This is a delightful and haunting mix of excellent, gripping prose, and a totally new idea for a sci-fi/fantasy novel. The protagonist uses snakes to heal people. I happen to love snakes and have several as pets, but to those of you who do NOT like snakes, get this book and read it! You'll love being freaked out by the author's excellent descriptions of her healing reptiles.

Not that the book is all about freaking out anyone: the story is that the healer's snake, Grass, gets killed by frightened villagers. This is a tragedy because all Grass ever did was help patient's feel comfortable and happy. Without Grass, she can't heal, so she goes on a quest to find another dreamsnake. A unique and interesting surprise ending reveals the origins of the snake.

Part adventure, part ancient medicine, part love story, this is a haunting, lovely book.