The first installment of a planned trilogy, Fisk's (Midnight Blue) labyrinthine tale centers on the ethereal and mysterious Abren, introduced as her body floats slowly down a river to the town of Pengwern. Lacking memory, the thin girl wanders the streets, "looking for clues to who she was and where she'd come from." Then Abren hears a tune—which is to haunt her throughout her quest for her identity—reassuring her, "[You are] where you should be. There's nothing to be frightened of. Everything is just fine. Trust me." Eventually, Abren does indeed learn the secret of her past, buried deep within a legend that she deciphers with the help of a poem found in an old library book. Fisk does an excellent job of fleshing out the supporting characters, some endearingly benign and others convincingly evil. Although the novel gets off to a slow start, its creative combination of reverie and reality should capture the fancy of fantasy fans. Ages 10-up.(May)
