Jae Waller's writing delves into the complexities of the human experience through her novels and art. Her work is informed by a unique perspective, shaped by diverse life experiences ranging from punk music to linguistic studies. Waller's narrative approach explores deeper themes, offering readers engaging and thought-provoking narratives. She currently works as a novelist and freelance artist based in Melbourne.
In the gripping continuation of the Call of the Rift series, 18-year-old Kateiko faces an unprecedented winter and the threat of famine. As tensions rise, she must harness her strength and ingenuity to protect her people from the chaotic forces unleashed by the air spirit Suriel, who threatens to tear the world apart. The stakes are higher than ever as Kateiko navigates challenges that test her resolve and leadership.
"Seventeen-year-old Kateiko doesn't want to be Rin anymore -- not if it means sacrificing lives to protect the dead. Her only way out is to join another tribe, a one-way trek through the coastal rainforest. Killing a colonial soldier in the woods isn't part of the plan. Neither is spending the winter with Tiernan, an immigrant who keeps a sword with his carpentry tools. His log cabin leaks and his stories about other worlds raise more questions than they answer. Then the air spirit Suriel, long thought dormant, resurrects a war. For Kateiko, protecting other tribes in her confederacy is atonement. For Tiernan, war is a return to the military life he's desperate to forget. Leaving Tiernan means losing the one man Kateiko trusts. Staying with him means abandoning colonists to a death sentence. In a region tainted by prejudice and on the brink of civil war, she has to decide what's worth dying -- or killing -- for."-- Provided by publisher