Mortal Fire
Gr 9 Up–A complex, riveting novel set in 1959 on an island republic in the South Pacific, “in a world very like our own–but not completely.” Canny, 16, is a mathematician who can see “Extra”–like bits of an unknown language floating in letters in the air. Her brilliance earns her accolades as she competes as a member of the math team. School has ended for the year, and Canny is being forced to accompany her stepbrother, Sholto, and his girlfriend on a camping trip to the Peninsula. Canny's stepfather, who is a history professor, is researching a mining disaster that took place there 30 years before, and Sholto will be interviewing people in the area. Canny doesn't want to go along for lots of reasons, but mainly because she doesn't want to be away from her best friend, Marli, who is a polio victim and is kept in an iron lung. Canny's strong-willed mother insists, and the girl is forced to comply. While on the trip, the young people enter a valley that changes Canny's life forever. The air is rife with Extra, she recognizes that magic is being used by the people there, and she also discovers that she is able to perform it  herself. She finds a way to the hidden house at the top of the hill, where Ghislain, an attractive 17-year-old, is trapped by a spell put in place decades earlier. Canny decides to try to steal some of the magic to heal Marli. Torn between her attraction for Ghislain and her loyalty to her friend, she is faced with almost overwhelming realizations as her true parentage is revealed. An absorbing, but challenging read.–Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NCα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.