Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

Gr 9 Up—Borrowing loosely from Romeo and Juliet, Hodge creates a world ravaged by the Ruining, a fog that killed the living and allowed the dead to walk. Runajo, a Sister of Thorn, knows that it is the sacrifice of human blood that keeps the wall strong enough to protect the only surviving city of Viyara. Juliet Catresou is a young woman compelled by spells since birth to kill anyone who harms her kin, the mask-wearing Catresou clan. And yet she has fallen for Romeo, of the Mahyanai. When a bonding ceremony goes wrong, Paris (who was unhappily expecting to become Juliet's Guardian) and Romeo can read each other's thoughts and Juliet is in the land of the dead. The action alternates between what is happening with Runajo, who secretly brings Juliet back to the cloister, and Paris's activities with Romeo, often in the Lower City. Teens need not be Shakespeare fans to appreciate this work and will enjoy reading about magic, an underworld, and a Juliet who kicks butt. The complicated plot requires readers' attention, as three clans, invented religious elements, a variety of undead, and magic scrolls retrieved from a buried library all intertwine.