A.R. Cook

A young man's journey from his home in Spain to his apprenticeship in Paris is strangely interrupted by a series of adventures in an inn that includes a band of travelers. Most are Rom (formerly Gypsies) and they are led by a Sphynx. Young David does his best to escape from her (and their) clutches, until some conversations with a Scottish juggler helps him see the worth of his new traveling companions.

Events transpire, David is transported into the darkness of the mythical world as well as show more into its healing. There is a dark aspect that has taken over this Sphinx along with other mythical beings, and David is drawn to finding and helping his new friends.

While YA is not my chosen genre, I found much to be satisfying with this book: David goes through his inner growth, central characters are women, and many world myths are explored. That said, there was a bit too much in the way of journeying and exploring, and the inner voyaging was often lost in the new locale. show less