Federici, Debbie. Sign of the Crescent.

FEDERICI, Debbie. Sign of the crescent. Llewelyn. 302p. c2005. 0-7387-0808-9. $8.95. JS

Since Taryn was ten years old she has suffered from a rare disease known as Meniere's. She is able to take medication when she feels the overwhelming dizziness begin. However, this is a disease that can and does strike unexpectedly and can result in sick, clouded days in bed. This disease has also caused her to become partially deaf. Taryn, like most 17-year-olds faced with illness, does not want to give into her disease. In the Arizona town where she attends high school, her classmates are vanishing. While Taryn is not yet frightened, she and her best friend Jen watch out for each other. Taryn feels more vulnerable than most of her friends because she has no family left. Her one source of comfort is the delicate pendent of a crescent moon she wears around her neck, the heritage from her parents. With the pendent she senses a strength when things are bad.

In a parallel world a young knight known as Erick is fighting to save the Earth people from the evil Lord Synomea who is taking teenagers through portals into a world of slavery. One night Taryn is almost pulled through one of the portals and Erick witnesses a strength from her he has never seen in an Oldworlder (Earth person). He is unable to keep Taryn safe and she soon becomes trapped in a world that shows her more about her past than she wants to know.

Readers will be intrigued by the clever connections that expose the characters as well as by the romance between Erick and Taryn. The author's use and explanation of Meniere's disease helps make this book all the more interesting. This is a story that should satisfy both fantasy and adventure seekers. Sally Tibbetts, LRC, Maine West HS, Des Plaines, IL