 1/4 of the way through.… (mehr)

In McCaffrey’s dystopian science fiction thriller, Lyla lives in a society where criminals are tattooed—Marked—and the schism between the rich (barons) and the poor (miners, farmers, and so on) is palpable and volatile. After becoming Marked for visiting a black market, Lyla undertakes a dangerous spy mission to infiltrate the Red Fists, a unlawful band of misfits, in order to erase her Mark. Complicating the situation is her intense feelings for a childhood friend and newest misfit, Gill; once drawn into the Red Fists’s web of rebellion, Lyla must make important choices on what and whom to sacrifice. Comic-style strips are included throughout that give some background on Lyla’s society. VERDICT: Full of fast-paced action and ethical quandaries, fans of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and The Forest of Hands & Teeth will enjoy this latest offering from McCaffrey. (Review written for School Library Journal)… (mehr)

Margot is a not quite literally a fish out of water, living a miserable life as the shunned princess in her father's water-hating, inland kingdom. Unexpected friendly advice from her stepmother sends her fleeing with a visiting king from the west, toward the Isles where Margot's great grandmother came from. But Margot soon comes to find that while she didn't fit among her father's people, neither does she fit among her mother's. Satisfying first installment to what is certainly planned to be a trilogy.… (mehr)