Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Julia Vanishes
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1976
WEBSITE: http://catherineegan.com/
CITY:
STATE: CT
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: Canadian
https://bycatherineegan.wordpress.com/ *
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2012148055
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2012148055
HEADING: Egan, Catherine, 1976-
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040 __ |a IlMchBWI |b eng |e rda |c IlMchBWI |d ICrlF
046 __ |f 1976-09-22 |2 edtf
100 1_ |a Egan, Catherine, |d 1976-
370 __ |c Canada |2 naf
370 __ |e New England |2 lcsh
372 __ |a Fantasy fiction |a Young adult literature |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Novelists |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Women |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Her Shade & sorceress, c2012: |b t.p. (Catherine Egan) LAC CIP (Egan, Catherine, 1976-) p. 283 (fantasy novelist; The Last Days of Tian Di trilogy; short fiction published in Canadian and US journals; has lived in Canada, the UK, Japan, and China; resides in New England)
670 __ |a LAC in VIAF, Nov. 16, 2012 |b (est. hdg.: Egan, Catherine, 1976-) (Canadian; date, 1976-09-22)â€
PERSONAL
Born 1976; married; has children.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Catherine Egan is a Canadian writer who is based in Connecticut. She has released fantasy novels for young adults.
"Last Days of Tian Di" Trilogy
Shade and Sorceress is Egan’s first novel and the first book in her “Last Days of Tian Di” trilogy. The protagonist of the volume is Eliza, who has been posing as a sorceress. She has been taking lessons in sorcery from the Mancers, but she is unable to make progress in performing magic. Eliza’s mother, a Shang Sorceress, has died after having imprisoned a dangerous Xia Sorceress. The Xia Sorceress has Eliza’s father kidnapped, and Eliza and her friends, Nell and Charlie, go on a journey to bring him home. Mark Flowers, reviewing the book in Voice of Youth Advocates, remarked: “Without being flashy or calling attention to herself, Egan has built a quietly first-rate fantasy world, which, with the right marketing, could … catch on.”
Eliza returns in the 2013 book The Unmaking. She is continuing her magic studies with the Mancers when she learns that the evil Xia Sorceress has been released. Eliza must use her magic to stop the sorceress.
The final book in the trilogy, Bone, Fog, Ash, and Star, finds Eliza using her magic to save Charlie. She bands together with Nell and their teacher, the Mancer Foss, in her attempt to help her friend. The mission proves difficult, pushing Eliza and her powers to the limit. Resource Links critic Karyn Huenemann, commented: “Throughout the novel, Egan jolts us in unexpected ways: never enough to be a problem, only enough to help us feel the tensions and uncertainties Eliza and her friends face in their several quests. We remain gripped by all of the narrative threads at once, propelled by the strong characterization and well-crafted action.”
Julia Vanishes
Julia Vanishes is the first book in Egan’s “Witch’s Child” series. The title character, who is sixteen years old, lives in Spira City and is a talented spy and thief. Her ability to make herself unseen has aided her in her work. Julia learned her trade from Esme, who adopted her and her brother. She has been sent to spy on the mysterious Och family, accepting a job as their maid. Meanwhile, a serial killer terrorizes residents of Spira City. In an interview with Shawn Speakman, contributor to the Unbound Worlds Web site, Egan commented on the writing process for the book, stating: “I knew from the beginning that I was writing a story about a spy with the ability to be almost-invisible, but the nature of her ability, its limitations, and the reason for it changed somewhat as I wrote and my vision of the story became more detailed. Her character and her voice came about very organically, emerging as soon as I began to write, which made the first draft easy.”
Critics responded favorably to Julia Vanishes. Patricia Jermey, reviewer in Resource Links, commented: “Egan’s novel is rich in characterization and plot twists. The complex back stories of the characters and the clever variations on magical powers fit well with the geography of Spira City.” Voice of Youth Advocates writer Blake Norby described the novel as “a truly outstanding first book in what is sure to be a sought-after series.” “Following Julia and her comrades makes for a tricky, frightening, relentlessly exciting adventure colored with moral ambiguity and magical intrigue,” asserted Sarah Berman in Horn Book. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews noted: “Julia’s a wonderful, fully realized heroine with moral dilemmas aplenty.” The same contributor called the volume “a well-realized page-turner.” Booklist critic Julia Smith remarked: “There is a richness to this inaugural volume of the “Witch’s Child” trilogy.” Smith added: “Readers will be hard pressed to put it down.” “A beautifully rendered world and an exquisite sense of timing ensure a page-turning experience,” wrote a reviewer in Publishers Weekly.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2016, Julia Smith, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 83.
