Book Review: Fantasy Life

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Fantasy Life     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
Pocket, Nov 2003, $6.99, 435 pp.

Lyssa Buckingham divorced her husband when his mental illness threatened to harm their ten-year-old daughter Emma. The young girl couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to see her father. One day she decided to bicycle over to her former home and go swimming. When she gets in the water her father tries to drown her and using powers she never knew she possessed she sets him on fire and kills him.

Once Lyssa learns what happened she knows she must return to Anchor Bay, Oregon to the house where she was born. She needs her mother and grandmother, who she turned away from, to teach Emma to control her powers. However returning home will provide no haven and ultimately wil, prove dangerous for her and the other Buckinghams. The fantasy creatures they have protected for over a century are planning to destroy everything the family holds dear.

This novel will appeal to fans of fantasy, romance, horror and those readers who like a work that is refreshingly unique. The four Buckingham women are powerful, not because of their powers, but because of their determination to keep faith with the sentient beings who are under their protection. Lyssa learns that a person can't run away from one's destiny and the Buckingham women realize they are stronger together than apart. Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a talented storyteller who provides her audience with a great tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner