Skyriders (Skyriders #1)

Kiesandra Torsun—a 13-year-old who’s able to communicate telepathically with N’Rah, the winged horse skysteed with which she’s magically bonded—serves as a junior sky courier in the mountains of the Empire. While her uncle Dugs has trained her in the lost art of combatting three-headed monsters called chimerae, which terrorized the Empire centuries ago, Kie isn’t interested in becoming a fighter, especially not of monsters thought long gone. But when the chimerae unexpectedly return, Kie travels to the capital with her family’s manual on chimerae tactics to warn the emperor that the skyfighters’ modern techniques won’t work against the beasts. Though few will listen to a junior courier from a small village, Kie finds allies in young Prince Shayn and others in the royal family. Moreover, her unique ability to communicate with all skysteeds, not just her own, proves invaluable, and her stubborn but compassionate nature continues garnering support, which might just save the day when further danger rears its head. In this invigorating adventure, Holyoke (The Neptune Promise) offers a warmhearted tale that emphasizes communication and empathy without neglecting tension and danger, while plotlines surrounding the Empire’s class- and race-based inequity provide additional fodder for conversation. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)