Warned — P.A. De Voe

Warned is the 2016 Silver Falchion award winner in the best international category. Set in Ancient China, it is an action/adventure and mystery story in the Mei-hua trilogy for teen readers. In 1380 China, only a thin, permeable border separates life and death, the visible realm and the netherworld. A dangerous border that is too easily crossed. This is Mei-hua's world. Mei-hua lives behind the walls of her adopted family's luxurious home in the bustling city of Hangzhou. However, her sense of peace and security is destroyed when she discovers that a good and trusted friend has been seized by a mysterious illness, leaving him on the brink of death. As she rushes to his side, a ragged beggar stops her and warns of dangers ahead. But who or what is she and her friend fighting against: an unseen murderer or a sprit world looking for retribution? At her friend's house, a Taoist priest travels to the netherworld to discover the reason behind the strange illness. The priest returns with a deadly ultimatum: her friend may escape death, but only if Mei-hua is willing to make a tremendous sacrifice. Mei-hua is faced with making a life-and-death decision in a battle against powerfully dangerous enemies. But who can she believe or trust? Will she succeed in finding the answer before it is too late for her friend -- or for her?