Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/01/2012 Hylas starts off running and never slows down; his sister Issi is missing, and warriors are pursuing him. Hylas is an Outcast, and Outcasts are being killed to subvert a prophecy about a bronze dagger—a dagger that Hylas has in his possession. Telamon, the chieftain’s son, can’t help, so Hylas escapes to the Island of the Fin People, where he receives aid in the strangest of forms: from Pirra, the runaway daughter of a High Priestess, and a dolphin called Spirit. Using multiple points of view, including Spirit’s, Paver explores a very detailed setting—the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age—along with the rituals and beliefs of people who worship elemental gods, all the while keeping readers on the edge of their seats with plenty of death-defying action and adventure. Although each character is given time to develop, Spirit is the most fascinating. This first book in a new series will have natural appeal to fans of Rick Riordan’s books as well as Paver’s earlier Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2012 Gr 6 Up—Paver brings her intense research skills to Bronze Age Greece to tell the story of Hylas, a young man who is an Outsider and is not allowed in the clan village. He suddenly finds himself being hunted by fierce warriors he knows only as the Crows, who seem bent on destroying him and all the remaining Outsiders. Hylas takes refuge in a tomb where he discovers a dying man who gifts him with a bronze dagger and some cryptic words about the answer being found in the sea. With help from his friend, Telamon, who is the village chief's son, Hylas makes his way to the sea. There he is befriended by a dolphin named Spirit that leads him to an island where he finds Pirra, the daughter of the High Priestess, who has escaped to avoid a forced marriage to Telamon. While initially antagonistic toward each other, Hylas and Pirra must work together not only to stay alive, but also to discover the truth behind the dagger and why Hylas is being pursued. The added element of Hylas's friendship with the dolphin adds a surreal quality to this story already filled with adventure and danger. Paver brings this mysterious period of history to vibrant life in a compelling realistic narrative with some fantasy flourishes. Who knew the Bronze Age could be so fascinating?Tim Wadham, Puyallup Public Library, WA - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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