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Publication Date: Sept 6, 2022
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
List Price: $19.99 US Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781639884674
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Language: English
Page Count: 490
Franz makes her debut with this magic-infused tale of friendship, love, romance, and sacrifice. Julia has financial security and a job she loves. But an eternal restlessness weighs heavy on her mind. When she meets Ndalla, an enigmatic stranger from another realm, Julia finds her life transforming gradually. As the two women develop a close friendship, Julia realizes she has a bigger role to play in Ndalla’s world. But to fulfill her destiny, Julia needs to let go of her fears and find her inner strength. The fantasy world that Franz offers is rich, detailed, and expertly constructed. Between the political complications in the fantasy realm, Ndalla and Julia’s romance, and Ndalla’s courageous efforts to understand her destiny as the leader of her people while Julia struggles with her self-doubts and fears, the story flows at a measured pace. Ndalla’s genuine struggle for survival, as she tries to keep her people’s morale high, carries the reader to the story’s intense resolution. Franz uses Julia’s single-minded determination to examine themes of courage, perseverance, survival, oppression, freedom, love, friendship, and sacrifice. Balancing solid character dynamics and surprising reveals with pressing ethical questions of sacrifice and leadership, Franz has delivered a winner.
***
Categories: fantasy
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