A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce

From the second you start reading, Ms. Pierce draws you into her world and makes you want to stay there. I actually had to fight myself to put the book down to go to sleep at night! A Gathering of Gargoyles is the second book in The Darkangel Trilogy. It begins with Ariel, the wife Irrylath, the Darkangel that she was able to save, visiting with her husband's new found family in the city of Isternes. Irrylath is haunted by dreams of his past with the White Witch and Ariel is having a hard time winning Irrylath's affection. After the couple has a nasty little fight during her husband's target practice, Ariel goes back to her room and lays down. She inadvertantly falls asleep and has a dream in which the darkangel's wraiths visit her and tell her a riddle that will help her defeat the White Witch. She then ventures off across the Sea of Dust to begin her quest. Along her way, she is found by a heron who brings her her only weapon, her walking stick, and a few friends she makes during her travels. The book is an easy read, but by no means juvenile or boring. Ms. Pierce uses beautiful language and imagery to draw you into the story. I would recommend it to any lover of fantasy stories, as long as they read the first book first.