Riders of the Realm: Across the Dark Water

Gr 5–7—In this first installment of a new trilogy by the author of the "Guardian Herd" series, the members of the Sandwen clan live on lands surrounded by many dangers, including dragons and a group of antagonistic giants. Theirs is a matriarchal society with each of the seven clans ruled by a queen. Not only do they use horses as a way to traverse the land, they also have pegasi which they have trained to help them in battle. Rahkki, a stable groom, cares for his brother's stallion. To the north of the Sandwens, there once lived a herd of wild pegasi, but a large group of them left their herd to find freedom. For Echofrost and Shysong, members of the Storm Herd, freedom was fleeting; they were soon caught by "landwalkers" of the fifth clan. Readers will be enthralled with the way the pegasi, both tame and wild, can communicate with each other and will sympathize with Rahkki as he learns to love Echofrost but also yearns for her to have her freedom. The story is action-packed and full of adventure, making it difficult to put down. Many characters in human and nonhuman form are introduced, leaving readers ready for future volumes in the series.