Summer 2004 Reviews:

Orban was walking away from Otmound so that he could show off his moves with his new sword. Adara, Orban's sister, had followed him because she was curious to know what he why he was going where he was. Although Orban was annoyed with her presence, he didn't want to get into trouble for not watching her. He knew she was afraid of the Giants and Dorig so when he saw a small bird he said the words that shift the animal back into its true shape. Being that Dorig are shapeshifters, they can become any animal they please, but when words are spoken on it, it cannot change shape again until sundown. In the Dorig's hands was an extremely fine collar that Orban believed was a stolen antique and Adara believed it belonged to the Dorig. Orban demanded the Dorig to give it to him, but since it refused, Orban said he'd kill it if it didn't give him the collar. The Dorig then spoke powerful words over it saying the curse couldn't be lifted until the Three Powers came and asked Orban if he still wanted it. He couldn't take it anymore, so he killed an unarmed Dorig to get a cursed collar which began by causing bad luck to his family and then spread throughout all of Otmound. 

Years later, a man named Gest asked Adara's hand in marriage because he had fallen in love with her. Her father had given Gest what he believed to be three impossible tasks, but Gest had succeeded in all three and then left with Adara. Together they had three children Ayna, Gair, and Ceri in Garholt. Ayna was born with the Gift of Sight which had not been seen in Garholt for two generations. When asked a question about the future, Ayna is able to answer a truthfully. Gair had believed he was just ordinary because people asked him questions and he just said the first thing that came to mind. Not too long after, it was discovered that Ceri had the Gift of Finding Sight which is when you can tell someone where the object is that they're looking for. When their cousin Ondo came, it was Discovered that Ceri also had the Gift of Thought which means you can think something on someone else. The Gift of Thought is also a rare Gift. The last person to have it died over a hundred years before. It wasn't until the three were on a quest to figure out how to keep the Moor from flooding that Gair learned he had the Gift of Sight Unasked which is so rare that there is hardly anything known about it. Together, the three children must use their Gifts to save the Moor, but will they be able to without causing anyone any harm? 

This was a wonderful book! I enjoyed reading about the different Gifts that the children had and how they met Giants and several Dorig as they tried to keep the Moor from being flooded. It's the perfect fantasy for anyone looking for a vacation from everyday life so that they can escape into the lives of these individuals and help them to save their home from a flood. I'd recommend this book for grades 5 to 12 or an adult looking for a nice getaway from bills and taxes. 

~ Kayla Aldan, 8th grade, Boardman Center Middle School