CREST

Waller’s rebellious heroine, Kateiko of the Rin-jouyen, comes of age again but this time in another dimension.

Kateiko is a young antayul—water-caller—who has not yet attuned, or transformed into an animal, for the first time. Despite her leaders’ warnings, Kateiko and her friends travel downriver for fun and encounter another canoe struggling to keep up with the rushing waters. Its riders turn out to be Yotolein, Kateiko’s estranged uncle, and his two half-itheran children, who fled when Eremur soldiers raided their village. Yotolein’s ties to the Rúonbattai, a violent militia determined to claim Eremur for themselves, endanger Kateiko’s tribe, so she leaves home with her cousins. The arduous journey leads her to fire mage mercenary Tiernan and his companions, who are hunting down the Rúonbattai. Together they begin to unveil strange magic that offers sight into parallel worlds and can dangerously affect time. As before, Kateiko is exceptionally brave as she navigates her teenage years in a war-torn world. During this sometimes-exhausting story, she attunes, learns to live among itherans, becomes a mother figure to her young cousins, and experiences first love and loss. Will this Kateiko ever come face to face with the first version? How many more worlds will be explored? There is no ending in sight, but it seems it will be worth the wait. Indigenous peoples are generally brown-skinned and itherans are White. The story includes queer characters.

Another captivating entry in an expansive series.