SALT

In a fantasy world populated by evil colonizers, two children make a fresh start. Hari is a Burrows rat, a member of the brown-skinned underclass, who eat rats to survive. Radiant Pearl of the Deep Blue Sea is a pale-skinned daughter of the colonizing aristocracy on the run from an arranged marriage; if captured she’ll be forced into slavery. Both children have the lost ability to speak without words, an ability that is recognized and encouraged by Pearl’s nonhuman servant. Pearl joins Hari on his quest to rescue his father from Deep Salt, where troublemakers from the city are sent to toil and die. This dark world has a dim view of human nature: Victims are apt to become oppressors given half a chance. The most Pearl and Hari can hope for is saving themselves and preventing a few deaths. A fantasy without destined heroes redeeming the entire world from the forces of ultimate evil is refreshing—though this is book one in a trilogy, so there’s still time. Admirable characters confronting human realities make for compelling reading. (Fantasy. 11-13)