Thief Eyes

April 5, 2010
Adopting figures from Icelandic sagas, Simner (Bones of Faerie
) creates a captivating modern odyssey. A year after 16-year-old Haley's mother disappeared in Iceland, Haley, determined to find her, has persuaded her father to take her there. After Haley discovers an unusual coin, her father's co-worker Katrin, a distant relative of her mother, tells Haley that her mother was caught in an enchantment cast by one of their ancestors to escape an arranged marriage. Along with Katrin's son, Ari, Haley is swept away on a perilous journey to uncover her own role in the legends. Incorporating references to Star Wars
and Norse myth alike, Simner is poetic whether writing about magic and sorcery or simply getting inside her characters' heads (“I think I am not quite used to being human again,” says Ari, after being turned from a polar bear back into a teenage boy. “I did not know it was possible to forget such a thing”). An endnote includes information about the sagas Simner studied while writing this story—the well-crafted result may encourage readers to do the same. Ages 12–up.

May 1, 2010
Gr 7-10-Sixteen-year-old Haley has traveled to Iceland with her geologist father to see where her mother disappeared a year before. Hoping to retrace her mother's steps in order to find her, she is drawn into the magical legend and life of her Nordic ancestors, beginning with Hallgerd, a young woman skilled in sorcery who was determined not to be forced into a loveless marriage. The repercussions of Hallgerd's actions affect all of her female descendants from her own daughter to Haley. Simner has done her homework. This appealing novel centers around and embellishes Icelandic legendspecifically "Njal's Saga". Simner takes the old stories and brings them into the 21st century in this cyclical novel about the powerful relationship between mothers and daughters. It would be great to pair it with Jonathan Stroud's "Heroes of the Valley" (Hyperion, 2009) for an examination of Norse mythology."Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
Desperately searching for her missing mother, sixteen-year-old Haley visits Iceland and becomes entangled in an ancient spell that could destroy the world. Each of the disparate characters struggles to accept the circumstances of his or her own life, grounding the fantastical plot. Icelandic sagas and mythologies build a rich framework; the sincerity of the characters' flaws and longings resonates most strongly.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)