cover image The Godstone

The Godstone

Violette Malan. DAW, $27 (304p) ISBN 978-0-7564-1627-0

Malan (The Mirror Prince series) transports readers to an exciting world of high-stakes magic in this epic fantasy series launch. Fenra Lowens, a magic Practitioner adept at healing, hasn’t returned to the City since she graduated from the White Court, preferring to work in the outer Modes. The story kicks into gear when her patient, Arlyn Albainil, receives a letter summoning him to the City to execute the will of his cousin, Xandra, a Practitioner himself, who is missing and presumed dead. Arlyn is suspicious, knowing Xandra’s vault holds a dangerous artifact called a Godstone and fearing the White Court plans to use him to access to it. Fenra soon realizes that there is no missing cousin: Xandra and Arlyn are one and the same. The Godstone almost destroyed the world once and shutting it away drained Arlyn of his powers, so he’ll need Fenra’s help to keep it—and the world—safe. Malan’s elaborate worldbuilding and nuanced characters help keep the pages turning on the way to the slow-building climax. The unexpected plot twists and a subtle hint of romance will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment. [em]Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary Agency. (Aug.) [/em]