Sun Catcher - Sheila Rance

On her 13th birthday Maia, who has been brought up by Tareth, the weaver and warrior who she has always believed is her father, falls into an adventure that will take her on a perilous journey to a kingdom poisoned by bitterness and jealousies. A kingdom that she must save. Tareth is no ordinary weaver - the silk he weaves sings of destiny and danger, of Maia's future. Because she is no ordinary girl either. She has always been the flame-headed outsider among the Cliff Dwellers, but she doesn't want to listen to the song of the silk, or to the terrifying words of the village Watcher. Guarding her secret, denying her future, Maia steps into places she has never explored where she'll encounter mercenaries, spies, friends and enemies. And where she will face her destiny as a Sun Catcher.

Exotically located in the Far East in an age when trading and communities were gaining more exposure to a wider world than ever before, this debut novel is beautifully, richly written, thoroughly researched and a pleasure to read. Film rights for the trilogy have now been optioned.