Hearts of Shadow

Brady dazzles in this dark paranormal, a return to a fantasy Seattle introduced in Hearts of Darkness. Grace Mercer is struggling to survive in the aftermath of the Unraveling, a duel between ancient clans—the Kivati and the Drekar—that opened a gate between worlds, rendered electricity unusable, and plunged Seattle into a postapocalyptic nightmare. Grace was under slave bonds to the evil Drekar dragon-shifter Sven Norgard before the Unraveling led to his death, and she’s close to earning her freedom. To her chagrin, paying off the rest of her debt requires collaborating with Sven’s half-brother, Leif Asgard. What Grace refuses to believe at first is that unlike the soulless Sven, scientist Leif is a deeply honorable man. Can the two work together to save what’s left of Seattle before a fragile truce crumbles? Brady’s masterful world-building transports the reader to a grim but compelling future, seamlessly interweaving the real and the beautifully imagined. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (May 7)