Griffins lounged all around them, inscrutable as cats, brazen as summer. They turned their heads to look at Kes out of fierce, inhuman eyes. Their feathers, ruffled by the wind that came down the mountain, looked like they had been poured out of light; their lion haunches like they had been fashioned out of gold. A white griffin, close at hand, looked like it had been made of alabaster and white marble and then lit from within by white fire. Its eyes were the pitiless blue-white of the desert sky.
Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes's life seems set: she'll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she's content with that path—or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human...or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.
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"Rachel Neumeier world sand and fire are wonderful. I loved how she gave you a glimpse of all the main characters. So the reader could understand how they all had a purpose in the book. Kes was a lovely character who showed her quiet strong threw out the book. "
— Deviant (4 out of 5 stars)
" I thought the character development was poor along with the editing. I was interested in the Griffins but overall the story was just okay. "
— Snicks, 2/16/2014" Book number 36 in 2012 "
— Michelle, 2/3/2014" Love this! Couldn't put it down - just my kind of thing. "
— Daisy, 1/29/2014" Rachel Neumeier world sand and fire are wonderful. I loved how she gave you a glimpse of all the main characters. So the reader could understand how they all had a purpose in the book. Kes was a lovely character who showed her quiet strong threw out the book. "
— Deviant, 1/23/2014" This one is the weakest of the trilogy, I think because the original main character becomes unrelateable halfway through. The POV is split between two characters, so that's not terrible, but it does knock it down a star. "
— Jocelyn, 1/21/2014" So, this was a randomly picked up book at a library book sale.... Not much to it but a nice read if you really don't want to think at all. I wouldn't search out this book to read. "
— Emily, 12/18/2013" Original ideas,not strong enough characters, didn't hold my attention "
— Lori, 12/9/2013" I gotta say. I couldn't get into this book and didn't even finish it. The writing style was choppy and kind of painful. "
— Megan, 11/16/2013" An odd book- and a good one. Original storyline while holding to a few classics of the genre. Sure to be reading the next one. "
— Scarlettdrawers, 11/14/2013" An interesting book set in an interesting world, featuring griffins and an interesting take on magic. I'll be reading the next one soon. "
— Matthew, 10/5/2013" A series that I think I'm going to keep around and re-read. "
— Theresa, 5/23/2013" Some cute aspects and cool ideas but not hugely gripping- a nice light read "
— Ria, 5/23/2013" I loved loved loved this book "
— Jennifer, 10/26/2011" Pretty good fantasy with a nice depiction of griffins done in a fresh and fascinating way. Dragged a little at times but it was an interesting read and I'll probably pick up the next out of curiosity to see where the story will take up. "
— Shanshad, 9/2/2011" Would not recommend. The overly complex names were cumbersome and and annoying. I couldn't remember who anyone was because their 15 character name with 5 i's turns into 'blah' while reading. It was a challenge to finish and such a relief when it was done. "
— Pam, 7/26/2011" Original ideas,not strong enough characters, didn't hold my attention "
— Lori, 3/5/2011" well i didn't like it at all.... in the end i was asking myself why i kept reading it until i finished it "
— Eleni, 2/25/2011" Interesting take on griffin magic and mythology. I grabbed this off the 'new' shelf at the library. Enjoyable Young Adult novel (young protagonist, no sex, coming of age story) not obviously labeled as such. "
— Joy, 2/10/2011" Not bad, not great. Interesting premise, but inexpertly delivered. Occasional awkward pacing, intermittent character development, and inconsistent logic make it closer to 2 stars than 4. I plan to read the next one anyway and hope for at least a slightly better result overall. "
— Craig, 1/8/2011" Great writer. Very majestic!!<br/>Read book one and two, just brought book three online!!! "
— Patricia, 12/28/2010" Would not recommend. The overly complex names were cumbersome and and annoying. I couldn't remember who anyone was because their 15 character name with 5 i's turns into 'blah' while reading. It was a challenge to finish and such a relief when it was done. "
— Pam, 9/7/2010" I thought the character development was poor along with the editing. I was interested in the Griffins but overall the story was just okay. "
— Snicks, 8/5/2010Rachel Neumeier is the author of the epic Griffin Mage trilogy and the young adult fantasy novel The City in the Lake. Prior to selling her first fantasy novel, she had published articles in venues such as the American Journal of Botany. However, finding that her interests did not lie in research, Neumeier left academia and began to let her hobbies take over her life instead. She now works part-time for a tutoring program.
Emily Durante has been narrating audiobooks for over ten years and is also an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning audiobook director. She has been acting since the age of seven and has performed in a number of stage productions at the professional, collegiate, and regional levels.