About the Author

Marie Powell's adventures in castle-hopping across North Wales to explore her family roots resulted in the YA Fantasy series Last of the Gifted which includes the two books: Spirit Sight and Water Sight.Marie is the author of more than 40 children's books with such traditional publishers as Amicus, Scholastic Education, Crabtree, and Lerner/Lightning Bolt. Her award-winning short stories and poetry appear in such literary magazines as Sunlight Press, subTerrain, and Room. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Master of Arts (MA), Bachelor of Journalism and Communications (BAJC), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). An engaging speaker, she gives popular writing workshops across the region. Marie lives on Treaty 4 land in Regina, Saskatchewan, where she also works as an editor and researcher, and teaches Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Find her at: mariepowell.ca.

Reviews

"The first of the two-book series, Spirit Sight, which is based on actual historical events and players, is filled with adventure and romance and a touch of fantasy that fits in well with the folklore of the location ... Well-written, Spirit Sight will appeal to a wide range of ages and readers, especially those who enjoy historical-based fantasy and high adventure. Highly Recommended." 5 Stars - Ronald Hore, CM Reviews "Opening this refreshing new novel with a Character Guide, defining the cast as well as providing a very useful pronunciation guide for the Welsh names, offers the sense of the author's respect for her young adult reading audience. The author's choice to explore the history of Wales is also an added benefit to the library of medieval history ... The writing style of the author contributes to the synergy of weaving history with romance and fantasy-elegant yet immediately accessible to the reader ... Designating the novel as a Young Adult book most assuredly should not deter readers beyond that range of age: this is a solid novel worthy of the attention of a very broad audience. Marie Powell steps onto an even higher rung of the literary ladder. Highly recommended." Grady Harp, Reviewer, Top Shelf Magazine. "This is a spell-binding, riveting YA historical fiction alive with character, conflict and action. Definitely a blow-your-mind debut novel. Loved it!" C.M. Janz "A great historical fantasy read! I worried that this book was going to be one where it was difficult to keep track of the characters considering that it started with a cast list complete with pronunciation. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. Powell did a great job giving the characters personalities and identities, so I didn't need to flip back to figure out who was who and who was related to who. The names, though Welsh, were not a problem in the slightest. I'm always happy when fantasy is easy to follow." Meri Greenleaf "Spirit Sight grabs the reader right from the first page. I was quickly immersed in the language and culture of 1282 Wales, with finely drawn characters who have intriguing magical gifts that develop through the narrative. Powell knows the country of Wales extremely well. She is a master storyteller. Spirit Sight is a not-to-be-missed historical fantasy for all ages to enjoy." Diane Reid Stevens "Spirit Sight is an imaginative novel that makes clever use of medieval Welsh history and legend. Young adult readers will be drawn to the magic powers of Hyw and Cat, transporting them back to a tense and pivotal moment in the history of the United Kingdom, when the last Welsh princes faced down the mighty English army. Readable and well researched." Danièle Cybulskie, author, Life in Medieval Europe