Honourable Mention - Speculative Literature Foundation

Nominated for a Cybils Award - Fantasy and Science Fiction
 
Cousins Wil and Sophie end up in cold water thanks to a mysterious woman named Catfysh. They follow secret signs, decode cryptic messages, and solve a riddle to unleash powerful allies locked in stone—all to try and save MiddleGate’s Palace of the Blazing Star from the Serpent’s Chain.
 
The author's delight in wordplay is given full rein throughout, but particularly in the shapeshifting chapter, when Wil and Sophie are changed into catfish. The deepening sense that the heroes are in over their heads, surrounded on all sides by enemies whose motives they still don't understand, but who threaten everything they care about, will leave readers who like their fantasy to contain a good dose of mystery and suspense looking for the next volume.
- K.V. Johansen, Books Worth Another Look

As chock fun of fanciful characters, intrigue, and action as ever, author Rae Bridgman has crafted another delightful adventure for...magical cousins [Wil and Sophie]. Introducing each chapter are Latin inscriptions (gratefully translated into English, which helps even those of us who studied four years of that classical language so many years ago there must be at least an inch of dust on that file in our brains!). That touch is a Rae Bridgman signature...Also, laced throughout the book are Bridgman's own ink illustrations - and fish abound everywhere. These are a fun addition to an already wonderful fish story.
- Janie Franz, MyShelf

Bridgman once again takes the reader on a wild ride through an imaginary world. She uses her background in Latin and anthropology to populate the pages of her fantasy adventure...There are also interesting and unusual pen and ink drawings in the novel which add an air of mystery.
- Myra Junyk, Resource Links