Twelve-year-old Octavia thinks her town of Vittoria is the only place in the world to have survived a sorcerous plague. Its high walls and its fearless hunters protect the citizens from the fearsome, magical monsters who roam the forests. Octavia wants to be a hunter someday, although her parents disapprove—fearful that she will meet the same deadly fate as her older sister.
When she sneaks outside the walls to practice one day, however, Octavia meets another girl, Sima, who claims to be from a far-away community by the sea. This shakes Octavia’s faith in everything she has been taught. After bringing Sima back to Vittoria, though, Octavia is shocked when the city leaders take Sima prisoner, afraid of what she might reveal. Octavia helps her escape, and the two must figure out the truth even as people they thought they could trust are trying to cover it up.
A fantasy tale full of action and adventure, as well as thoughtful but never heavy themes of grief, growing up, and finding one’s purpose. A first crush between the two girls is hinted at, but does not form a key part of the narrative. Let’s hope there’s a second volume in this well-thought-out world to develop it further.
Octavia reads as White, and Sima as Black.
