Unholy Terrors

A teen risks everything for love and truth in this uneven fantasy from Clipstone (the World at the Lake’s Edge Duology). Everline Blackthorn has always felt like an outsider among the Vale wardens. Not only is she unable to wield the magic that the other wardens use to protect the enclave and its residents from bloodthirsty monsters called vespertine, she’s also the illegitimate daughter of the wardens’ commander, birthed by an infamous traitor. On the night Everline was born, her mother betrayed the enclave and decamped to the Thousandfold, a realm home to the vespertine and their eldritch god creator. Everline’s father won’t discuss her mother’s motives, so when a handsome human-vespertine hybrid named Ravel abducts Everline’s best friend, Lux, in retaliation for the wardens killing his sister, Everline defies orders and heads for the Thousandfold, hoping to rescue Lux and uncover the truth about her mother’s defection. When outside forces contrive to link Ravel and Everline’s fates, romance blossoms. Purple prose and anemic worldbuilding give way to a paltry plot, but Everline’s evolving relationship with her half sister, Briar, and her commitment to saving Lux, are bright spots, adding nuance and heart. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Oct.)