Vial of tears / Cristin Bishara.

Select an Action

Title:

Vial of tears / Cristin Bishara.

Author:

Bishara, Cristin, author.

ISBN:

9780823446414

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xii, 308 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Abstract:

When Samira receives a strange vase with some ancient coins, she and her sister Rima are pulled into Baalbek, a Phoenician underworld where they are caught up in the a struggle between deities, shapeshifters, and ghouls--and Eshmun, who wants his obol, his burial coin, back.

Reading Level:

Ages 14 up. Holiday House.

Grades 10-12. Holiday House.

Subject Term:

Phoenician antiquities -- Juvenile fiction.

Sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Shapeshifting -- Juvenile fiction.

Monsters -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic -- Juvenile fiction.

Phoenician antiquities -- Fiction.

Sisters -- Fiction.

Shapeshifting -- Fiction.

Monsters -- Fiction.

Magic -- Fiction.

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Teen Fiction Book Hardback	120791002950274	T BIS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Two sisters become trapped in the underworld-and in the machinations of deities, shapeshifters, and ghouls-in this lush and dangerous Phoenician mythology-inspired fantasy.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year

Teenage sisters Samira and Rima aren't exactly living the dream. Instead, they live with their maddeningly unreliable mother in a rundown trailer in Michigan. Dad's dead, money's tight, and Mom disappears to gamble for days at a time. So when Sam's grandfather wills her the family valuables-a cache of Lebanese antiquities-she's desperate enough to try pawning them before Mom can.

But she shouldn't. Because one is cursed, forbidden, the burial coin of a forgotten god. Disturbing it condemns her and Rima to the Phoenician underworld, a place of wicked cities, burning forests, poisoned feasts of milk and lemons, and an endless, windless ocean.

Nothing is what it seems. No one is who they say. And down here, the night never ends.

To get home-and to keep her sister safe-Sam will have to outwit beautiful shapeshifters, pose as a royal bride, sail the darkest sea... and maybe kill the god of death himself.

A lush and intensely imaginative novel in which fierce women protect each other from rapacious gods and hungering demons, and in which two tenacious sisters come into their power, Vial of Tears introduces readers to the rich and brilliant mythology of ancient Lebanon.

A Den of Geek Top New YA
A Shelf Awareness Galley Love of the Week Selection

Reviews (2)

Horn Book Review

Sam and her younger sister Rima live in a rundown trailer in Michigan with an unreliable yet loving mother who is trying to make ends meet after the girls' father doesn't return from a military mission. As the eldest daughter, Sam takes responsibility for her mom and sister, assuming household duties while simultaneously trying to finish high school. When Sam receives a mysterious package containing a jug and several coins from her great-grandfather who lives in Lebanon, her life changes forever. One coin is an obol, a burial token with the power to open a portal between worlds, and it belongs to Eshmun, a demigod who's been searching for it for centuries. When Rima moves the coin, the portal activates and Eshmun drags Rima and her sister from their hometown to the underworld, where monsters, shapeshifters, and gods roam free. There, Sam must face several trials to save her sister, protect herself, and find their way back home -- including learning to trust herself enough to face the very devil. Bishara's narrative blends Lebanese history and Phoenician mythology to reflect the complications of familial love and the boundaries of life, death, fate, and choice. Through intricate world-building and storytelling, she brings forth a tale from an underexplored mythical foundation; perfect for fans of Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes. S. R. Toliver January/February 2022 p.108(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A magical coin strands sisters in a Phoenician underworld. Sam and Rima receive a family heirloom from their great-grandfather who lives in their mother's hometown in Lebanon--a clay jug with ancient coins in it. The sisters, who live in poverty with their mother (their White father is dead), wonder if this could be the solution to their financial woes. But one coin is frighteningly cold, and when Rima holds it, she summons a mysterious man and a windstorm that sweeps the girls from Michigan to a magical underworld where monsters and gods roam freely. The man--Eshmun, half god and half mortal--furiously wants his precious coin back. Sam gets her bearings in this world that is part historical Lebanon and part mythological, as she learns Eshmun's role in a prophecy that may affect her and her sister as well. Throughout, Sam keeps her focus firmly on rescuing her sister, whose life hangs in the balance after being attacked by a beast, and returning home. Themes of destiny and death build up to an ending that's just bittersweet enough. In the author's note, Bishara, who shares her protagonists' heritage, details her historical research and the family stories and photographs that inspired her. She generously shares recipes passed down through her family--an addition most appreciated, as the mouthwatering food descriptions are a crown jewel among the vividly painted settings, clothing, and people. A heroic tale that feels both classic and fresh. (Fantasy. 14-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.