WALK THE WEB LIGHTLY

A young woman learns to harness her family’s unique powers in this YA/fantasy novel.

Naya’s family is steeped in unusual traditions. They are artists, and her mother and grandmother run a local clothing shop. They also possess the ability to “walk the lines,” or see visual timelines of those around them, including their past acts and future choices. Naya’s mother and grandmother are secretive and private, and they expect Naya to follow in their footsteps by becoming a painter or a weaver while keeping her powers concealed. But Naya wants to be a doctor and use her powers to heal people. When she asks permission to attend science camp, her grandmother issues a challenge: If she can complete a soul wrap, an artistic representation of herself, she can go; if not, she must give up her science dreams forever. Naya plays to win, but unbeknownst to her, her magical talents have been noticed by someone who covets them for himself. Can Naya use her abilities to save herself and her family? Pascual creates an involving world via well-drawn familial bonds and vibrant settings, and she artfully depicts the use of magic: “The energy gathered around her fingertips like static. She skimmed just a little off the doctor’s line, just enough to feel his purpose, his conviction a shining glow. She pulled the spool of silk thread out of her pocket and wrapped the energy around the whole spool until it pulsed and hummed.” Naya is easy to root for—stubborn, naïve, sheltered, but also brave, ambitious, and caring. Considering the book’s strong focus on family history and secrets, it’s a bit surprising that the antagonist has little connection to Naya’s backstory; his interest in her is motivated purely by greed. He is, however, suitably menacing as Naya attempts to best him in a magical battle of wits.

An inventive fantasy rich in family lore and helmed by a quick-witted lead.