Hope

By Amber J. Keyser, Kay Fraser and Dan Taylor

Back in Faerieground, Soli must lead her kingdom to safety. But Lucy becomes ill, and her wellbeing is her best friend's first priority, even if it means sacrificing the crown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Sep 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781623700911

Amber J. Keyser

Evolutionary biologist-turned-author Amber J. Keyser has a MS in zoology and a PhD in genetics. She writes both fiction and non-fiction for tweens and teens. Her young adult novels include Pointe, Claw (Carolrhoda Lab, 2017), an explosive story about two girls claiming the territory of their own bodies, and The Way Back from Broken (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015), a heart-wrenching novel of loss and survival (and a finalist for the Oregon Book Award). She is the co-author with Kiersi Burkhart of the middle grade series Quartz Creek Ranch (Darby Creek, 2017). Her nonfiction titles include The V-Word (Beyond Words/SimonTeen, 2016), an anthology of personal essays by women about first-time sexual experiences (Rainbow List, Amelia Bloomer list, New York Public Library Best Book for Teens and Chicago Public Library Best Nonfiction for Teens) and Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes (Twenty-First Century Books, 2015), among numerous other titles. Her forthcoming books include Tying the Knot: A World History of Marriage (Twenty-First Century Books, 2018) and Underneath It All: The History of Women's Underwear (Twenty-First Century Books, 2018). More information at www.amberjkeyser.com. Connect with Amber on Twitter @amberjkeyser.

Book preview

Soli

I can’t stop thinking about my other mother.

My real mother, my mom, the one who adopted me.

Not the mother who gave birth to me.

That was Calandra. The Willow Queen. The one who killed my father and named me Hope.

I don’t know the whole story, of course.

There’s so much left to learn.

Lucy’s mother, Andria, was the one who gave me to my mother. The real one.

The mother who raised me.

How did Andria explain me to my mother?

How did she convince her?

How much does she know?

Does she love me?

She must love me. She and my father both must love me. Did they know I would leave them one day?

Do they know who I am, did they know who I would become? Did they know all along I was a princess?

Kheelan, who knows these woods so well, is leading Lucy and me to the clearing where the big willow tree stands in the middle of the forest. We are heading home.

The door is in the tree. The path home. The way I came in, the way I’ll return.

My wings are heavy on my back.

We are quiet. I can hear the creek nearby, and I know that in the woods, armies follow us. Every few steps, a twig snaps, a leaf rustles.

A low growl.

Kheelan shoots me a glance, and I nod.

Yes, I heard it.

He nods back.

We both heard the noise, and we both know what it means. I’m surprised, but not surprised. He and I can talk without saying a word.

We are in real danger, I understand. We aren’t being pursued; we’re being tracked.

We are being hunted.

And when Lucy and I leave, Kheelan will still be here, and he’ll still be in danger.

Kheelan, who I think I love, without ever knowing before what it would be like to love a boy. Here, in danger. Because of me.

Kheelan, of Roseland. Who stands beside me now, leading me and Lucy toward our way home.

Or what used to be home.

And Kheelan, of Roseland, who protects us from the people who hunt us. The angry faeries.

They are angry.

Whoever Calandra’s people are, they’re angry.

I came here to the faerieground to get Lucy back, but when I did, I found out who I am. Heir to the throne. The long-lost princess.

And I found out who Calandra is. Human, pretending to be faerie. Letting a kingdom crumble around her.

And then I stripped the queen—my birth mother—of her powers.

Of course her armies are angry.

I should have known they would be.

I just wish I understood who they are.

There is a battle ahead of us, I know that now.

But before the battle can begin, I have things to do at home.

So we trudge on, slowly, softly through the woods. Suddenly I notice that Kheelan is holding my hand.

Above us, a crow cries.

Lucy

Her wings! I can’t stop staring at them.

As Soli and Kheelan lead me through the woods, I think about what I’ve learned in the last few hours.

Soli is a princess. Her mother is a human woman who was a cruel tyrant in the faerie kingdom. Soli broke the spell and now she has wings.

And now we’re going home, but not to stay there.

We’re going home to tell my mother that I need to return to the faerieground and fight. We’re going home to tell Soli’s parents what we know.

Soli is a princess, a faerie princess.

Also, she’s totally holding hands with Kheelan.

Soli, my sweet friend. Who I always thought was so naive, kind of babyish. She’s acting like someone new, someone I’ve never met before.

She’s acting like a princess.

She is a princess.

She came here to save my life. But first, she wished me away for doing something stupid. For kissing that boy she liked, Jaleel.

I liked him too. I didn’t kiss him to hurt her. At least I don’t think I did.

Funny, how for days and days I thought only about Jaleel. Before we kissed, and after. I thought about him all the time. And now I had almost forgotten about him, forgotten that he’s the reason we ended up here.

But that was just an excuse. Queen Calandra would have found a way to get Soli here eventually. It didn’t have to be because Soli wished me away and then wished me home again. It could have been anything. Eventually, she would have found a way. That’s how badly Calandra wanted her back.

I wonder if she knew that Soli would make her human again.

When we get to the big old tree in the middle of the woods, we stop.

Soli shifts her body, stretching her arms. Her wings shimmer in the light streaming through the trees.

She smiles when she sees me looking at them. I’m never going to get used to these, she says.

Me either, I say, and just like that I can stop worrying about things changing: we are just Soli and Lucy, best friends, again.

Kheelan pushes leaves away from the tree’s roots. Do you know what to do? he asks.

I’m used to being the leader, the one in charge, the one with the plan, so I say, No.

But he’s not looking at me. Of course he isn’t. He’s looking at Soli. I think so, she says.

Soli takes off her crown and hands it to Kheelan. She closes her eyes for a moment, and her wings disappear: not gone, I know, but hidden.

Reviews for Hope

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Spoilers: If you have not read Wish, this review will have spoilers.Background: Hope starts off where Wish left us, in Faerieground with Soli and Lucy. Soli has learned who she is and some of her story and Lucy is trying to come to terms with her lifelong friends new world. Now the girls must stay in Faerieground to clean up the mess Soli’s mother has made of the kingdom.Review: Hope is a wonderful follow up to Wish. Soli has become strong and confident in herself and Lucy is beginning to realize that Soli is capable and their friendship can only grow stronger after what they have endured together. In this installment the girls return to the real world to chat with Lucy’s mother, she gives them warning and sends them back into Faerieground to fix the devastation Soli’s mother created in the Faery kingdom.The book does not have much of a lead in from book one, you really have to remember what as happened and the characters, otherwise as a reader you will be completely lost. It cannot be read as a stand-alone but I recommend the series for all ages especially those in the pre-teen age group (probably girls).The illustrations are again vibrant and captivating and the textures accomplished in them are breathtaking. I love that there are pictures to go with the story and the characters show their emotions in both very well.Both girls are followed through the plot from their own points of view and their friendship and love for one another is amazing and I could not help but smile as I read the book. It was a wonderful story with a cliff of an ending. I cannot wait to read the next book!