Teenreads.com -- THE RUBY KEY: Moon & Sun, Book One by Holly Lisle

Books by
Holly Lisle

THE RUBY KEY: Moon & Sun, Book One

THE RUBY KEY: Moon & Sun, Book One
Holly Lisle
Orchard Books/Scholastic
Fantasy
ISBN: 9780545000123
368 pages

• About the Book
• Read an Excerpt
• Author Interview –– May 2008

“The two most engaging powers of an author,” said William Makepeace Thackeray, “are to make new things familiar, familiar things new.” In THE RUBY KEY, book one in the Moon & Sun series, Holly Lisle has accomplished both. Drawing on elements characteristic of fairy tales and fantasy novels, and adding inventive touches, this work is sure to engage young readers as it draws them into the original world of the Sunkind and Moonkind, two races struggling for power and peace.

It is the night of the offering in the small village of Hillrush. With her father missing and presumed dead and her mother ailing, 14-year-old Genna will make the offering for her family. Every year, in order to keep peace with the Nightlings, the humans offer food, cloth and more to the mysterious creatures who live in darkness and with whom they share an uneasy peace. If the offering is unacceptable or if humans are out after dark, they can be stolen away to the deep forest in which the Nightlings, the Moonkind, reside. Late that night, after the ritual, Genna and her 12-year-old brother Dan venture out and into that dangerous forest in search of the magical tree sap they hope will bring their mother back to strength, save her life and rescue their family from the foul intentions of Banris, who wants to marry her and raise the children, and their younger siblings, as his own.

When they tap the tree to collect the sap, they meet a young Nightling. She is friendly and seems to know who they are and much about their family. She tells them the story of Banris and the deal he has made with the evil Kai-lord, Letrin, who rules the Nightlings through fear and violence. Their own deal with Letrin, she suggests, may ruin Banris's plans and save not only their family but their whole village and even the lives of innocent Moonkind. Genna and Dan follow her deep into the world of the Moonkind and are brought face to face with the cunning Letrin.

In bargaining with Letrin, Genna and Dan not only embark on the journey recorded in THE RUBY KEY but also set in motion changes that will alter the lives of the Moonkind and Sunkind forever.

As in so many fairy tales, the main character, the heroine Genna, is on the cusp of adulthood and a near orphan. Her physical and emotional journey is one of growth as she faces trials and tribulations that test her fortitude and abilities. She encounters many figures who help and hinder her progress and often must rely on her instincts to tell her who can be trusted and who should be feared. As an accomplished writer of adult fantasy novels, Lisle is able to creatively present the world that Genna and the others live in as fantastic, rich, ancient and diverse, but at the same time --- as Thackeray suggested was important --- familiar. Genna finds herself, along with her brother, the Nightling Yarri and a talking cat, traveling roads both mundane and magical searching for the boy, Doyati, who Letrin seeks. She is at once concerned with the contents of her backpack (food, a tent, a first-aid kit) and summoning Moonroads. It is Lisle's blend of the recognizable and the dreamlike that helps make this novel a success.

In the end, though, it is the characters, especially Genna, who really drive THE RUBY KEY. Genna is likable: brave yet humble, smart yet occasionally overcome with self-doubt, cultivating the strength of a woman but still, in many ways, a little girl. Lisle hits all the right notes with her. The supporting characters, while far less fleshed out, are all compelling as well: Dan is poised to enter manhood and a career as a leader of his village; Yarri is a crafty and fearless figure who has suffered terrible loss; and the cat is by far the most enigmatic and witty character in the book. The villains are scary but with weaknesses appropriately obvious, and there are a few nasty frights lurking in the pages as well.

By blending classic fairy tale and coming-of-age themes with a fantasy setting, Holly Lisle gives readers a fun and adventurous book that is thoughtful and well-written. They will surely look forward to encountering Genna and the others again in the second installment of this series.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

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