Seventeen-year-old Kipp swears to keep Death at bay forever after most of his family dies in a fire. He succeeds in acquiring the magical bag in which the souls of the dead are stored but discovers that this theft is only the first step in his quest save the world from death and win his love, Zalika. Interweaving plot with world-building and invented mythology, Carey constructs a true coming-of-age story. Kipp’s growth through the novel is carefully orchestrated so that readers learn more about the world and its culture as Kipp discovers his own talents and abilities. The magic in this fantasy is consistent throughout, rooted in a lightly sketched spiritual system and conveyed through song and pourquoi tales. The dragons here, like those of Earthsea, exist and act both in and out of time. Fans of the author’s earlier Dragon’s Keep (2008) and readers of heroic quest fantasies won’t be disappointed by this suspenseful, satisfying read. (Fantasy. 12-14)
