From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up—As youngest daughter of the village elder, 17-year-old Kamzin is being trained to become a shaman, a conjurer of magic. She wants more than anything to be an explorer. When the young, ruggedly attractive Royal Explorer, River Shara, descends upon her village in a hot-air balloon, the world shifts for Kamzin, and sparks fly between the two. In this YA fantasy series opener, complications ensue, and Kamzin embarks on an expedition to seize the magic talisman at the top of Raksha—a mountain from which no explorer has ever returned alive. If they fail to claim it, the dormant kingdom of witches will rise again and destroy all the villages, including Kamzin's. To prevent this, the two heroes and their team begin climb through pelting hail, avalanches, and freezing winds. They must also contend with the presence of hostile mountain ghosts. Unknown to the party, River has made a secret contract with a fire demon; each time he invokes its power, he must give a piece of his soul to the smoldering creature. Kamzin reels from her strong physical attraction to River, which conflicts with her inner voice that warns he is deceiving her on some level. VERDICT This book will appeal to readers who do not mind ambiguity in their characters. A good choice for most YA fantasy shelves.—Denise Kim, Bronx High School of Science, NY Read more Review “An utterly inventive and wholly original debut.” (Booklist (starred review))“With a dash of romantic entanglement, a rich original mythology, and a sizzler of a twist at the end, this duology opener will appeal to fans of femalecentric fantasy by such authors as Leigh Bardugo and Sarah Maas.” (Kirkus Reviews)“Brilliantly rendering aspects of mountaineering, debut novelist fawcett makes readers feel the constant danger and bitter cold.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA))“Fawcett brings snow-capped mountains—and their baleful secrets—alive in this magical, atmospheric debut.” (Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown's Game)“Cinematically vivid…immersive and absorbing.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books)“A deeply satisfying feast for fantasy lovers...I fell in love with this book from the earliest pages and have left the gnawed-off pieces of my heart scattered across the Aryas.” (Catherine Egan, author of Julia Vanishes)“A lush adventure filled with magic, myth, and monsters. Even the Darkest Stars will sweep you off your feet, steal your heart somewhere between the mountains and sky, and leave you breathless.” (Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of Fear the Drowning Deep and Reign of the Fallen)“It’s Into Thin Air drenched in fantasy with some bonus high-altitude make-outs.” (The Globe and Mail) Read more See all Editorial Reviews
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