Moseley, K. Michele. Sigils of the Giver. 2023.

The Fireglass Duology book 1

Guide to categories: Adult Review – review of books for adults – may or may not be appropriate for a school library

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Summary

Everyone knows there are rules on Capelo Island:

Don’t ask questions.
Never leave the island.
Obey the will of the Giver.

Since the death of her father, Lera hasn’t obeyed a single one, and nothing bad has happened…so far. Lera tries to convince her sister, Niena, it will be fine. After all, the Giver isn’t real, right?

Then Niena disappears.

Lera will do anything to find her sister, even playing a role in the culture she despises. But, under all the layers of deception, the truth might be darker than even she bargained for.

As they say, nobody survives outside the protection of the Giver.

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My Adult Review

Moseley does a fairly good job of world building although it is done gradually and at times I felt like I didn’t have quite enough information for that moment in time. Lera’s sister Niena disappears in a mysterious way. Lera wants to discover what happened so she determines to be a model citizen of their community (something she hasn’t been up to this point). She doesn’t trust the religious leaders and looks for ways to expose them. Without sharing spoilers – the religious system follows the god of the sea and has made bargains with this god that are painful to pay. 

This story does contain what I would consider triggers. As someone who has had skin rashes my entire life (severe at times) I really struggled with the concept in the book that the itching, scaly skin was a result of some sin committed. There is also a stillbirth at one point in the story that is viewed by some as punishment for a past sin. I really struggled with these two parts of the story but someone who has never had a severe rash or had a pregnancy loss may not be affected by these parts of the story. 

There seems to be some redemption at the end of the book leading me to believe that good will win over evil in the next book. I’ll just have to wait and see. 

There is indication at one point in the story that Lera gives herself to Haro – a scene that includes them re-dressing. For this reason I would not recommend this book for a K-12 Christian school library. I did find the story enjoyable and look forward to reading what happens in book 2 but it isn’t really appropriate for young adults.

I received a complimentary copy of Sigils of the Giver. This is my honest review. 

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