Horn Book, July-August, 2016, Sarah Berman, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 131.
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2016, review of Julia Vanishes.
Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2016, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 63; December 2, 2016, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 108.
Resource Links, February, 2015, Karyn Huenemann, review of Bone, Fog, Ash, and Star, p. 27; October, 2016, Patricia Jermey, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 29.
Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 2013, Mark Flowers, review of Shade and Sorceress, p. 576; August, 2016, Blake Norby, review of Julia Vanishes, p. 74.
ONLINE
Catherine Egan Home Page, http://catherineegan.com/ (February 14, 2016).
Storytime Standouts, http://www.storytimestandouts.com/ (February 14, 2016), author profile.
Unbound Worlds, http://www.unboundworlds.com/ (June 7, 2016), Shawn Speakman, author interview.
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada – a beautiful city nobody in her right mind would ever leave, but leave I did, and you may draw the obvious conclusions about my mind. Since then, I have lived on a wee volcanic island in Japan (which erupted during my time there and sent me hurtling straight into the arms of my now-husband), Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing, an oil rig in the middle of China’s Bohai Bay, New Jersey, and now Connecticut, where I write books and defend the Eastern seaboard from invading dragon hordes alongside my intrepid warrior-children.
If you want to know a lot more about me, you can read some of these old blog posts, which are about as revealing as I get:
Why I write YA
An Open Letter to Alec Baldwin
Going North
Plot Twist!
On Becoming Someone Else
If you want to know a little more about me, here is a bio I wrote a few years ago. Not much has changed (the past has this unsettling way of staying the same) except I’ve written more books now and my little guys keep getting bigger.
Catherine Egan grew up in Vancouver, Canada. She thinks it is a glorious city and there is no good reason ever to leave but, she left anyway. Since then she has lived on a wee volcanic Japanese island (which erupted during her time there and sent her hurtling straight into the arms of her now-husband), Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing, an oil rig in the middle of the Bohai Bay (she still misses her little bedroom there), New Jersey, and now Connecticut, where she writes books and hangs out with her kids.
QUOTED: "I knew from the beginning that I was writing a story about a spy with the ability to be almost-invisible, but the nature of her ability, its limitations, and the reason for it changed somewhat as I wrote and my vision of the story became more detailed. Her character and her voice came about very organically, emerging as soon as I began to write, which made the first draft easy."
New Release Interview: JULIA VANISHES with Catherine Egan
By SHAWN SPEAKMAN
June 7, 2016
SHARE
Shawn Speakman: JULIA VANISHES is in fine bookstores today. Congratulations! Tell Unbound Worlds about the book and the world you’ve created here.
Catherine Egan: Thank you!
Julia lives in Spira City, a fantastical version of early twentieth-century Paris, where all forms of magic are outlawed and witches are drowned in public cleansings. Still reeling from a failed revolution and a horrible plague that left Julia’s brother crippled, the city is under the thumb of the fanatical, witch-hunting prime minister, Agoston Horthy, who sentenced Julia’s mother to be drowned for witchcraft years ago.
Julia has the ability to be unseen; it’s not quite invisibility, but she can pull back from the visible world. As long as she is quiet and still people’s eyes will just pass over her. This skill has landed her lucrative work as a thief and a spy, and her latest job is pretending to be a servant in a wealthy household, digging up secrets and reporting to a mysterious employer who she never meets face-to-face. The more she finds out, the more she realizes that she may be working for the wrong side, but it’s too late to back out. She has to make a terrible decision to save her own skin. In the end, her choice draws her deeper into a conflict that has huge consequences for her whole world.
