Spooner, Meagan. Skylark. (The Skylark Trilogy series)

Spooner, Meagan.  Skylark.  (The Skylark Trilogy series)  Carolroda Books see Lerner      338p  $17.95  978-0-7613-8865-4      2012  hs    VG  Fantasy

Before one even opens the book, it is evident that Skylark, with its appealing violet and indigo cover and compound-word title, is marketed to appeal to female readers in their teens and to suggest a dark fantasy setting. Readers looking for any of those things will not be disappointed by Skylark. The protagonist, Lark Ainsley, grew up wondering if she was somehow sub-par because she is the only one of her age-mates who has not had her Resource harvested for the good of the semi-industrial, semi-magical city.  Until this ritual is performed, she is stuck between childhood and adulthood.  When Lark is finally chosen for harvesting, it turns out that she is no ordinary girl, but something rather extraordinary that the city will exploit for her seemingly endless supply of the Resource until she is little more than a husk.  Her only option is to flee the supposed safety of the city and take her chances in the poisonous post-war wasteland beyond the walls, where few can survive for more than a day or two.  Once again, Lark proves to be extraordinary as she manages to survive in the wilderness with the help of some intriguing and unlikely companions.  Meanwhile she is driven to seek an answer to the question of why she is the way she is and what happened to her brother, who vanished into the wilderness years earlier.  The bestial Shadow People represent a particularly dangerous mystery that Lark uncovers, and she may be the only person capable of solving it.  Magic, betrayal, and the very nature of humanity are key components of this novel, which forces its protagonist to learn about sacrifice and responsibility in the hardest way possible.  Some of the rules for technology and magic in Skylark’s universe lack definition, which makes it difficult to classify this novel as steampunk or fantasy, and the pacing is sometimes rushed, but teen readers will find Lark a relatable character and her story a compelling read that will leave them grumbling about the length of time until the sequel is released.

Survival–Fiction, Magic–Fiction                      --Bethany Geleskie