Kelda’s family were so excited to have a new baby girl in the family, until they discovered she wasn’t like them. It is normal practice in the Silverman world to throw their newborns into the river on their seventh day. But little Isla didn’t swim or relish the water like all Silverman do. She was fished out floppy and with lips turning blue. Kelda was the only one who jumped to her little sister’s aid and they have been inseparable ever since.

Their family know Isla is different. They also know to keep this to themselves, as according to Silverman Lore, anyone different is to be not only banished but destroyed in order to keep the natural balance of the rivers they live in and upon, in their house boats. But she is much-loved and protected, especially by Kelda. Her differences might spark a simmering discontent between her parents from time to time, but Kelda’s first and foremost priority is always Isla.

But keeping Isla safe suddenly becomes difficult. A boy Isla considered a friend has been asking questions, but only after someone close betrays them. This betrayal strikes Kelda hard, but soon even this has to be swept aside as their entire family are under threat. Leaving all they know and love behind, they strike out for friends among Landman, who know the Silverman ways and lore and will shelter them.

The rivers are behaving strangely, adding more fuel to the rumours, superstitions and myths that a child not fully Silverman will upset the water. The sea is forcing its way up the rivers.

Kelda must not only try and protect Isla, but team up with strangers to fight her Silverman community, and mythical creatures she believed were only ancient stories. She has choices to make about who or what to believe and whether she can make her own sacrifice to help all who she loves.

I was instantly intrigued by Kelda’s world. There is a plethora of magical worlds on the bookshelves, but this was definitely something I hadn’t experienced before. I could easily imagine Kelda’s world and was drawn in, awed, worried for her and her kin and was shocked at an event I never saw coming.

A new friend for Kelda was a balm for her and the story, and it provided a layer of mystery throughout. The mythical creatures are truly terrifying, as is the wrath of a community of the Silverman people. They have silver tints to their eyes, a shine to their skins (that can breathe underwater) and they know little but the rivers they live on. Landman (us mere mortals on land) are distrusted and mostly avoided.

Although woven thickly with a mythical element, this novel is more suitable for older tweens or young teens.

Author – Sylvia Bishop

Age – 12+

(Andersen Press, 2024, Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Betrayal, Conflict, Courage, Murder, Mystery, Secret, Mermaids, Breath underwater, Myths, Lore, Rules, Water, Rivers, Sea, Siblings, Half-Siblings, Sacrifice, Friendship, Companions, In hiding, Pursued, Chased)