Stone Soup
by E. B. Mann

On a dark and dismal morning, Green Eyes awakens to find herself scratching at her mother’s door. She’s had the dream again—the one in which she’s a cat trying to climb a mountain to save a girl in distress. The confusing dream haunts her as she treks to the nearby village to sell the mysterious wooden figurines her mother carves. She lives her life in fear: Will today be the day she earns enough money to please her? Or will she return home to face yet another beating? She never knows what to expect until she walks through the cottage door. Her only hope is that her mother won’t damage the wooden prosthetic she must wear after losing her hand as a baby.

As she’s on her way home, she encounters Arduon and Paduon, a pair of wise-cracking crows who tell her she’s not who she thinks she is. They urge her to go in search of her true self, but Green Eyes resists, afraid of her mother and of the dangers of the world. It’s only when she learns that her mother is in fact a witch who put a spell on her that Green Eyes finds the courage to escape. Armed with the crow’s wisdom—and a magical sword gifted to her by her friends in the village—she sets off on a journey to discover her true identity.

5 out of 5 fairies

Wow. This book ran the gamut from dark, heart-breaking moments to empowering and uplifting ones, and I loved every minute of it. Mann brings the world to life around you, dropping you into Green Eye’s sad and painful existence from the start, before setting off on an epic journey of self-discovery. My heart went out to Green Eyes from the start, and her mother is easy to despise from the outset. I loved watching as Green Eyes found her courage, and with some help from friends and guides, discovered herself and found not only who she is but her power. The story is compelling, and pulls you along easily, making it difficult to put this down once you start. Highly recommend if you enjoy transformative journeys and magical adventures.

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Hi! I’m the award-winning author of the YA fantasies “Karina” and “Stone Soup.” I’m interested in anything that can help explain why we’re all here on this planet or bring a tear to my eye.

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