Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Trei wants to be a kajurai, one of the flying men who guard the Floating Islands, and his cousin, Araenè, wants to be a chef. While Trei gets his wish, Araenè is fated for other things, as a gift for magic leads her to the mages' school, where she disguises her gender in order to enter. Both young teens have no problems breaking rules, and their disregard for authority and convention turns out to be their greatest strength when the Floating Islands are attacked and only a creative, daring plan will save them from conquest. The Floating Islands, a series of small islands that are kept in the sky by air dragons, are beautifully described both physically and culturally, and their social worlds are fascinatingly different from the milieus inhabited by contemporary readers. Trei and Araenè, while never quite as intriguing as some of the book's more complex characters, are still the exact sort of foolhardy, endlessly courageous, and appealingly rebellious protagonists that such a story needs. Readers [End Page 248] who like their fantasy to have a quick pace, plenty of adventure, and thrillingly audacious heroes will find this novel fills the bill.