Review: Keturah And Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

"I will tell you . . . a story of magic and love, of daring and death, and one to comfort your heart. It will be the truest story I have ever told. Now listen, and tell me if it is not so."

After following a hart into the woods bordering her town, Keturah is faced with Death. Lost and hungry after following a stately hart through the forest, Keturah encounters Lord Death, who is ready to take her. Like Scheherazade, Keturah spins a story that she leaves unfinished and extracts from Lord Death a promise that if she finds her true love in a day, she can go free. Thus begins Keturah's search for her one true love and the salvation of her beloved town. But Lord Death is falling in love with her, and as the villagers begin to sense her alliance with this horrifying figure, her life twists and turns on itself.

Martine Leavitt offers a spellbinding story, interweaving elements of classic fantasy and high romance. The romance is intense, the writing is startling, and the story is spellbinding--and it is as difficult to turn away from as the tales beautiful Keturah tells to the people of her village, Tide-by-Rood.

     At my newly discovered high school library, I found this book. I have been looking for this book every where! It has me in it! Really, me, Keturah, am the star! Honestly that might not sound like much, but My name is awfully hard to find. I used to run over to the racks in store that had key chains with names on them...only to be sorely disappointed when I never found Keturah. Then I Googled my name and this book was the first entry. Finding it in the place I least expected it was a Godsend.
     It is based in the past and Keturah get lost in a forest and meets Death. She makes a lot of deals with him to spare herself from death and her town from plague. She tries every man in her town with an eyeball (read the book) to see if they are her true love. The story was fun and sad and sooo suspenseful. Keturah was a nice girl, exceptionally beautiful, but who wasn't dealt the best hand. She has many admirers in the town to look at, but none of them seem to be a match. It was suspenseful because they would not tell me who her love was. Every time I thought I had it, It slipped through my hands. When her true love was revealed, I was pleasantly surprised and happy. I read Keturah and Lord Death fairly quickly and enjoyed every bit of it. Please go read it!