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A magical and captivating debut fantasy novel from young French author of fourteen years.Three young girls, Jade, Amber and Opal, each from very different backgrounds, discover on the day of their fourteenth birthday that they are adopted. An ancient prophecy compels them to leave their families to complete their mission in a far-off kingdom. Each girl is given custody of a magic stone which corresponds to her name. Although they dislike each other on sight, they have to overlook their differences in order to escape the dangers that threatens them. They begin a long voyage to Oonagh, the mysterious oracle who becomes their guide. Their quest will lead them into a ferocious battle against the forces of evil.Present day... In a Parisian hospital a fourteen-year-old girl is dying. Joa no longer speaks, nor fights for her life, but she dreams and her thoughts carry her into a fairy-tale world where three heroines lead an epic war. The distant promise of their victory and the end of their adventures carries with it a secret which could return to her the will to live...
Three girls from disparate worlds discover their shared destiny as they are thrust into a perilous quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Jade, Amber, and Opal must overcome their initial mutual animosity to navigate a hostile kingdom and confront the forces of evil threatening their survival. Their physical journey is mirrored by a fragile, non-linear narrative structure that shifts between their high-fantasy struggle and the stark reality of a dying girl in a Parisian hospital. The girls rely on their eponymous magic stones to survive, while the reader is forced to reconcile the internal logic of the fairy-tale world with the external, somber reality of the protagonist's illness.
This work is often noted for its unusual origin, having been written by the author at the age of fourteen. The narrative suggests a focus on the intersection of escapist fantasy and the harsh realities of terminal illness, creating a somber tone beneath the surface of the adventure. The genre conventions point to a story that prioritizes the emotional development of its young protagonists over complex world-building mechanics. Readers likely engage with the book as a reflection on the power of imagination to sustain the human spirit during times of profound physical suffering. The structure implies a deliberate attempt to contrast the vibrancy of a magical quest with the quiet, clinical atmosphere of a hospital setting.
Page Count:
448
Publication Date:
2010-06-24
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-10:
0007375042
ISBN-13:
9780007375042
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