A Chalice of Wind

August 1, 2005
Gr 9 Up -Separated at birth, Thais and Clio are identical twins who've never met. Clio lives with her grandmother in New Orleans, where they practice "Bonne Magie", a branch of witchcraft similar to Wicca but much older. Thais has lived with her father in Connecticut, and when he dies in a freak accident, she is moved to New Orleans by her new guardian, Axelle Gauvin, also a practicing witch. Thais meets Clio on the first day of their senior year at her new school, and both are freaked. Why were they separated? And what happens now that they are reunited? The girls tell their stories in alternating narratives. They are the most fully developed characters, but even secondary characters are given some depth. Though the plot starts off rather slowly in Connecticut, it picks up speed when Thais arrives in New Orleans and other secrets are discovered. Each chapter holds a sense of mystery and uneasiness. The ending is wide open, leaving so many questions unanswered and raising so many new ones that the next installment is a necessity. Containing fantasy, mystery, romance, and the bar scene of New Orleans, the book will find a wide audience." -Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2005
Gr. 8-11. Seventeen-year-olds Thais and Clio exist in two very different worlds: Thais comes from a straight-laced Connecticut community; Clio lives with her Wiccan grandmother in New Orleans. Worlds collide when Thais' father suddenly dies and Thais is brought to New Orleans. The girls, who meet at school, discover they are connected by both magic and blood: they are twins, a rarity in the family, and they suddenly find themselves the object of intense interest by other members of their clan. Told in chapters narrated alternately by Clio and Thais, the suspenseful story moves quickly along, and a love triangle between the twins and a mysterious young man adds some depth. The action builds toward a tantalizing twist that will leave readers eager for future books in the Balefire series. This won't sit on the shelf long.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)