Hot off the press I received Victoria Hanley's new book, The Light of the Oracle. This is a companion to her two previous books The Seer and the Sword and The Healer's Keep. I've read and delighted in her previous titles so was anxiously anticipating its publication.

I love fantasy/sci-fi and this is an exquisite read. There's something to be said about a straight forward wondrously told tale of adventure, magic, good vs evil, curses, and more! Without taking us off-stage, Hanley manages to weave through her long-ago tale scenes that would resonate with today's teens...cliques, snubs, self-important folks wanting to have the power of the universe centered on them. Hints of the Cinderella-type story are to be found here along with reluctant heroe and heroine. It really does have all you'd need to make it a hard-to-put-down book.

I found The Light of the Oracle to be a fun, engaging read. The cover illustration is marvelous and... Oh my, read here the backcover blurb,

"Whispers stirred in Bryn's ears. One word was clear, spoken in a voice that rang through her mind like a bell. Prophecy. The wind increased, grew louder, whistling now, taking hold of her, bringing with it a storm of change. Oh yes, change would come, blowing sorrowfully across the land. Not only for Bryn, but for the Queen of Sorana. Bryn's arm lifted, her finger pointing at Princess Zorienne. 'Beware his death,' she whispered. 'His sleeping death.'" 

My only complaint about Hanley's new contribution to young adult literature is that it was over way too quick. I read it in a day.

• Author: Victoria Hanley
• Publisher: David Fickling Books 
• US SRP: $ 15.95 US
• Binding: Hardcover
• Pub Date: May 2005
• Ages: 7th Grade to 12th Grade

Publisher Marketing: Bryn is the daughter of a humble stone-cutter. So no one is more surprised than she when the Master Priest seeks her out to become a student at the famous Temple of the Oracle; a training school for future priests and priestesses. But her innately gifted nature proves a threat to the evil embedded within the Temple, and Bryn encounters unimaginable danger. Is she able to struggle with the unknown and to save the whole world from untold misery? Or will the powers of darkness succeed?