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350 pages
Release date: May 17th, 2013 |
On the brutal streets of Hellip, a village in the vast empire of the cruel King Ibis, you either become good at running from the king’s Blackcoats or you die. This is the lesson that twelve-year-old Tucker Scrap, abandoned as an infant among the orphans of Hellip, learned early. Along with her friends Ash and Kally, Tucker spends her time keeping one step ahead of the unjust laws, stealing what she needs to survive, and pondering her own unknown origins—and those of the enchanted bracelet with which she was found. Now, both Ash and Kally have vanished from the orphanage, perhaps headed for the faraway city where Ibis still rules. When a mysterious girl named Vivian arrives in Hellip with a strange invitation to Tucker, the leader of the orphans decides that this may be her opportunity to find her missing friends. But more than this: it may become an opportunity to recover her hidden inheritance, and to change the fate of an entire kingdom.
Review (ARC):
Although I enjoyed this novel, I feel like I expected more from it than I was given. Tucker Scrap is a pretty brave and plucky character who works hard to survive as an orphan in King Ibis' empire. Although Ash and Kally are supposed to be Scrap's closest friends, we get very rare glimpses of them both and not a complete idea of their characters. The other characters are all multilayered, with some more developed than others. The portrayal of Scrap's life on the streets seemed a bit rushed when it came to experiencing what her life was like as an orphan. Things in the plot itself moved around quickly and ended up being a bit confusing in the transition at times. I loved the magical aspect of the novel and even though I figured out Scrap's background early on, there were things about it that surprised me as well. By the end of this novel I was left with a few questions that I hope will be cleared up in the next novel. If you love fantasy novels then you should enjoy this overall.
