The Song of the Saltings by Rachael King
If you have a tween or young teen in your life who loves to bury their nose in a good book, keep reading. The Song of the Saltings is story telling how I loved it when I was around 11 or 12. Adventure, mystery, mythology, danger, courage and the merest hint of romance all set in a world I almost recognised.
Every year the Glimm, a creature of the salt marshes that infest the island of Brack, demands the sacrifice of a child and a horse to guarantee the following year’s harvest and the survival of the small, isolated population – or does it? When Lotta was chosen for the sacrifice at 8 years of age and is inexplicably spared by the Glimm she feels special. But as she turns 16 she feels the island stir beneath her, she hears a song with a strange power that she simply must sing and she begins to see the people of the island in a new light.
Lotta crosses paths with a young ‘hideling’ named Moss – hidden by his parents from the sacrifice but now emerging back into the world and asking the same questions as Lotta. Their connection, ignited by a dramatic bog rescue, opens Lotta’s eyes to the inequalities present in her world and the role of greed and its manipulations that have kept her people poor, indebted and in fear for many years. But greed is a dangerous enemy especially when coupled with power and secrets. What it means to have been spared the sacrifice and to be special takes on new dimensions requiring all of Lotta’s courage and wit and the difficult choice to trust another to have her back.
Pre-order this excellent book at your local bookshop for delivery in May!
