Gr 7 Up—Rigidly controlled by her father and striving desperately to be the perfect daughter he envisions, Frenenqer Paje, 17, moves through her overprotected life in a state of numb obedience and boredom. The stifling culture and heat of the desert oasis where she lives makes any rebellious behavior futile, but her spirit is bigger than she realizes. When she disobeys her father and rescues an abused cat from an Animal Souk, she changes her life. No ordinary feline, Sangris is a Free person, a shape-shifter not bound by rules. Though the idea of it nearly paralyzes her with fear, Frenenqer can't resist Sangris's offer to take her somewhere-anywhere-and the two set off to visit the places where they have lived throughout their nomadic lives. Sangris, who can grow wings at a whim, transforms himself into a gargoyle at first, because Frenenqer is so timid about touching a member of the opposite sex. But as their friendship grows, she is more and more attracted to the handsome, nearly human form he assumes around her. Sangris realizes that complete freedom can be lonely, and that he wants more than camaraderie. When he presses the issue, Frenenqer ends their friendship. With the guidance of a remarkable friend, she hits upon a clever solution to soften her father's rules. And once her issues with him begin to resolve, she finds that she can reach out to Sangris as more than a friend. Told in lush, beautiful language that explores the minutiae of expression and feeling of two lost souls, this novel will resonate with readers experiencing the first flush of desire and the confusion it brings.—Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA
Rossetti was a teenager when she wrote this novel, and her connection to the stifling constraints, torn emotions, and dazzling first tastes of freedom and power that are synonymous with coming-of-age make this first novel shine. Of Thai descent, 17-year-old Frenenqer Paje has grown up under the thumb of her coldly overbearing father; they currently live in a desert oasis in the Middle East where Frenenqer attends a private school for expatriates. When she disobeys her father by rescuing a mistreated cat, her life changes dramatically. The cat is actually a shape-shifting "Free person" named Sangris who, without any rules to bind him, is Frenenqer's polar opposite. By night, he flies Frenenqer around the world to places both real and magical, slowly chipping away at the defenses she has built up to withstand her father's callous cruelty. Despite Frenenqer's apparent lack of agency, she is actually strong, willful, passionate, and quite funny, and watching her come into her own is thrilling. A breath of fresh air. Ages 12–up. Agent: Danielle Chiotti, Upstart Crow Literary. (July)
"A frankly spellbinding love story." — The New York Times "Eye opening and inspiring" — The Los Angles Times "The Girl With Borrowed Wings stands in a category of its own making. . . .Rossetti's style hearkens back to Margaret Atwood's literary prowess with humanity's frailties, edgy humor and limitless imagination. . . .Different, quirky, memorable for all the right reasons." — USA Today’s Happy Ever After "Infused with an urgent hope, this glimmering love story exhilarates and refreshes." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Rossetti was a teenager when she wrote this novel, and her connection to the stifling constraints, torn emotions, and dazzling first tastes of freedom and power that are synonymous with coming-of-age make this first novel shine....[Frenenquer is] strong, willful, passionate, and quite funny, and watching her come into her own is thrilling. A breath of fresh air." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A premise that's unique among the stacks of paranormal romances...Feels like a breeze in the desert." — Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional in its originality and in the luminous, funny, elegant quality of its writing. Rossetti moves from quirky, intelligent banter between teens to descriptions of sunshine, landscapes, and bodies, evoking a sharp, clear sensuality....Rossetti raises the bar for current romantic fantasies." — The Horn Book "Told in lush, beautiful language that explores the minutiae of expression and feeling of two lost souls, this novel will resonate with readers experiencing the first flush of desire and the confusion it brings." — School Library Journal "As symbolic as it is magical: the possibilities presented by Sangris and his wings have the same sort of reckless freedom that often accompanies first love, heedless of the rules of the regular world." — BCCB
"As symbolic as it is magical: the possibilities presented by Sangris and his wings have the same sort of reckless freedom that often accompanies first love, heedless of the rules of the regular world."
"Exceptional in its originality and in the luminous, funny, elegant quality of its writing. Rossetti moves from quirky, intelligent banter between teens to descriptions of sunshine, landscapes, and bodies, evoking a sharp, clear sensuality....Rossetti raises the bar for current romantic fantasies."
"A premise that's unique among the stacks of paranormal romances...Feels like a breeze in the desert."
Booklist (starred review)
"The Girl With Borrowed Wings stands in a category of its own making. . . .Rossetti's style hearkens back to Margaret Atwood's literary prowess with humanity's frailties, edgy humor and limitless imagination. . . .Different, quirky, memorable for all the right reasons."
USA Today's Happy Ever After
"Eye opening and inspiring"
"A frankly spellbinding love story."
"A premise that's unique among the stacks of paranormal romances...Feels like a breeze in the desert."
Her name--Frenenqer--means "restraint" in "some language or other," and she is the only child--creation, really--of a man for whom affection is unspeakable: Pfft . Expatriates, Frenenqer and her parents have lived many places but called none of them home. The teen's world now is comprised of three boxes: her family's apartment, her school and the car that takes her from one to the other within the dusty, isolated oasis. When, much to her father's displeasure, Frenenqer rescues a large cat she finds caged in the souk, she liberates a "Free person," a shape-shifting being "born without rules." His are the wings she "borrows," when he nightly takes her in his arms and flies her around the world and into the realms of the Free people. With Sangris, Frenenqer feels free for the first time in her life--but can freedom accommodate love? Rossetti's lush language is highly metaphorical and often sensuous, befitting the unfurling of Frenenqer's stunted soul: "And when I came back up the air was still fresh and calm-smelling,…and the palm trees rustled in faint applause." Her earthy, often funny exchanges with Sangris represent freedom for both Frenenqer and readers from her cold, controlling father, whose "words have a way of shaping the world around him." Infused with an urgent hope, this glimmering love story exhilarates and refreshes. (Magical realism. 12 & up)