Nylund, Eric S. Mortal Coils. Tor, 2008. ISBN 978-0765317971 609 pp. $

****

Twins Eliot & Fiona discover on their fifteenth birthday that they are the progeny of two warring factions of immortals, and are set upon a series of three quests that will determine which side of the family they take after and hence their future. This is a lot of excitement compared to their strict homeschooled life.

The narrative has the flavor of a thorough researcher writing the tale–the footnotes are intriguing, and allusions abound. I really enjoyed the premise, the descriptive writing, and the characters of Mortal Coils (I haven’t read Percy Jackson, which someone compared it to I think?). It was slow. I was traveling while reading this, and had to keep putting it down, but I couldn’t WAIT to get back to it; even though the pacing was slow, it was a riveting read.