Ebony Hill by Anna Mackenzie

Ebony Hill is the sequel to The Sea-wreck Stranger, which I've raved about often enough on this blog. But is it as good? I didn't think so, but then again other readers may disagree.
   I wasn't as taken by this story because it was a shift away from the type of 'hands on' dilema that Ness faced in the first book. Ebony Hill is more of an introspective dilema, a thoughtful book which doesn't really get going until about page sixty. For readers who enjoy a slower paced book, then this is probably a good one for them. So what's it about? Well...

Ebony Hill (Longacre, 2010)

   Ness and Dev have gone to live in Vidya which is the crumbling remains of a once great city in what must be some part of NZ. Ness is infatuated with Dev but finds that he has little time for her. When Dev brings back another islander, Ronan, and the two of them are sent away to work on a farm, Ness is full of resentment and mixed feelings for Dev. But tragedy strikes on the way to the farm and soon the farming community is forced to defend itself. Ness works as a nurse while violent attacks and bombings occur all around them.

   As Ness is rarely involved in the action a lot of the story is related to her and has a second hand feel to it. But Ness couldn't be a warrior girl. It's not in her character. So Mackenzie has remained to true to her creation and has maintained the lyrical voice which is so captivating in the first book.

   Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, but it didn't have the same punch for me that The Sea-wreck Stranger had. I would recommend Ebony Hill for teenagers and science fiction fans.