Serafina discovers her identity as catamount
“Serafina and the Twisted Staff” by Robert Beatty
By Jin Yu-young
Written by Robert Beatty, “Serafina and the Twisted Staff” is the sequel to the No.1 New York Times Bestseller “Serafina and the Black Cloak” and has recently been translated into Korean by Kim Ji-yeon. Kim also translated the first book earlier this year.
“Serafina and the Twisted Staff” picks up where the first book ended: Serafina has defeated the man in the black cloak, revealed her existence to the Biltmore Estate, and discovered her identity as a catamount (half human-half cat).
She proudly carries out her duty as Biltmore's protector despite her difficult time adjusting into both nobility at the Estate and the wilderness with her mother and the cubs.
One day, a dark and mysterious visitor carrying a twisted staff comes to the estate. When he sets his bloodhounds on Serafina, she barely escapes with her life and concludes that the man will only bring harm to Biltmore. She must once again use her powers to protect and save her loved ones. Meanwhile, Serafina's friendship with Braeden is strained, as he gets closer to Lady Rowena, one of the young women at the Estate.
After discovering the connection between Lady Rowena and the man with the twisted staff, Serafina and Braeden must work together again to save Biltmore Estate from the threatening forces that intend to destroy it. It is this battle against evil that Serafina's powers as a catamount are tested and her friendship with Braeden rekindled.
The thrilling tale of Serafina is continued in the third book, “Serafina and the Splintered Heart.”
The fourth book of the series will be released in 2019.
In regards to translating the Serafina books, Kim Ji-yeon expresses her enthusiasm for making this story among others available to the Korean youth. “To the children to whom everything in the world is new, I want to tell them everything, even the smallest details, over typeface. I hope that many readers will come to read the story of Serafina, which is tension-building yet heartwarming at the same time.”
Along with the Serafina series, Kim has also translated Age of Discovery by Chris Kutarna and Ian Goldin; Managing Millennials for Dummies by Hanna L. Ubl, Lisa X. Walden, and Debra Arbit; and Dawkins' God by Alister McGrath.