From Publishers Weekly

In this many-layered second installment in the Crossroads fantasy series (after 2007's Spirit Gate), Marit, an eagle-riding reeve, awakens as a spirit three years after her death and slowly realizes she's become one of the nine Guardians, protectors of justice who wield god-given powers. Soon Marit discovers that some of her fellow Guardians lead forces plaguing the land, while others hide or resist. Meanwhile, among the living, war rewrites the social order, and those of different religions and homelands make common cause. Elliott follows Qin soldier Anji and his troubled, lonely wife, Mai; Marit's former lover, reeve marshal Joss; and Kirya, a tribal warrior who sells herself into slavery to protect her brother. Each must balance cultural imperatives with a broader view of justice, and survival with mercy. The cosmology and politics may confuse newcomers, but the human dilemmas grip the reader right through to the abrupt final cliffhanger. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“This promises to be a truly epic fantasy.” —_Publishers Weekly_ on _Spirit Gate
_
“Spirit Gate has kept me up late at night for too many nights in a row, it made me burn dinner once, and it nearly caused a fender-bender when I was thinking about the characters while driving. It’s a big, complex, absorbing book that interfered with my living my daily life while I was reading it, and I blame the author quite bitterly for that.” —Laura Resnick, award-winning author of In Fire Forged on _Spirit Gate
_
“I love this book. Once again Kate Elliott has written a splendid, grand epic that sweeps the reader into this magical world and doesn’t let go even after the very last word on the very last page. I can’t wait for the sequel to see what happens next.” —Dennis L. McKiernan, author of Once Upon a Spring Morn on _Spirit Gate
_
“A treasure for readers who enjoy the journey as much as, or more than, the destination.” —Sci Fi Weekly on Spirit Gate