Shawn Speakman: Julia is an intriguing character, placed in a perilous situation between two very different worlds. Did she first spring to your mind? Or did the story demand her?
photo-catherineeganCatherine Egan: I knew from the beginning that I was writing a story about a spy with the ability to be almost-invisible, but the nature of her ability, its limitations, and the reason for it changed somewhat as I wrote and my vision of the story became more detailed. Her character and her voice came about very organically, emerging as soon as I began to write, which made the first draft easy.
Shawn Speakman: Witches are in some of my favorite books. What is it about witches that drew you to use them?
Catherine Egan: I have always been drawn to witches! I learned to read with Jill Murphy’s Worst Witch series, although as I got older I liked my witches and my magic scarier and more transgressive. I was always reading or writing stories with witches in them. I don’t know if it was just the idea of a woman with such dangerous power that drew me to them as a little girl, but witches remain my longest-standing obsession. One of the very first story elements to fall into place with this book was the idea of witches who worked magic by writing down their spells. I loved the idea of writing as power.
My next book (still only in my head) is currently witchless, and the real challenge will be to see if I am actually capable of writing something without witches.
Shawn Speakman: What are some of your favorite YA books? Did any of them help inform the world you’ve created in JULIA VANISHES?
Catherine Egan: In my early teens, I read and reread Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle and Jane Gardam’s Bilgewater. Both of those had a huge impact on what and how I wrote as a teenager and how I thought about writing.
There are so many YA authors now that I admire hugely—Alaya Dawn Johnson, A.S. King, Nova Ren Suma, Meg Rosoff, Malinda Lo, to name just a few—and I’m sure that everything I read influences my own work in one way or another. But looking at the books I’ve written, the most obvious influence comes from the Queen of Witch-Writing, Diana Wynne Jones. We’re reading her books to our older son now; it’s fascinating for me to hear these old childhood favorites again as an adult, and stunning to realize the extent to which my stories are steeped in her stuff, her Chrestomanci books in particular.
Shawn Speakman: JULIA VANISHES is the first book in a trilogy. How is the second book coming along? Got a title that you can share?
Catherine Egan: We’re working on edits of the second book now. The third is drafted, but nobody else has seen it yet! Right now book two is (tentatively) called Julia Defiant, because, you know, she really is.
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan is available today in fine bookstores! If you love witches, this one is for you!
Go cast a spell!
QUOTED: "Egan's novel is rich in characterization and plot twists. The complex back stories of the characters and the clever variations on magical powers fit
well with the geography of Spira City."
Egan, Catherine: Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child, Book 1
Patricia Jermey
Resource Links.
22.1 (Oct. 2016): p29.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text:
[E]
EGAN, Catherine
Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child, Book 1
Doubleday Canada, 2016. 375p. Gr. 6-12. 9780-385-68465-1. Hdbk. $21.99
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In Julia Vanishes, Egan both follows the traditions of fantasy literature, and yet creates a unique landscape and plot. The heroine, Julia, is a very
mature teen, forced to grow up quickly to cope with a drug-addicted father and a mother executed for witchcraft. She and her brother, disabled
and disfigured by the scourge, have been taken in by Esme, a Fagan-like organizer of a rag-tag criminal group, which will perform any job for
pay. Julia's unique skill to temporarily disappear makes her a valued member, and her brother is a genius at engineering useful weapons and
devices for the gang. The current job seems simple enough: Julia is to act as a housemaid in the home of an older wealthy woman, Mrs. Och, and
report back any events of interest.
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There is much to report: a guest who lives in the basement and appears to be evolving into a wolfman, the rescue and safe passage of a convicted
witch, and the harbouring of two academics who are researching various arcane arts. Mrs. Och's status offers protection from the current political
mood, which is a reactionary stamping out of all magic and witchcraft through public Cleansings. But Julia learns that Mrs. Och is actually an
ancient almost-immortal, now in her final stages of life, who is in a life and death battle with her two brothers for control of the elemental forces.
As Julia is dragged into this battle, she chooses to sell her skills for a good pay day. But despite her professed cynicism about the world, the
elegant clothes and rich food that she is finally able to afford don't sit well. A friend of her mother's sees her situation like this: "Your trouble, my
dear, is that you've been born into a time of very few choices for a girl of your talents and character and social class ... But I wonder sometimes
what kind of life your mother hoped for you. Unlike the rest of us, she never learned to live without hope. " (p. 278) Julia realizes that her
integrity is worth more than the pieces of silver, and along with the combined forces of the criminal gang and Mrs. Och's powerful friends, she
hopes to live up to her mother's standards.
