ANTIQUITIES IN PERIL

Winter’s YA fantasy novel follows a girl who, on a distant-future Earth of magic and mythical beings, struggles to discover who she is.

Catkin White Willow, raised by doting foster parents, knows very little about her past. Her father, Mr. Polestar, found her as an abandoned toddler in a nest of white willow catkins by a burned-down cabin, her likely home. The nubs on her scalp (sprouting horns) mean she’s a chimera; she just doesn’t know what kind she is: “Will I become an animal with fur or feathers or hooves?” (Long ago, in an event known as the Tectonic Catastrophe, Earth’s drifting landmasses formed one giant continent, mingling humans with beings from ancient mythologies.) Catkin has the magical skill of folding space, allowing her to travel instantly to another place. As some may want to steal that magic, Dr. Bea Allgood offers to take in the nearly-13-year-old; she’ll be relatively safe on Atlantis, one of the planet’s few remaining islands. It’s guarded by a White Dragon, though that doesn’t prevent various menaces from finding their way there. Winter’s delightful fusion of mythologies generates a vibrant cast and settings. Catkin has run-ins with trolls, gets tutored by the Nine Muses, and visits Mount Olympus, which is now under a “grassy hump.” Much of the narrative centers around Catkin diving into her origins. With so many resourceful and sometimes powerful allies on her side, along with her own magical ability, Catkin isn’t in danger very often, but the affable teen navigates a few entertaining subplots—including wrangling with an unexpectedly charming troll thief, befriending a “ghost hound,” and nosing into someone else’s romance (with good intentions). While the novel ends with a satisfying resolution, there’s plenty of material here for any number of spinoffs or sequels.

An appealing, superpowered adolescent hero headlines this playful, mythologically rich tale.