THE SIBYL AND THE THIEF

A cursed teen and a blind orphan join forces against an onslaught of perils in Kelly’s YA fantasy.

Like many of the kingdom of Illyamor’s youths, 18-year-old Sabine Gillesella is cursed with a supernatural power (“people blessed with magical abilities were viewed with suspicion and fear”). She has turned invisible and will eventually fade away into nothing. Desperate, she makes a deal with the enemy: Duke Aurich, one of the Halwardians who have enslaved Sabine’s people, the Awhye. Sabine’s invisibility allows her to spy on nobles for the duke, a fire mage who for months has promised to help control her magic. Sabine opts to put her trust in Anora, a blind orphan seer who weaves tapestries at the Halwardian castle and foresaw the invisible girl’s arrival. Sabine learns that if she guides Anora to a creature-riddled forest that people don’t generally survive, she can be cured. The two teens (along with Sabine’s younger brother Rafi) run into demons and monsters that crave human flesh or souls. Kelly excels at speedy worldbuilding but doesn’t rush the narrative. As the siblings and Anora trek to the Dikisi Forest, the novel introduces myriad creatures, both terrifying and possibly friendly, as well as numerous additions to the cast. Aurich is an unquestionable menace; he pursues Sabine (and, for a reason not immediately clear, Anora) with an unnerving firewalking ability (transferring his spirit through flames). Sabine is an easy protagonist to like, as she’s protective of her family and friends; she and her hotheaded but equally loyal brother both stumble into understated, engaging romances. The story continues to dish out startling plot turns (not just in the final act) before reaching an unforgettable open ending.

Dynamic characters galvanize this entertaining, well-paced magical tale.