Deep Is the Fen

A teen girl joins forces with her nemesis to save her best friend from a sinister secret society in this captivating fantasy from Wilkinson (A Hunger of Thorns). Seventeen-year-old Merry Morgan has hated dark magic ever since a witch’s curse killed her mother and imbued Merry with Witch Sight, the ability to see magical energy. Today, her most pressing concern is whether to leave for university to continue competing with academic rival Caraway or stay with her bestie Sol and crush Teddy in the pastoral town of Candlecott, where dark magic is banned. Merry soon learns that Teddy has joined the Toadmen, an exclusive gentlemen’s society steeped in Candlecott tradition. Only Merry can see that the Toadmen are using dark magic to perform illegal rituals, and so she determines to save Teddy before his soul is corrupted. When Caraway offers his aid, the unlikely pair set off on a path that leads to the unearthing of ancient magic, surprise romance, and the unraveling of Merry’s world. An exposition-heavy start gives way to an immersive world in which Wilkinson employs beguiling imagery to craft a thought-provoking love letter to fierce and tenderhearted friendship. Protagonists cue as racially diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Apr.)