Fate of Flames

A 16-year-old becomes the latest in a long line of young women imbued with elemental powers and charged to defend the world from invading monsters. Maia Finley, who has long idolized the so-called Effigies, unexpectedly becomes the new Fire Effigy when the previous one dies. She is taken in by an organization known as the Sect for training, but all plans are disrupted by the emergence of Saul, an enigmatic man with the unprecedented ability to control the phantoms that have terrorized humanity for more than a century. To defeat Saul, Maia must reunite the Effigies, no easy task. In a thrilling adventure with echoes of Pacific Rim, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Raughley (Feather Bound) depicts the cost of power, the lure of fame, and the trauma of overwhelming stress in a compelling story with memorably flawed heroines. References to our world (Star Trek, Popsicles) in an alternate Earth that has seen monumental change (like the destruction of Seattle in the 1960s) are slightly jarring, but it’s a minor quibble in an engrossing kickoff to the Effigies series. Ages 14–up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Nov.)