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Pivotal Book Review

 Chalice

By Robin McKinley

 

Ages 12–up.

Fans and new readers alike will greedily devour McKinley's latest...A lavish and lasting treat. --Publishers Weekly

This novel is a delight...teens will find themselves drinking in this rich fairy tale as if it were honey trickling down their throats. --School Library Journal

Humble beekeeper Mirasol has been chosen to take on the key ceremonial role of Chalice, the woman charged with maintaining the province's well-being by communicating with the (sentient) land. She is keenly aware of the suffering brought on by the misrule of its former Master: "[The province Willowlands was restless, hurt and unhappy... delirious as a child with a bad fever." Hope flickers when the former Master's brother returns and assumes the role; but because he is now an Elemental priest of Fire, he may not be able to perform the duties. Mirasol and the new Master are drawn to each other, even though she suspects their union is prohibited, and their smoldering attraction—plus the gorgeously evoked magic and the escalating threat that Willowlands will be usurped—gives this tale its sizzle.

Mirasol and the Master (whose name is only revealed late in the book) are wonderfully realistic characters, and Mirasol's stumbles and struggles make her seem like a totally realistic country girl suddenly given a great task.

You wouldn't think that such a slender novel could have such a richly imagined world, where metaphysical bonds link the Master and Chalice to the very land itself. Not only does Robin McKinley conjure such a world in "Chalice," but she also wrought an intricate web of politics and tradition around the ritual roles. Poor Mirasol, trying to navigate her new role.


In the best McKinley fashion, the fantasy realm is evoked in thorough and telling detail, with the energy of the narrative lending excitement to descriptions of even the most stylized rituals. The world McKinley creates is rich, lush, detailed. It lives and breathes; you can almost hear the bees humming and taste Mirasol's honey.
A lavish and lasting treat.

"Chalice" is the sort of story that Robin McKinley has penned before, but the land-mysticism and lush prose make it entirely unique. Definitely a must-read..

Fans and new readers alike will greedily devour McKinley's latest, a high fantasy as perfectly shaped and eloquently told as Beauty and The Hero and the Crown.


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Make a book for Grandpa

Help your child make a book

about Grandpa (or another older friend or relative). When it’s finished it will make a great gift to give to Grandpa.