The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Dawn Ford leads the reader on a young adult fantasy journey spanning two worlds.
Tambrynn hates her indentured servitude, basically slavery since there seems to be no end in sight. She’s been a kitchen helper/scrubber of things in this medieval world, hiding her strange eyes and bright hair, since her mother died when she was eight. Now at sixteen (I think) she escapes–only to fend off an annoying magpie. This bird suddenly changes into a young man. So she’s terrified–and very angry.
The magpie man, Lucas, finally convinces her that he and she are magical people who took refuge in a world not their own, a world that is no longer safe for them thanks to her murderous father, a mage now tracking them with wolves.
As she comes of age, her magical abilities have surfaced. She can “call” objects to her, even heavy ones. Lucas says it’s time to go back to the world they come from and search for Tambrynn’s powerful and loving grandmother. They’re able to transform into birds–Lucas into a magpie, and Tambrynn into a firebird. So on their journey they deal with many dangers, first in one world, then in another. Their path is full of perils and dead ends.
This is the first book in a series, so nothing really resolves. But the book ends on a high note, I’m glad to report.
After a bit of a slow start, I couldn’t put the book down. I’ll give it four stars. **** Enjoy!