Egan's novel is rich in characterization and plot twists. The complex back stories of the characters and the clever variations on magical powers fit
well with the geography of Spira City and its Dickensian social issues. She has set up many leads that readers will be eager to follow in the
sequels.
Thematic Links: Fantasy; Magic; Witchcraft
[E] Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Jermey, Patricia. "Egan, Catherine: Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child, Book 1." Resource Links, Oct. 2016, p. 29. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA469756149&it=r&asid=1e005765e3c974772cfece7e2356c7cf. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A469756149
---
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Julia Vanishes
Publishers Weekly.
263.49 (Dec. 2, 2016): p108.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Julia Vanishes
Catherine Egan. Knopf, $17.99
ISBN 978-0-553-52484-0
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Egan's debut novel sparkles with storytelling that skillfully blends elements of steampunk, fantasy, adventure, and magic. First in the Witch's
Child trilogy, it introduces readers to Julia, a young woman who is part spy, part thief, and full of secrets. Julia has thrived ever since she and her
brother were taken in by Esme, the matriarch of thieves and cons in Spira City. While working as a maid for--and surreptitiously gathering
information about--a wealthy household deemed unconventional by the neighbors, with strange noises heard from the basement and people
coming and going at odd hours, Julia uncovers a secret that challenges her morals and sense of decency, but she's honor bound to share it, with
disastrous results. Difficult choices have significant consequences in Egan's dark, unpredictable tale, and Julia's progression from a streetwise girl
with a crush to a self-aware, self-reliant young woman relies strongly on her journey through conflicting loyalties and examination of long-held
biases, especially those against witches. A beautifully rendered world and an exquisite sense of timing ensure a page-turning experience. Ages
14-up.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Julia Vanishes." Publishers Weekly, 2 Dec. 2016, p. 108+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA475224726&it=r&asid=aeb99c787da0a42ed94ea191d0a98fdf. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A475224726
---
QUOTED: "A truly outstanding first book in what is sure to be a sought-after series."
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Egan, Catherine. Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child
Blake Norby
Voice of Youth Advocates.
39.3 (Aug. 2016): p74.
COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * S
Egan, Catherine. Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child. Knopf/Penguin Random House, 2016. 384p. $17.99. 978-0-553-52484-0.
Living in a town that drowns witches and has banned all magic is dangerous for Julia, who has a talent for making herself "unseen" by tricking
people's senses into not realizing she is there. While she is happy using her skills to make money by stealing and spying, she has found her new
job working as a housemaid in a house collecting seemingly random pieces of information rather boring. She begins spying on her unusual
housemates: a professor who sends Julia on errands for oddities such as bullets and spiders, and a student whose bad choices led him to losing
everything. Then, a murderer starts leaving victims in plain sight. Julia finds she must use her talent for becoming unseen even more, and in much
more dangerous ways.
This is a great choice for true fantasy lovers. The worldbuilding of New Poria as an alternate-Earth setting is exceptionally done as readers will
immediately become immersed seamlessly in this magical new world. Egan expertly blends the feel of historical fiction with witchcraft, along
with religious and mythological themes. While this book could technically be considered a dystopian novel, the story depends far more on the
fantasy aspects. Julia is a fully defined, flawed character with a fantastic mixture of grit and faith. She is not overly optimistic, but a multi-layered
and realistic, strong female lead whom readers will relate to and pull for. A truly outstanding first book in what is sure to be a sought-after series.
--Blake Norby.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Norby, Blake. "Egan, Catherine. Julia Vanishes: The Witch's Child." Voice of Youth Advocates, Aug. 2016, p. 74. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA461445194&it=r&asid=20a2cde0ca8186658a7979a14f430787. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A461445194
---
QUOTED: "Following Julia and her comrades makes for a tricky, frightening, relentlessly exciting adventure colored with moral ambiguity and
magical intrigue."
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Julia Vanishes [Witch's Child]
Sarah Berman
The Horn Book Magazine.
92.4 (July-August 2016): p131.
