The Phoenix Dance
Grade 6 Up–In the kingdom of Windward, on the island of Faranor, Phoenix Dance, a young apprentice shoemaker, suffers from a debilitating disease. The illness causes her to vacillate between the Kingdom of Brilliance, in which she is sharp, creative, and full of life, and the Kingdom of Darkness, in which she suffers from deep despair. A healer has concocted a mixture of herbs that can help to alleviate the symptoms, but as much as Phoenix longs to rid herself of the depression, she adores the Kingdom Brilliance, the only time she feels truly alive. As she struggles with her illness, the 12 princesses of Faranor are also stricken with an unknown ailment or enchantment that causes them to dance their shoes to shreds every night and leaves their bodies wasting away. Physicians and enchanters are consulted to no avail. With the aid of a magic cloak, it is up to Phoenix to save the princesses and decide if she should continue treatment of her own illness. The story is well crafted and offers excellent insight into the life of an individual suffering from bipolar disorder. The two plots are deftly interwoven and never forced. Phoenix's growth as a young woman is fraught with half-starts and regressions, exactly like adolescents in our world. The prose is straightforward, yet maintains the fairy-tale essence of the setting. Calhoun has created a strong fantasy novel, complete with a well-rounded heroine suffering from a very real illness.–Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.