WOLFCRY: The Kiesha'ra: Volume Four
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Fantasy
Hardcover: 0385731957
Paperback: 9780440238867
208 pages

WOLFCRY, the fourth installment in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's Kiesha'ra series, is an emotional, suspense-filled adventure. Oliza Shardae Cobriana, heir to Wyvern's Court, is considering male suitors from both the serpiente and avian races. She knows that choosing one will mean repercussions from the other, and maybe even war. On an evil night, one of her serpiente suitors is beaten so badly that he will never dance again, and as Oliza tries to help him while preventing a riot and a war, she is kidnapped. It doesn't help matters that at times she seems to slip into madness, having spells in which she is not aware of what's happening.

Oliza tries to remain clearheaded, but the pack of lions who hold her clip her wings, the worst fate possible for an avian, and drug her so she cannot change shape. They take her deep into the forest, and when she begins to think clearly again, she realizes that weeks have passed.

A wolf tries to help Oliza make her way in the woods, and she senses that it's a female who chooses not to change into human form out of fear. When she meets the local wolf tribe and its pack leader tries to assault her, Oliza knows why the female is afraid. After escaping, she collapses from hunger and illness; the wolf returns to Betia, its human form, to save her life.

The two survive together and encounter a tribe called the Obsidians, a rebel group. They're taken in and the bond between Betia and Oliza grows. They enjoy their time with the tribe, but eventually Oliza discovers that guards from Wyvern's Court are out looking for her. The two women return to find that tensions have heightened even more between the avians and the serpiente. Oliza's cobra father wants her to choose a mate, thinking that this will bring the people closer together. She learns instead that her spells are a sign of magic that would be dangerous in any child she might carry. The magic allows her a glimpse into a future that is frightening enough to show her that she must make a very tough decision if she wants both races to survive.

Each title in this series has dealt with racial prejudice and its devastating results. While readers will be fascinated by Atwater-Rhodes's fantasy setting, it is obvious that the messages about the dangers of intolerance translate to reality as well. The cultures should be able to mix, but instead they resist each other. Oliza knows that while the people aren't ready to accept each other and live with one another, she can't make the traditional choice. To continue her line and her parents' vision would mean war. The stunning conclusion to WOLFCRY is both discouraging and hopeful for the future at the same time.

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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