Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

Melting Stones was originally released as an audio book. A year after its release, it was released in print version. According to the Audio Publisher’s Association, it is the first time a manuscript was written to be heard first and read later.

This is the first work from the author I've read. It seems this is a stand alone book, but I think I would have felt more comfortable as a reader if I had read any of the Circle of Magic series. Melting Stones is a story about a girl who must decide in which world she will live.

Evvy is an appretince stone mage travelling with her mentor, Rosethor, and the powerful Luvo. Luvo is the living stone heart of a mountain. They are travelling to one of the Battle Islands, where the trees and animals are all dying, so that Rosethor can find what is causing all the death.

Evvy is supposed to be quiet , listen and learn. However, she cannot and before long she and Luvo discover an important clue. Now, with the island on the brink of disaster, it's up to Evvy to avert the destruction that looms ahead.

I wanted to like Evvy, but found it very hard with her attitude and treatment of other characters. I sympathized for her because she was an orphan and found it hard to trust others. After all, when you think like a stone, it makes it very difficult to act as a human does.

However, I found it very interesting how her magic sprang from the stones and the volcanoes. The world created, and the characters were well-rounded. I just found it not up to par as there was no twists, turns, or suspense. I felt I knew what was going to happen before it happened.

Since this was written for the young adult genre, they may find pleasure within the pages of this magical story. Unfortunately, I did not.