Maurey, the half human, half Nightwalker Warden of Greyrock, and Annot, the dauntless Baroness of Oakhold, have settled down in Greyrock Castle, but those who still hate and fear the Nightwalkers threaten to destroy all they've worked for. While Maurey hunts for two outlaws who may guard an ancient secret, his liegeman Korby begins to uncover the truth about the cult of the Yehillon. Their enemies are always one step ahead of them though. Captured by the Yehillon and held as a hostage against Maurey, Annot struggles to survive and escape. A terrible choice lies before Maurey. If he abandons his defence of the border to save Annot, all Talverdin may fall as the Yehillon, led by their veiled prince, finally carry out a long-laid plan to wipe the warlocks from the face of the earth.

K.V. Johansen has Master's Degrees in Medieval Studies and in English. Her main scholarly interests are ancient and medieval history and languages, and the history of children's fantasy literature. She held the 2001 Eileen Wallace Research Fellowship in Children's Literature from the Eileen Wallace Collection at the University of New Brunswick. She also received the 2004 Frances E. Russell Award for research in children's literature from the Canadian section of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People. Johansen received the Canadian Authors' Association 2006 Lilla Stirling Award; she has had fiction titles nominated for the Silver Birch Award, the Diamond Willow Award, shortlisted for the Canadian Association of Children's Librarians Book of the Year for Children Award, and included on the Ontario Library Association's "Best Bets Top Ten List" and Voya's "Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror" list. Her adult non-fiction book Quests and Kingdoms: A Grown-Up's Guide to Children's Fantasy Literature, has been highly praised internationally and was shortlisted for the 2006 Harvey Darton Award in the UK.
She has an arboretum in her backyard, grows exotic trees indoors, watches a lot of anime, and should probably have been an eighteenth-century landscape gardener. Visit her website: www.pippin.ca.

 

K.V. Johansen's profile page

• Commended, OLA Best Bets

"The dialogue is sharp, even funny, and the plot is action-packed and fascinating. The themes of racism and co-operation will engage all younger teens. This book is a great gift of reading for all parents and grandparents to consider!"

McNally Robinson.com

"An entertaining fantasy adventure, highly recommended."

Library Bookwatch (Midwest Book Review)

"Johansen has created a world rich in magic and a variety of races...On one level the story is a wonderful fantasy with magic and battles. On another level the story deals with racial hatred and self doubt. The story works on both levels."

Southwestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group

"Something of a gem... [the characters] are in for an interesting journey—and the reader along with them."

TeensReadToo.com

"The action is fast-paced, and continues the tradition of these books in giving us highly developed characters that jump off the page...The undercurrents of the story felt very timely, and bore resonances for the hatreds and xenophobias we are seeing cropping up in our own world. That, I think, sets this series apart...I highly recommend it for teens or for readers of all ages who enjoy medievalistic worlds, and though-provoking fantasy."

Mad Tales blog

"It gets to the action quickly yet KV Johansen still manages to create the personalities of her main characters and the world they are in...A very enjoyable story...It is well written, and manages to stay clear of clichés."

Fantasy Book Review

"[The series] is more than a fast paced adventure of battling forces, wizardly spells and noble quests. Underlying the intrigue, kidnapping and battles, the theme of understanding the emotional damage of prejudice and racial intolerance is evident. Overall, this book was a pleasure to read...Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"[Readers] will be totally engaged and fascinated with the complexity of the world that Johansen has created...This is a book that is meant to be read over again, in order to savour the layers of details."

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