COPYRIGHT 2016 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
Julia Vanishes [Witch's Child]
by Catherine Egan
Middle School, High School Knopf 375 pp.
6/16 978-0-553-52484-0 $17.99
Library ed. 978-0-553-52485-7 $20.99 g
e-book ed. 978-0-553-52486-4 $10.99
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Julia is a thief in Spira City, sent by a mysterious employer to gather information from the wealthy Mrs. Och's house. Though Julia has never
understood her ability to turn almost invisible, that talent helps her spy and steal. Posing as a housemaid, Julia learns that Mrs. Och is defying the
fervidly anti-magic government by secretly smuggling well-connected witches to safety. (Less-fortunate witches are drowned in public
"Cleansings," as Julia's mother was years before.) Mrs. Och's newest houseguests are a beautiful witch and her toddler son--a child with powers
that interested parties would kill to claim. Julia is drawn into a battle encompassing her targets, a corrupt politician, and the terrifying forces
behind her assignment. While this fantasy's world-building, politics, and magical history are indeed interesting, these are surpassed by the daring
criminal escapades and by Julia's internal conflicts. Julia's self-made family of thieves (including brother Dek and love-interest Wyn) is a likable
crew that works together, even through the personal betrayals that add emotional complexity to the novel. The villains, too, are attractive in their
wickedness. Following Julia and her comrades makes for a tricky, frightening, relentlessly exciting adventure colored with moral ambiguity and
magical intrigue. The fast-paced plot concludes nicely, but with plenty of questions left open for further installments in the series.
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Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Berman, Sarah. "Julia Vanishes [Witch's Child]." The Horn Book Magazine, July-Aug. 2016, p. 131. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA457975627&it=r&asid=773b8c68714fac542e553dbba78ac91f. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A457975627
---
QUOTED: "Throughout the novel, Egan jolts us in unexpected ways: never enough to be a problem, only enough to help us feel the tensions and uncertainties
Eliza and her friends face in their several quests. We remain gripped by all of the narrative threads at once, propelled by the strong
characterization and well-crafted action."
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Egan, Catherine Bone, Fog, Ash & Star (The Last Days of
Tian Di; Book 3)
Karyn Huenemann
Resource Links.
20.3 (Feb. 2015): p27.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text:
EGAN, Catherine [E]
Bone, Fog, Ash & Star (The Last Days of Tian Di; Book 3)
Coteau Books, 2014. 308p. Gr. 8-12.
978-1-55055-593-1. Pbk. $12.95
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Bone, Fog, Ash & Star is the final book of Catherine Egan's trilogy, The Last Days of Tian Di. The opening of Bone, Fog, Ash & Star
successfully brings readers who might have been too long away from the story immediately and dramatically back into the world of Eliza Tok,
the Shang Sorceress. Eliza is flying through the air on the back of a great bird: "And then she let go" (p.1). The great bird turns out to be Eliza's
shape-shifting friend, Charlie, in gryphon form; Eliza is trying to see if she can transform into a raven, her spirit creature. Then, just as we are
becoming reacquainted with Eliza and her world, Egan sends another narrative jolt, killing Charlie, whom Eliza has grown to love. The
intricacies of the previous books present a number of options for why the author might have done this to poor Charlie, and what the ramifications
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might be in the overarching plot. Most guesses will be wrong; with bated breath we accompany Eliza, who "tore a hole in the world and stepped
through it" (p. 11), into the realm of Death, to fight for her Charlie and bring him back.
Eliza's love for Charlie is the impetus for the plot of Bone, Fog, Ash & Star, but not ultimately what the book is about at all. Charlie has become a
target of the Thanatosi, a breed of assassin creature who will not rest until their prey is dead. The Mancers, who control magic in Di Shang and
want to control (have previously always controlled) the Shang Sorceress, know of her feelings for Charlie and want to prevent any union between
them. The only thing that might stop the Thanatosi is possession of the four Gehemmis, gifts of the Ancients: formed from bone, fog, ash, star. So
Eliza sets off on the treacherous quest to gather the Gehemmis; Charlie and their friend Nell are hidden in the Realm of the Faeries, which creates
unexpected conflict of another kind; and Eliza's only Mancer ally--her instructor Foss--has been banished for aiding Eliza and is dying, away
from the Mancer Citadel, the source of his life-force.
