The note in the back of this one is just heartbreaking. Because of Kobe Bryant's untimely death, this is the last Epoca book, when they had planned eight (8). At the very least, they outline the path they'd planned for Pretia, the main character, so you know what's up with her and the god Hurrel and her Uncle. But they're not going to publish them, which is a true shame.
Knowing this, the author did a great job of leaving it with an uplifting message and final image of Pretia royally spanning the rift between the two ruling tribes and a third, Rovi's adopted and much-discriminated-against Star Stealers.
Pretia's parents forbid her from participating in the Junior Epic Games and going to Ecrof Academy. This year and for the rest of her life. Sports are over for her. She needs to start behaving like a princess, the Child of Hope.
Her Uncle urges her to consult her book of grana, or magic, to see what path it lays out for her. And there she sees herself, a bright light spanning twin mountains (her parents) at the end of a long and windy road.
Wth a little prompting from her Uncle, she stows away in his van taking this year's recruits and returning students to Ecrof and goes to school anyway. She's determined to place in the Junior Epic Games, and she does. So too does Rovi and super-competitive Vera, who's obsessed with finding out more about the all-time Junior Epic Games record holder who's mysteriously been wiped from all the history books.
During the qualifying trials, Pretia's ability to split herself on the sports field comes under fire, and there's even a campaign to keep her from using it.
She figures it will all go away, until they get to the games, and she's almost immediately put on trial for using it in competition (even though she hasn't used it in the Junior Epic Games at all and still placed!).
At the same time, Rovi discovers his Star Stealer brothers are being rounded up and kept in a shadowy prison underground, one surrounded by a mysterious "river of sand." They've been left to die.
He can't stand idly by and do nothing, and neither will Pretia -- but saving them may push her to the limit.
I won't spoil the ending, it's a super good one.
I'm very sad that the unique world of sports fantasies featuring grana has come to an end, even if I logically understand why. Kobe Bryant will be missed by many, for many reasons, and we will feel his loss keenly in the years to come.
If you're interested in book 1, Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof, by Kobe Bryant and Ivy Claire, here's my review: Summer Reading: Track Inspired Sports Fantasy.
