Heart of Ember

Goth. Knitting. Victorian insults. Tarot. December Wright isn't interested in the kinds of things that make you "normal" in 1989, and she's sick of being a foster kid. But her life is about to change forever. A lightning strike reveals her true home, the magical city of Elysia, which has haunted her daydreams for as long as she's been keeping secrets. Her biggest secret? The songs stuck in her head are premonitions. But Ember's godfather-slash-employer Whit also has secrets, including the fact that he's been binding her magic to hide her. Ember's first vision of Whit injured and near death signals the failure of his bindings, triggering a series of events that lead them home to Elysia. There, she discovers ancient oracle societies, folkloric magic, and betrayal. Hard truths wait for Ember. First, Whit is her father, and he found her near death at the hands of her mother, Phaedra Rule, who attempted to steal her power. Also, her best friend is actually from Elysia and never said a thing about it. And, finally, Phaedra is still after her. Add to that a mysterious love interest with ancestral connections, a covetous mother who wields vocal and blood magic to attain Ember's gifts of prophecy, and transformational trials at the hands of her ancestor witches in the spirit realm. As Ember prepares for an inevitable attack, will her efforts be enough? Who will help her? How will she defy her mother's power? Ember faces unimaginable challenges to claim what belongs to her: magic, love, and her place in this new home.