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Summary
Summary
Vis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power, and in power, life. For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city. Lark did not expect to become the City's power supply. For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley believed in a lie. Now she must escape the only world she's ever known...or face a fate more unimaginable than death.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Following a cataclysmic war, a great dome powered by human magic was erected to protect survivors. Just outside this barrier stretches an uninhabitable and dangerous wasteland. This is what the Institute, the City's governing body, strictly maintains. When Lark Ainsley, 16, is chosen to have her magic harvested, she discovers this seemingly benign rite of passage is nothing like she expected. Following a series of terrifying ordeals, the teen learns of her rare ability to regenerate magic. Her fate is to become a living battery used to power the Wall. Horrified, Lark escapes and flees into the unknown world beyond the City's boundary. Pursued by the Institute and accompanied by two unlikely traveling companions, Lark journeys across a landscape both treacherous and wondrous seeking the rumored existence of other Renewables. She also hopes to learn what happened to her brother, who mysteriously vanished years earlier. But nothing is as it seems. Is Lark prepared to handle the terrible deceptions her quest eventually uncovers? More importantly, who can she trust? The debut (Carolrhoda, 2012) of Spooner's exciting new trilogy artfully marries elements of dystopian, sci-fi, and steampunk to create a hauntingly mesmerizing story that's sure to strike a chord with fans of all three genres. The author's knack for world-building and character development, combined with a unique plot and first-person narrative, makes this story impossible to put down. These qualities are further enhanced by Angela Lin's emotion-charged reading and spot-on portrayals. Purchase along with the print format-it's sure to popular.-Alissa Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Another debut, another dystopia. For 15 years, Lark Ainsley, like all other children in the city, has longed to have her Resource harvested so she can begin life as a working citizen who contributes to the good of the whole. But Lark isn't like all the other children. When she discovers that the architects plan to use her unique brand of innate magic to power the entire city, she is forced to choose between living life as a glorified battery or venturing beyond the Wall, leaving everything and everyone she has ever known behind, to search the wilds for others of her kind. Hunted for a power she possesses but barely understands, Lark is forced to journey through a treacherous wilderness, with little more than a hope that she will find her way to the safe haven of the Iron Woods. Spooner's debut, the first in a planned trilogy, gets off to a bumpy start. Readers will likely be scratching their heads for a few chapters as they acclimate themselves to the rules and language of this dystopia. However, as the story becomes clear, readers will quickly find themselves invested in Lark's success. Though magic lends an interesting dimension to the narrative, at its heart, this is an intense story of survival and self-discovery. At the end, though, it doesn't stand out from the throng of like dystopias. Only for those who will read nothing else. (Dystopian adventure. 14 up) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This heavily anticipated dystopian debut mostly lives up to its hype. Lark Ainsley is 16, older than most kids when their Resource gets harvested. All she wants is to quietly contribute to the City's daily operation. But Lark finds out she is a Renewable, a hugely unfortunate creature who has the rare ability to power the City as it struggles to protect its citizens from the outside world long devastated by the ancient Wars. Held against her will and tortured in ways described with relentless, excruciating detail, Lark finally manages to escape. As she travels the blighted landscape of the world outside her domed City, she encounters terrors as seemingly benign as the sky (which she has never before seen) to those as treacherous as trees with razor teeth. Magic and technology blend seamlessly here, although the emphasis on exposition rather than dialogue sometimes bogs down the pages. The current demand for grim YA renditions of a dystopian future, plus the splashy landing, will likely ensure a significant readership for fans of the genre.--Trevelyan, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist