In Yesterday Alley, a gang of nine street kids gather around a fire and share what little they have with each other and the alley cats. They survive by their wits, by stealing food and clothes from No Man's Market and by any odd work they can find. Ember is one of them, a streetwise young woman who is hiding the fact that she is a witch.

Then one night a stranger with black hair and a ring on his finger comes to Athen, one of the street kids who is an apprentice to a black sorcerer. The stranger demands that Athen make him a poison. The stranger plans to use it to kill the city's Lord of Magic.

His demand puts the whole group of friends in danger. The stranger threatens to turn in Athen's friends for their illegal activities if he refuses to make the poison, but if the nabs catch him, Athen will be hanged. So it is that the stranger's demand sets in motion a series of events that change every thing for the nine friends. They cannot let it be known that some of them have magic of their own, for it is forbidden for any but the Temple priests to use their magic. Instead, they decide to flee to another city ...

That's the beginning of Painted with Shadows, a young adult fantasy that will enchant readers of all ages. Ember and her group of friends are outcasts from their society, running for their lives, but among themselves they have dignity, loyalty and love -- and an angel on their side.

Painted with Shadows is a gentle, lyrical tale told in the words of Ember herself. She paints her story with a sparing but deft use of language that creates a word-portrait of her world of shadows. Driven into hiding by the injustice around her, Ember holds on to her humanity despite the cruelty she encounters every day and follows her tender heart as she fights to preserve her "family."  Although she and Coir, another young witch in the street-gang, have never been trained, their magic will eventually decide their fate -- and the fate of Ember's world.

If you enjoy fantasy with a touch of lyrical magic you won't want to miss Painted with Shadows. This is a book filled with vibrant and colorful characters, and you'll soon be swept along with them on their journey of discovery. My only regret is that this wonderfully imagined world wasn't painted in more detail and that this fast-moving book ended so soon.

Jeanine Berry Bio

An avid reader all her life, Jeanine Berry turned writing into her profession as she grew up. She studied English and journalism at the University of Wisconsin--Platteville and then went on to a career in journalism. After 10 years with a newspaper, writing everything from hard news to features, she switched to the editing side of the desk, and is presently a copy editor with a magazine group.

Meanwhile, Jeanine kept on pursuing her dream of publishing a book. Her first fantasy novel, Dayspring Dawning, was accepted by Novel Books Inc. in 2001 and was named an Eppie finalist for best fantasy in 2003. Currently, Jeanine has several books published: Dayspring Dawning and its sequel, Dayspring Destiny; an SF novel of the near future, The Sex Gates (co-authored with Darrell Bains); and an anthology Twilight Crossings, which contains her novella Twin Star. The thrid book of her Dayspring series, The Secret Sky, is scheduled for release in 2004. She and Darrell just completed work on the sequel to The Sex Gates, entitled Masters of the Sex Gates.

When she's not working or busy writing, Jeanine goes golfing with her husband or devotes herself to spoiling her two adorable Australian Silky Terriers.

Jeanine Berry's Bibliography
Jeanine Berry's Website

Synopsis
Nine street-kids and a market thief set off across the world to escape a mad man known to street-folk as the Demon's Brother. When their ship is wrecked, Ember and her two friends are stranded in Silver Syrlen, home of the Piper's Temple. It's always dangerous for children to be lost in the alleys of an unknown city. But when one of them is a witch? Ember, Bella and Kotren find themselves running from the Priests, who hang witches publicly for crimes no one can name. Soon Ember is lost in a tangle of dreams and searches and magic.

But it is when everything seems lost that they find help where they least expect it: from street-girls, Temple Keepers, market thieves, Lords, singers. And an Angel.