The Book
Emantiel’s Eye by Aviva Kidd
Published: June 2007
Publisher: Reader’s Feast
ISBN: 978-0-646-47312-3
Available from:
Reader’s Feast
Midtown Plaza
Cnr Bourke & Swanston sts
Melbourne 3000, Australia
Phone: 61 3 9662 4699
From the blurb:
”As the shadow trudged out through the doorway Caleat discerned the criss-crossing bars of the cell around her. She scrambled to her knees but didn’t get up, because that was when she saw the second shadow move. This one was slighter and not as tall, stepping into the cell and remaining in one corner. A sharp snap of flame burst out of the darkness, lighting her prison wanly. Caleat could now see the second man and had to stifle a scream because as the light trailed from his fingers over his face he looked like a corpse, a pale shade of the underworld. He placed the candle on the table and sat.
Caleat has been forced to flee her village after killing an invading soldier from the ruling city of Torvus. Escaping to a port in the hope of finding safe passage to another island, she instead finds herself at the mercy of thieves and the local militia, each with their own reasons for keeping her captive. But even as Caleat tries to break free, the threat of war inches closer and Corin, the soldier sent to track her down, begins to realise that none of them are in control of their destinies at all…”
Message from Aviva:
I wrote Emantiel’s Eye soon after turning fifteen, for a competition held by much-loved Melbourne bookstore Reader’s Feast, which was calling for young authors to submit manuscripts. After three and a half months of slog, I finished the first draft of my 45-thousand word book, then called The Essence, and submitted it for the competition. Almost nine months later I received a phone call saying that I had won the competition and that my book would be published(!!!). After another period of nine months working to get the manuscript up to scratch for publication, it was launched on 14th June 2007 (an incredible day of exams and happiness mixed into one). Though most writers look back on their early work with embarrassment, or even disdain, I’ve come to accept Emantiel’s Eye for what it is: the fantasy novel of a fifteen-year-old, and the foundation for my love of writing and my attempts at being a good author.
