Mute from birth, LuSin is sent when still a child to the Temple of Mari Anu to serve as priestess.  The people of her tribe consider her "different," not merely because of her silence.  Though mute, LuSin understands the language of the desert and its inhabitants.  She wanders without fear in the wilderness beyond the village, with her wild dog.

When the most precious relic of the temple is stolen, the sacred spring of the Goddess dries up.  The land is cursed with drought and LuSin decides she must lead her people to safety.  She embarks upon a quest to retrieve their lost treasure, the Cup of Mari Anu — a magical, silver chalice that had long blessed the People of Mari Anu with water, fertility, beauty and abundance.  When LuSin undertakes to restore the blessings of the Cup to her people, many fabulous events befall her on her journey westward to the sea, and beyond.

Set in ancient Europe and the Middle East, The Cup of Mari Anu is an heroic tale of magic, adventure and transformation. An inspiring story for young readers (and old) with stunning colour artwork, this is the first in a series of legendary and magical tales presented by Horned Owl Publishing.

"... the kind of book which becomes a milestone in a child's life - one of those stories like we all have tucked away among our childhood memories, that one cherishes and will always recall as a safe place, magical and full of warmth ...  Together, word and image conspire to transport the reader in a wondrous mythological past full of beauty, and the spiritual wisdom of the ancient world." - Hecate's Loom magazine

"The style and language come close to that of classical mythology ... Kevan Lane Miller's large, colourful painterly illustrations capture the essence of the narrative perfectly.  They are a most valuable adjunct to the text.  The book is printed on heavy paper and is well bound, with clear type and an attractive layout. ... The Cup of Mari Anu will be welcome on the children's mythology shelf." - CM magazine

"... the story vibrantly illustrated a fundamental tenet of neo-paganism: ... 'Magick is alive and the Goddess is afoot' ... The book, to me, fairly hummed with Her presence.  [Each illustration] is absorbing, symbolic and a pleasure to contemplate.  Needless to say, I am hoping for a sequel." - Athena magazine

"I recommend this book to every secondary student who wants to read a very well written book."
"The story was very exciting.  The vocabulary was a bit hard but it was so well written that you knew right away what each word meant."
"I enjoyed the adventures that LuSin experienced, and I could really relate to all the growing up that LuSin had to go through to find the different parts of herself. ... I found Kevan Lane Miller did a wonderful job illustrating Yvonne Owens' words and concepts.  I think that Yvonne Owens did a very good job with this book and I hope that the rest of the series is as good as this book."
"... an exciting book.  A great adventure. ... Overall the book was really good."
"... a very complex and a brilliantly written story."
"I recommend this book to every secondary student who wants to read a very well written book. It was very exciting."
"It is a fun book to read. We give it a ten!" - various junior secondary and high school students in the Collaborative Book Review Project

"Some of the words were complicated, but once I got used to it, they made the story a very pretty one.  This is a good and exciting book, and if you like excitement and adventure I would recommend this book to you." - The Minstrel magazine (10 year old reviewer)