To Kill a Shadow

October 9, 2023
In a kingdom cursed by a sinister, monster-inhabited mist, a determined teenager endeavors to save her sickly brother from certain death. Eighteen-year-old Kiara Frey and her younger brother Liam attend the Calling, an event during which families must forfeit their of-age sons to join the Knights of the Eternal Star, a brotherhood whose purpose is to banish the mist from the kingdom of Asidia. At the Calling, Kiara defends Liam from a bully, and her elite combat skills draw the attention of the Knights’ hooded commander, nicknamed the Hand of Death, who selects Kiara to join the Knights for training in the capital of Sciona—making her the first girl chosen in over half a century. In Sciona, she meets handsome knight Jude, the Hand of Death himself, and the two find themselves inexplicably drawn together. When callous King Cirian assigns Kiara a deadly mission, Jude tries to keep her at the base, but Kiara sneaks off to join the mission anyway, refusing to let Jude and her new friends face the terrors of the mist alone. In this sweeping debut, Quinn skillfully threads Kiara and Jude’s lived-in-feeling romance with high-stakes life-or-death situations, making for an intriguing if familiar fantasy adventure. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up.

November 15, 2023
A series opener blending fantasy and horror with an undercurrent of romance. The sudden disappearance 50 years ago of the Sun Goddess, Raina, left the realm of Asidia awash in moonlight and misery. The annual Calling drafts boys, such as 18-year-old Kiara's sickly brother, Liam, into the Knights of Eternal Star, who then venture into the accursed land of the Mist in search of answers. But Kiara's brazenness captures the attention of the Hand of Death, the Commander of the Knights, and she's recruited in her brother's stead. Years of rigorous combat training have prepared Kiara well for the Knights--but not for the growing attraction between her and the Hand of Death himself, enigmatic Commander Jude Maddox. As they journey into the Mist, they must trust each other in order to survive and untangle the legends that just might save the realm. In a crowded fantasy field, the novel distinguishes itself by leaning into the macabre nature of its literally dark world, complete with shadow beasts, flesh-eating spiders, and the mercurial Mist itself. The unrelenting action sequences are not for the squeamish, and the dead (and undead) body count piles up. Cutscenes provide necessary narrative magic, reviving Kiara and Jude's romance and buttressing the worldbuilding lore that opens many of the chapters. Main characters are cued white. An atmospheric and promising first installment. (map) (Fantasy/horror. 14-18)

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November 10, 2023
Grades 9-12 When the young and brutal commander of the Knights of the Eternal Star, Jude (aka the Hand of Death), watches 18-year-old Kiara Frey deftly take down her brother's tormentor in front of a large crowd, he immediately drafts her into Knight training. Soon after, mysterious orders from their sadistic king send Jude, Kiara, and a group of barely battle-ready recruits into the cursed Mist to combat darkness and monsters, pulling the reluctant but courageous crew through extreme dread, thrilling combat, and a growing pile of life-and-death questions. The instant and intense romantic tension between Jude and Kiara is the burning core of this romantic fantasy, and their seemingly fated attraction plays out effectively against the backdrop of violence, danger, and high-stakes political intrigue. Kiara's almost mythical skill and bravery may appear too good to be true, but narrative twists and turns reveal a satisfying intentionality on the author's part. A devastating cliff-hanger will have fantasy and romance fans waiting for the sequel.

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