The Shifter by Janice Hardy

March 30, 2010

The Shifter by Janice Hardy

The Shifter (AR 4.4 )

by Janice Hardy

Imagine a world where healing takes place by pulling the pain from the afflicted person’s body while simultaneously healing the injury or illness.  Unfortunately, the pain then shifts to the body of the healer until they can transfer it to a special kind of stone.

That’s how it is supposed to work and that’s how things work for Nya’s sister who is training to be a healer.  But Nya cannot shift the power from herself to the stone.  The only way she can get rid of it is to do the unthinkable — to shift it into another person.  In her war torn land, this could easily mean being used as a weapon and Nya manages to hide her ability until the night the starving girl is caught stealing an egg.  Her slip brings her to the attention of a pain merchant — those who take pain only to plant it into a weapon.

When a terrible accident happens, the pain merchant again demand’s Nya’s services even as she becomes aware of something horrible.  Apprentice healers are not being allowed to dump their pain.  What is going on and why?

Nya leads a band of unlikely allies to the rescue and discovers the horrible implications of her own power as well as the power held by the leaders who control her city.

This middle grade fantasy is the first in The Healing Wars Trilogy.  Although boys would enjoy the physical nature of this adventure it is likely to have a greater appeal to girls.  Nya is feisty and determined and a great role model for girls who may be wondering if they can do all that is expected of them.  A good choice for reluctant readers because the story is complicated enough to interest them, with some mature implications, but not so difficult in reading level that it will lose them.  This would also be a good book for advanced readers who need a faceted story to hold their interest.

–SueBE

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