Patricia McKillip, Solstice Wood

Solstice Wood

Patricia McKillip

Ace, Feb 2006, $22.95, 288 pp.

ISBN 044101366X

Gram calls bookstore owner Sylvia Lynn to come home, as Grandpa Liam just died after wandering outside in the cold night of mountainous Upstate New York. Her lover, Madison, offers to accompany her, but Sylvia says no. Sylvia returns to Lynn Hall the same day that Gram beckoned her to come home, with all intentions to flee as soon as she can.

However, as if she never left, the dilapidated house, the forest and the nearby supernatural creatures seduce Sylvia, trying to entice her to stay. Gram introduces Sylvia to the sewing club members of the Fiber Guild, women who meet monthly to insure that the magical barricade that keeps Lynn Hall from the deadly Fay remains intact. However, the magical barrier is showing signs of wear and tear, which places Sylvia, a hybrid offspring of two worlds, yanked from both sides who feel she is the key to victory over the hated abominations on the other side of the barrier.

Returning to the landscape of the classic WINTER ROSE, Patricia A. McKillip provides a deep character driven modern day fantasy, that stars a harassed heroine who just wants to leave town as she has never understood why her Gram watches her like a hawk observing its prey. The action-packed story hooks genre fans from the moment that Sylvia knows Gram is calling her before picking up her phone from across the country, and never slows down through several brilliant twists that will bring accolades to this dazzling author. A stand alone novel, readers will want to peruse this tale and its award winning precedent.