..".an original fantasy world inhabited by superstitious tribal nations and intriguingly developed characters." -- SERENA CHASE, USA Today HEA Kita can meld song into stone. In a world with no written word, storytelling--the ability to meld (or magically impress) song into stone--is greatly honored. The village honors her master as their medicine man, but Kita knows he's secretly a sorcerer who practices black magic using drops of her blood. She fears he'll use her beautiful gift for a killing spell, so she conceals it from him. Each day, his magic tightens around her neck like a rope. His spells blind the villagers, so they can't see him for what he really is. Not that anyone would want to help her. She was found in the forest as a baby and would have died if a village girl hadn't brought her home. But the villagers saw Kita's unusual coloring and decided she belonged to the mysterious tribe who lives in the forests of the volcano, a people feared for their mystical powers. So they fear her too. Now seventeen, she can barely admit her deepest longing: to know who she really is and where she belongs. Then Pono, a young journeyman, arrives from the other side of the island. He's come to fulfill a pact between their villages: to escort a storyteller back to his village--a storyteller who'll be chosen at the great assembly. Finally, in Pono, Kita sees her one slim chance at freedom and she'll risk her life to take it. A dark, twisty tale of sorcery, tummy-tingling romance, and adventure, inspired by the folklore of New Zealand's Maori people. For teens 12+ and young adults (YA) who enjoy romantic fantasy books with elements of mystery, escape, and suspense. This coming-of-age story is set on a fictional remote Pacific island, exploring issues of adoption and identity. Young Adult Fantasy / clean books for teen girls