Monstrous

Gr 4–7—Kymera lives with a man she calls "Father" in a hidden compound outside of Bryre, a city threatened by the dark magic of a murderous, jealous wizard. When she first awakens, Kymera slowly begins to recognize that she is different than her so-called father, Barnabas; he has no tail or wings, his skin isn't mottled, and there are no bolts on his neck. He explains that Kymera is special, one of a kind. Barnabas tells his creation that he saved her from the wizard to help the people of Bryre and liberate the girls who fall ill from the wizard's evil curse. Soon Barnabas feels that Kymera's education is complete—she knows how, where, and when to fly; how to use her stinging tail; and more—and she is sent to the city to free sickened girls. Barnabas contends that they will be found in a beautiful place called Belladona. Kyrmera begins to satisfy her curiosity about the people of Bryre and fragments of memory emerge. As she gradually befriends a boy named Ren and connects with Batu, a rock dragon, the truth about Barnabas, Bryre, and all those around Kymera begins to become clear. Tension builds as Kymera's innocence fades, gradually revealed through her first-person narration. Though slow to start, the action picks up and hurtles along at a breathtaking pace. Loose ends are tied up in the main, although the final battle and Kymera's fate are revealed a bit too quickly. Magic, fantastic creatures, mythology, and a bit of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein combine here for an exciting, if sometimes overlong, tale.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library