Throughout the novel, Egan jolts us in unexpected ways: never enough to be a problem, only enough to help us feel the tensions and uncertainties
Eliza and her friends face in their several quests. We remain gripped by all of the narrative threads at once, propelled by the strong
characterization and well-crafted action. Woven into the fabulous story (although not all that subtly) is the conflict Eliza faces between her naive
desire to protect the individuals she loves and her obligation to fulfill her role as the Shang Sorceress. It is brought home to her a number of times
that in attempting to protect her friends, she has actually hurt or destroyed parts of the world she is destined to save. As the situation amongst the
faeries, the Mancers, and Eliza (who stands outside of both factions) develops to crisis point, Eliza begins to make decisions based on a more
mature, comprehensive vision of her world. Eliza's powers -- emotional, psychological, and magical -- are now great enough for her finally to
fully realize her identity as Sorceress of Tian Di.
Thematic Links: Fantasy; Magic; Sacrifice
Huenemann, Karyn
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Huenemann, Karyn. "Egan, Catherine Bone, Fog, Ash & Star (The Last Days of Tian Di; Book 3)." Resource Links, Feb. 2015, p. 27+. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA404446597&it=r&asid=b45a9b723be42c7f7d75bcd713de3237. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A404446597
---
QUOTED: "Julia's a wonderful, fully
realized heroine with moral dilemmas aplenty." "a well-realized page-turner."
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Egan, Catherine: JULIA VANISHES
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 1, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Egan, Catherine JULIA VANISHES Knopf (Children's Fiction) $17.99 6, 7 ISBN: 978-0-553-52484-0
A 16-year-old con artist is tested by the political and supernatural drama she can't avoid. The new maid in Mrs. Och's house isn't truly Ella, the
shy country miss; she is Julia, raised by thieves, daughter of a witch, a scoundrel on the outskirts of Fraynish society. Julia's magical ability to
become unnoticeable and nearly invisible makes her perfect for this gig. It's not the easy spying job she expects, however. Ella's not the only
person in the house who isn't what she seems, and the secrets and magic attract unwanted attention from the authorities. In Julia's world, a rough
analogue of a low-technology, magical Europe, witches are those who can shape reality by writing down what they wish to occur, and they are
outlawed (shades of a noncomic reimagining of Diana Wynne Jones' 1982 classic, Witch Week). Witches are killed at the Cleansings, the public
drownings like the one in which Julia watched her mother die nine years ago. Frayne's post-revolutionary politics and violence aren't Julia's
concern right now, though it seems clear that sequels to this trilogy opener will entangle her further. Olive-skinned Julia's a wonderful, fully
realized heroine with moral dilemmas aplenty; here's hoping later volumes will give the supporting cast as much depth. For those readers waiting
for the sequel to Marie Lu's The Rose Society (2015), a well-realized page-turner in the same vein. (Fantasy. 12-15)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Egan, Catherine: JULIA VANISHES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA447747811&it=r&asid=3e1fe5efdfa1732a7928982c9478059f. Accessed 5 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A447747811
---
QUOTED: "Without being flashy or calling attention to herself, Egan has built a quietly first-rate fantasy
world, which, with the right marketing, could ... catch on."
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Egan, Catherine. Shade and Sorceress: The Last Days of
Tian Di, Book 1
Mark Flowers
Voice of Youth Advocates.
35.6 (Feb. 2013): p576.
COPYRIGHT 2013 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * M * J
Egan, Catherine. Shade and Sorceress: The Last Days of Tian Di, Book 1. Coteau, 2012. 352p. $12.95 Trade pb. 978-1-55050-514-6.
In this debut novel and first in a projected trilogy, Egan weaves a surprisingly fresh and exciting tale from many basic fantasy threads. Eons ago,
the Mancers divided the world of Tian Di into the mortal world of Di Shang and the magical world of Tian Xia, and ever since it has been the
duty of the Shang Sorceress, trained by the Mancers, to protect humans from the magical beings of Tian Xia, most importantly from the evil Xia
Sorceress. When Eliza Tok is twelve years old, she learns that she is the next Shang Sorceress, despite never knowing her mother, and despite the
fact that she displays no talent for magic at all. Before she can begin to unlock her power, though, Eliza learns that the Xia Sorceress has abducted
her father, and she must set out on a quest through both worlds to save him, with the help of only her mortal friend, Nell, and a seemingly
untrustworthy Shade (shapeshifter) named Charlie.
