by Rachel Nightingale
Book 2 of the Tales of Tarya
Link
Rating
5 stars
Review
Storytelling is at the heart of this creative work. Columbine’s Tale is richly imagined and beautifully told, and like all good speculative fiction, presents us with the opportunity to examine our own world and our attitudes. It takes a hero to strip away our socialised indifference and reveal the injustice of long-held beliefs. Of course, such revelations are not always welcome; change might disadvantage us, which is what young Mina discovers in this story.
I loved Harlequin’s Riddle and Nightingale’s second book doesn’t disappoint. Mina continues the search for her long-lost brother, Paolo, and to unravel the mystery of cruelly stolen dreams. The reader is taken into a darker world where Mina must find ways to stay alive, but she is doing far more than fight for her survival. She needs to know the extent of her talents in order to expose the corruption and murder involving the highest authorities in the land. She continues to care for grieving souls even if it places her own life in jeopardy. Fortunately this likeable character has friends who are good and true, and with their help she begins to identify her enemies. Her journey through the length of Litonya transforms the sincere and empathetic girl into a young woman of integrity and growing strength.
Columbine’s Tale is more than an adventure story. It is a heart-warming search for creativity and spiritual enlightenment, and Rachel Nightingale’s writing reveals much of her own creative and spiritual nature. I am so looking forward to reading the third book in this engaging trilogy.