Sun Warrior: Tales of a New World

Gr 10 Up—Mari, Moon Woman to her Earth Clan, and Nik, now the Sun Priest of the Tree Tribes, have joined forces after devastating disease and catastrophic fire decimate Nik's home. Meanwhile, in the city of the Skin Stealers, Dead Eye is possessed and ultimately overthrown by the purely evil God of Death, while Dead Eye's blind lover, Dove, plots her escape. In this massive tome, Cast loses much of the forward momentum of Moon Chosen, while doing little to add to the world-building she started so successfully in the previous volume. The Earth Walkers spend more than 250 pages deciding if they're willing to accept members of the Tribes into their new Pack, and that they like dogs (in fact, all the dog kissing gets to be just a bit cloying); the only action—aside from Nik and Mari's—is on the side of the bad guys, and even that is thin. However, fans of the first book will probably be willing to forgive all that just to see how the romance turns out. Not a stand-alone, the novel's sexual content, graphic language, and scenes of rape render it more appropriate for and older audience.