The worlds of Tian Xia and Di Shang are well imagined and the characters strong and detailed. Most importantly, Egan's prose is strongly
propulsive, and never sinks into fantasy cliche. Without being flashy or calling attention to herself, Egan has built a quietly first-rate fantasy
world, which, with the right marketing, could easily catch on in a huge way. We can only hope the sequels live up to the promise of this first
novel.--Mark Flowers.
Flowers, Mark
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Flowers, Mark. "Egan, Catherine. Shade and Sorceress: The Last Days of Tian Di, Book 1." Voice of Youth Advocates, Feb. 2013, p. 576. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA342468315&it=r&asid=b5d9dfc103c9066c6d0a182e235746ed. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A342468315
---
QUOTED: "There is a richness to this
inaugural volume of the Witch's Child trilogy." "Readers will be hard pressed to put it down."
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Julia Vanishes
Julia Smith
Booklist.
112.17 (May 1, 2016): p83.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Julia Vanishes.
By Catherine Egan.
June 2016.384p. Knopf, $17.99 (9780553524840); lib. ed., $20.99 (9780553524857); e book, $17.99 (9780553524864). Gr. 9-12.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Julia is the best thief and spy in Spira City. At 16, she knows every twisted alleyway and escape route it holds. She also has the ability to "be
unseen"--not to become invisible, exactly, but to pull herself into gaps in the air. This unusual talent has proven dead useful in her line of work,
which has been her lot ever since her mother was drowned as a witch (magic and folklore are illegal in the kingdom of Frayne). Home is now
with her brother and the ragtag gang that contracts her jobs. This is how Julia has ended up posing as a maid in the house of Mrs. Och, but her
snooping assignment is becoming more dangerous by the day. Strange meetings, secretive guests, and frightening sounds inhabit the house's
walls, while outside, a serial killer is on the loose. Egan nimbly builds a fantasy world resembling early modern Europe--with a class system,
scourge survivors, prescribed religion, and witch hunts--and laces it with original mythologies to fuel the story's action. Readers will find
themselves immediately immersed in the narrative and invested in the fate of Julia, who is both feisty and flawed. There is a richness to this
inaugural volume of the Witch's Child trilogy, and readers will be hard pressed to put it down.--Julia Smith
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Smith, Julia. "Julia Vanishes." Booklist, 1 May 2016, p. 83. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA453293914&it=r&asid=e5cb160c4085f9684463fdd0c1a61aac. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A453293914
---
QUOTED: "A beautifully rendered world and an exquisite sense of timing ensure a page-turning experience."
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Julia Vanishes
Publishers Weekly.
263.15 (Apr. 11, 2016): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Julia Vanishes
Catherine Egan. Knopf, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-553-52484-0
Egan's debut novel sparkles with storytelling that skillfully blends elements of steampunk, fantasy, adventure, and magic. First in the Witch's
Child trilogy, it introduces readers to Julia, a young woman who is part spy, part thief, and full of secrets. Julia has thrived ever since she and her
brother were taken in by Esme, the matriarch of thieves and cons in Spira City. While working as a maid for--and surreptitiously gathering
information about--a wealthy household deemed unconventional by the neighbors, with strange noises heard from the basement and people
coming and going at odd hours, Julia uncovers a secret that challenges her morals and sense of decency, but she's honor bound to share it, with
disastrous results. Difficult choices have significant consequences in Egan's dark, unpredictable tale, and Julia's progression from a streetwise girl
with a crush to a self-aware, self-reliant young woman relies strongly on her journey through conflicting loyalties and examination of long-held
biases, especially those against witches. A beautifully rendered world and an exquisite sense of timing ensure a page-turning experience. Ages
14-up. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Julia Vanishes." Publishers Weekly, 11 Apr. 2016, p. 63. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA449663048&it=r&asid=578e0122f2d9da8311364a3a4d1468b4. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A449663048