Book description
One misfit girl and 50,000 bees. Together they must change the world. As the Mages of the Citadel fight amongst themselves and prepare for war against the Forest, Mielitta, a despised servant, has her own battle to face. Bastien and Jannlou, the boys who terrorised her as a child, have grown into their status as Mages and she cannot escape them forever.
In desperation, she flees to the forbidden Forest and its dangerous attractions. Her scent angers thousands of bees and, although she survives their attack, she has changed. A strange bee symbol glows on her thigh and her senses are altered. She learns that her connection with bees enables her to summon their aid and gives her the power to shift shape.
This new-found bond works both ways and the bees need Mielitta's help as the rift widens between Forest and Citadel. Can one girl and a colony of bees reunite Man and Nature, or is the split irreversible?
Block Nature out and she'll force a way in.
My review
This
tale has much in it to enjoy, based as it is on classical fairy story themes.
Mielitta, a girl of unknown parentage, grows into her powers. The Citadel in
which she lives is sealed from the outside world and its forest. She finds her
way outside, meets the bees, and her true life begins. This world is carefully
crafted with a believable history. Mielitta herself is a wonderful combination
of well-intentioned and anger-fuelled. She has much to be angry about and
proves more than adequate to the battle that confronts her. I really enjoyed
this first part of a series. It’s obvious that there’ll be more yet this story
ended not on a cliff edge but a high point.
About the author
Jean Gill is a Welsh writer and photographer living in the south of France with two scruffy dogs, a beehive named 'Endeavour', a Nikon D750 and a man. For many years, she taught English and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in Wales. She is mother or stepmother to five children so life was hectic.
Publications are varied, including prize-winning poetry and novels, military history, translated books on dog training, and a cookery book on goat cheese. With Scottish parents, an English birthplace and French residence, she can usually support the winning team on most sporting occasions.
Just a thought
Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river ―
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