Shadowcaster (Shattered Realms 2)

Description

From New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima, this is a thrilling story of the unfathomable costs of war, the allure of dark magic, and two principled and conflicted characters drawn together despite everything they stand to lose. Alyssa ana'Raisa, the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, feels more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, Lyss goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn't pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne. Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon is being sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death. Lyss and Hal's intricately linked fates become inseparable when they fall under the shadow of a new enemy-a force that threatens to extinguish the last rays of hope in the Shattered Realms.

Cinda Williams Chima began writing romance novels in middle school, which were frequently confiscated by her English teacher. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Heir series of young adult fantasy novels. A graduate of the University of Akron and Case Western Reserve University, Cinda has been a freelance writer and columnist for the Plain Dealer and other publications. Cinda has a marginal knowledge of popular culture, but she has never forgotten what it was like to be a teen. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two sons. Her new fantasy series, The Demon King, released in Autumn 2009.

Essential for any epic-fantasy collection and catnip for lovers of the genre. - Kirkus Reviews