Teenaged Kezi is devastated when her mother falls gravely ill. When her father prays to his god, Admah, in order to save his ailing wife, he offers to sacrifice the first person who congratulates him if she recovers. He's horrified when it is Kezi. She is granted a few days to live, and on the first of those days meets handsome Olus, the god of the winds. He is disguised as a wool merchant, and as they wander the countryside together, Kezi falls in love with him. Over the next thirty days she undertakes various exciting quests to become immortal, including a visit to the underworld of Wadir and the mountaintop temple of the gods. This is a beautiful love story (Gail is so good at this sort of thing!) and an exploration of belief and religious certainty. (The story is based on the biblical story of Jephthah and his daughter.) Its thought-provoking themes will make the novel a subject of much discussion. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Levine's (Ella Enchanted) original mythological tale works as romance, adventure and exploration of faith. Kezi is the only daughter of a wealthy, devout family in a vaguely ancient, vaguely Middle Eastern city, where the established religion revolves around one god, Admat. When Kezi's mother falls deathly ill, her father vows to sacrifice the first person who congratulates him on his wife's recovery, if only Admat will let her live. Through adroit plotting, this person turns out to be Kezi, who has 30 days before she must be delivered to the sacrificial altar. Meanwhile, Olus, the god of wind from a family of Greek-like deities, has been watching the horror unfold; out of loneliness (the brother closest to him in age is 412 years older), he has disguised himself to mix with mortals and fallen in love with Kezi. Braided throughout the well-paced action are doubts raised by Kezi's new-found knowledge of Olus and his clan: "How can Admat be the one, the all, if Olus is a god too?" Is her sacrifice without reason? Levine conducts a riveting journey, offering passion and profound pondering along the way. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information