A highly illustrated, allegorical fantasy novel about loss and isolation.

It is time for a new Guardian in the realm. Elder Rā-alta has chosen her former friend, now a recluse farmer, F’ala to keep the chosen one safe until she is able to awaken into her role of Guardian. Now it is up to F’ala, used to being scorned for her unusual freckles, to raise the pale-skinned Mi’hal’ē and to keep her safe from those that will challenge her before she’s ready—even if that means keeping her from exploring the rest of the world and from knowing what, and who, she truly is. Mi’hal’ē looks and acts differently than anyone else she knows, and she just wants to find her own place in life. But because she’s forbidden to go past the nearby fields, there’s no way she’ll ever find out where she fits in. Mi’hal’ē must travel far further than she ever thought possible to discover the secrets of her past and her destiny. Quayle, the author of Look Left, Walk Green (2017), has created her own language to fit the world of her unusual fantasy-quest story, but it’s hard to get a true sense of place when so many of the words that characters use are inadequately explained. The author’s fine pen-and-ink illustrations will give readers a clearer idea of what the doglike humanoid characters look like, which is desperately needed; she also includes a pronunciation guide and a map. It’s clear that Quayle has put a lot of work into creating her wide-ranging and highly original world, but there’s a disconnect between the author and the audience; she writes as though readers already know everything about the fantastical setting. In a closing note, she reveals that her book is meant to be an allegory for mental illness and isolation, and she does strongly and clearly stress this theme throughout the book.

An offbeat but underexplained fantasy-quest story.