Ingledove - Tapa dura

A gripping, fantastic battle against an evil creature

After rowing across the waters that cover what was once their
home, a valley intentionally flooded during World War II,
Ingledove and her older brother, Lang, visit their mother's
remotely situated grave, where they find a mysterious
inscription on her headstone: "A daughter of Adantis." Vaguely
remembering hearing of Adantis when they were younger, the
two siblings find themselves unwittingly entering into it, a
magical place hidden deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. But
they seem predestined to encounter something terrible as they
continue what Lang thinks is just a good camping trip. A
strange music hangs in the air, and eventually Lang is
entranced by its source - at first sight, a beautiful woman. In
fact, she is part serpent, an ancient creature of evil who is out
to drain the life from Lang. Only with the help of a man called
the Master of Witchmasters and only by venturing into
enchanted tunnels will Ingledove be able to save her brother
from death.

Mining the rich legends of the Cherokee Indians, Marly
Youmans has crafted a decidedly American fantasy written in
breathtaking prose.

"Ingledove is a marvelous book. I loved it and thought it was even better than Marly Youmans's first book about the magic land of Adantis, The Curse of the Raven Mocker, where the inhabitants and their magic are half Cherokee, half Border Celtic.  I loved the way the Hidden Land materializes around you, as you read, as naturally as breathing. And the magic seems to arise almost as naturally - though it can be as sudden and cruel as a snakebite - and all of it is always breathtakingly wonderful. Then, instead of leaving you simply gasping at her marvels, Marly Youmans has the courage and the good sense to point out that experiences of this order cause people to change. I really admired this book." -- Diana Wynne Jones