Emily's Musings

YA25: Alphabet of Thorn

This is probably more of an adult book, but I'm going to include it in my database anyway (and hope that I manage to read more than the bare minimum required so a few stretches will be overlooked) School Library Journal writes "This belongs in most fantasy collections and is suitable for both adult and YA readers." And some of Patricia McKillip's other books are in the children's section. I had originally seen the title on some teen reading list that now I can't find, and when I realized it featured a library I immediately sought it out.

Alphabet of thorn
Patricia A. McKillip
New York : Ace Books, 2004.
314 p

Nepenthe now 16 years old, was orphaned as an infant on a cliffside and adopted by the royal librarians of the kingdom of Raine (they had a tradition of taking in abandoned children and were up to the letter N when they found her). She is given a book to translate (in a language of strange thorns) and finds it drawing her in and revealing more than she ever would have expected. A new, young queen has been crowned and challenges face the realm from unexpected sources. Magic, stories, language, love whirl around in this book that I just couldn't put down and didn't want to end (it did end a bit abruptly I thought).