OF TWO MINDS

A strong joint effort by Matas (The Burning Time, 1994, etc.) and Nodelman (The Same Place But Different, p. 784, etc.). Headstrong, independent Lenora is endowed with the gift of giving life to her imaginings, but somehow she is unable to imagine away her arranged marriage to staid mind-reader Coren. When she spies a fantasy land beckoning to her on her wedding day, she recklessly jumps in—unaware that Coren is right behind her. The two end up without their powers in a brave new world ruled over by the charismatic (and devastatingly handsome) Hevak. At first Lenora seems perfectly content with the loss of her powers—more than made up for by Hevak's attentions—but when she finally asserts herself, Hevak has her thrown into the dungeons, where she is reunited with Coren. Together, Lenora and Coren destroy Hevak—whose true identity provides a neat twist—and return to their own world where they decide to postpone the wedding and just date. The collaboration offers no added dimension to the book; the authors' voices meld coherently and well. The result is a solid fantasy about thinking for oneself, thinking other people's thoughts, and the power of imagination. (Fiction. 10-14)