Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow
Summary: In the world of SORROW’S KNOT, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry, something deadly. Most of the people of this world live on the sunlit, treeless prairies. But a few carve out an uneasy living in the forest towns, keeping the dead at bay with wards made from magically knotted cords. The women who tie these knots are called binders. And Otter’s mother, Willow, is one of the greatest binders her people have ever known.
But Willow does not wish for her daughter to lead the lonely, heavy life of a binder, so she chooses another as her apprentice. Otter is devastated by this choice, and what’s more, it leaves her untrained when the village falls under attack. In a moment of desperation, Otter casts her first ward, and the results are disastrous. But now Otter may be her people’s only hope against the shadows that threaten them. Will the challenge be too great for her? Or will she find a way to put the dead to rest once and for all?
After enjoying Plain Kate by Erin Bow, I was looking forward to Sorrow’s Knot. I’m so happy to say that I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did her first novel, if not a bit more! (It could have given Tiger Lily a few lessons on how to properly write Natives. I swear that's the only comparison I'll make.)
Read the review at On The Nightstand.