Scion of the Fox
The Realms of Ancient, Book 1
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
As the winter ice begins to thaw, the fury of a demon builds — all because one girl couldn’t stay dead . . .
Roan Harken considers herself a typical high school student — dead parents, an infected eyeball, and living in the house of her estranged, currently comatose grandmother (well, maybe not so typical) — but she’s uncovering the depth of the secrets her family left behind. Saved from the grasp of Death itself by a powerful fox spirit named Sil, Roan must harness mysterious ancient power . . . and quickly. A snake-monster called Zabor lies in wait in the bed of the frozen Assiniboine River, hungry for the sacrifice of spirit-blood in exchange for keeping the flood waters at bay. Thrust onto an ancient battlefield, Roan soon realizes that to maintain the balance of the world, she will have to sacrifice more than her life in order to take her place as Scion of the Fox.
American Gods meets Princess Mononoke in this powerful first installment of a trilogy sure to capture readers’ imaginations everywhere.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This first installment in a fantasy trilogy by Beiko (The Lake and the Library) has an interesting premise and a lively protagonist but would benefit from stronger worldbuilding. Roan Harken is a sarcastic high school student living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her story begins when she is told by a mystical fox named Sil that she belongs to the fox family, one of five powerful animal families that live among humans. These families are connected to Ancient, the spirit of the universe. Roan and Sil are quick to fall into a steady rhythm of entertaining, though slightly contrived, banter from which Roan learns that she will be the one to overthrow Zabor, a powerful river demon with whom the five families made a desperate pact many years before. Roan must first learn how to wield her newly discovered fire powers and then unite all five families in order to defeat the demon before the coming spring. Although she says she feels unprepared as she gathers allies for the battle, Roan overcomes obstacles with relative ease. The story is entertaining, but the underdeveloped world and cast of characters fail to warrant readers' full investment.
