The Three Sisters

By Rebecca Locksley

The Tari people, who have magical abilities to varying degrees, used to rule over and protect the other tribes. But times have changed and the Tari have retreated to their mountain homeland and left the other tribes to suffer under the harsh rule of an invading people, the Mir. The Mir have come into the land with a new religion and new ways of doing things and have set about destroying the culture and religion of the native peoples.
Living among the natives are three young Tari women. Taken from the Tari as infants they know very little about the Tari and live as outcasts. One of the sisters, Elena, is married to a native chieftain and she is taken captive when her village is overrun by the Mir. Since she is very beautiful, the overlord takes her for his harem. When the two other sisters find out Elena has been taken they set off on a quest to free her from captivity, using their innate Tari powers to do so. What they don't know is that there is a cadre of Tari who wish Elena to remain captive, as there is a prophecy proclaiming that her half-breed child will save the Tari people from destruction. So as the two sisters work to free Elena, their efforts are sabotaged by the other Tari who want Elena to stay where she is.

This was a really good story. The abilities of the Tari were very interesting and the two sister setting off on their quest have quite a struggle to gain Elena's freedom. At one point, having so far failed, they are forced to retrench and go to the Tari homeland for help, only to fall into the hands of the Tari faction who are working against them. The Tari people and their magical abilities are very interesting and I found this book an exciting and fascinating read.