15-year-old Liza has grown up in a world destroyed by war. She knows that Before there were things called Airplanes that flew through the sky; that Cars carried people over Roads; and that trees and plants didn't thirst for human blood. But the war with Faerie changed everything. Faeries turned nature against humans, and, though humans won, the world would never be the same. There are three rules that everyone must abide by in order to stay safe in this new, treacherous world:Don't touch any stones that glow with faerie light,
or that light will burn you fiercer than any fire.
Don't venture out alone into the dark,
or the darkness will swallow you whole.
And cast out the magic born among you,
before it can turn on it's parents.
When Liza's sister Rebecca is born with skin so light it is almost translucent, eyes silver as moonlight off the river bed, and faerie-pale hair, Father takes her to the hillside and leaves her to die. Soon after, Liza's mother leaves in the night. Now Liza is seeing flashes of vision, and runs away before Father can kill her, too,for being born with magic. Her journey will take her to the Outside, where she will find new friends, learn a different way of living, and undertake a dangerous quest to Faerie to find her mother.This excellent book is a refreshing new kind of Faerie tale. One that takes the best parts of traditional fairy tales - the adventure, mystery and sense of danger - and gives it an entirely new twist. I highly recommend this book to any teen (or adult) who enjoys adventure, tales of quests, and stories that give us new insight into ourselves and the world around us.
