(2) YA This romantic fantasy is set (aptly for our times) in the shadow of pestilence and war, albeit in a world of spirits as well as horses, swords and maces, muscular noblemen, and women in lavish gowns. Lord Cas of Oliveras has survived the plague and escaped from three years of slavery in neighboring Brisa; when he arrives home, he finds the king wedded to Brisa's princess, a hard-won alliance resolving decades of war. But even before Cas reaches his family's estate, he has had to rescue the royal baby from an assassin's arrow. Who is targeting the royal family and why? Together, Cas and enthusiastic aspiring historian Lena investigate a mire of secrets, deception, and treachery. Lucier's (Isle of Blood and Stone, rev. 5/18) plot, with its themes of mortality and loyalty, sickness, cruelty, and romance, makes an absorbing tangle of turns and twists. Each illuminates the careful, well-grounded features of the world Lucier has created, and of the scarred, romantic hero she imagines in Cas. Short, sometimes incomplete sentences and rousing action influence much of the pace, but relationships and characterization are at the heart of the story.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) YA Tower of Winds series. In this follow-up to Isle of Blood and Stone, apprentice mapmaker Reyna crosses paths with Prince Levi when their nations ally against the reclusive island of Miramar. Miramar's prince is leading sea raiders to kidnap ships' crews, including Reyna's and Levi's brother's. Lucier's fantasy world-building is exquisite--deadly sea monsters, siren-like bird-women, exotic customs, elements of magic--and the romance between Reyna and Levi is heady.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) YA In the island kingdom of St. John del Mar, rebellious mapmaker's son Elias is summoned by the king to look into two maps' origins, which may provide answers about the king's long-missing brothers. Eerie supernaturalism and dreadful disease both play roles, and Elias's initial defiance is contrasted neatly with companion (and love interest) Mercedes's battered reserve. Deftly employing suspense, this original fantasy drops hints with masterful precision.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) YA When the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic strikes, seventeen-year-old Cleo responds to a call for volunteers from the Red Cross. She comes face-to-face not just with the invisible menace of the disease but also with anti-German sentiment and the mortality of her friends and loved ones. The setting of this novel, with meticulous but unobtrusive details, is remarkably realized.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014