Children who want to read and dream of foreign drama and color will love the slow and descriptive literary rhythm of this meditative story line, which captures mature readers. Staples's main character, Parvati, faces young adulthood in a way that feels familiar to many young readers. Is friendship and love more important than self-realization? Must a girl make sacrifices to learn her art?

Staples is known for her meticulous research: She lived in India for four years and returned there to finish the book. But her stories are so dense and her descriptions so involving, some readers may give up. However, the author does provide a useful glossary.

SHIVA'S FIRE is most gripping in its tense scenes of the cyclone destruction and of a tiger's attack. The author often builds drama in a way that unnerves the reader for many pages.

She crafts an initial sentence to hint at disaster and then continues the narrative slowly and calmly before exploding the scene: "Sundar's first inkling that all was not well came a short time later, not long after dark. The elephants strained at their hobbles and milled about, snorting and trembling, awakening Sundar from the sound, untroubled sleep of a man who did physical labor. Only then did he hear the wind as it rose from a whistle to a wail."

Readers who enjoy the descriptive narration, the unfamiliar setting, and the unforgettable heroine will also enjoy two other books by Staples: Shabanu and Haveli, both set in Pakistan.