The Finder

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

This third novel in The Watcher’s Quest trilogy finds Emma Sweeney in
trouble once again. Barely more than a year has passed since Emma
learned she was not human, but a watcher (a kind of guardian angel) born
to guard and protect. Unfortunately, she has been raised as a human, and
has human emotions and frailties to contend with. A typical teenager,
she often acts before thinking, and she refuses to listen to authority
when she thinks she knows better. Fortunately, Emma has the instincts of
a watcher to guide her.

In The Finder, the border cave, or portal, that Emma discovered and
worked to protect in Books 1 and 2 unexpectedly opens, admitting Emma
and her friend, Pictree Bragg. Emma, who has a special connection with
the world she has entered, must undertake a quest through a labyrinth to
find the four Wands (Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire) in four different
worlds, and defeat the Druvid Eefa, a game player for whom the worlds
and their unsuspecting inhabitants are merely pawns to be used in
support of her own cause. Emma’s mentor, master watcher, and the man
she loves, Tom, finds his way to her, but it becomes apparent to Emma
that he is keeping terrible secrets from her. In the course of the
quest, Emma risks losing everything: her adopted family, her friends,
Tom, her powers as a watcher, and perhaps her life.

Buffie draws from Celtic mythology to create a world, or series of
worlds, that have the ring of truth to them. Though readers will benefit
from having read the first two novels in the series, The Finder can
stand alone. Recommended.