The Insight

It's far too dangerous. A girl would almost have to be running for her life to travel to Athira on a rickety air-ship so early in the Spring. And for that girl to be the high-born daughter of a Guild archon, nearing her seventeenth birthday, and thus womanhood...it's unthinkable.

But Evelyn Cross is running for her life. The attacks of mental darkness that leave her raving and incoherent have grown strong in the last few weeks, and the Guild doctors' diagnosis is firm--they intend to end her "suffering" for good.

So, she is running to the isle of Athira where the Old Practitioners still wield their magic, the curious Sarpeshans see into others' thoughts, and the mysterious Chera loom in the imagination. Here there is an abbey: the home of the Sisters of the Quiet--they will shelter her.

The abbey promises peace, but as Evelyn begins to grow comfortable with new friends, and a touch of love, she quickly finds herself swept up by events surrounding a brutal plague and a sinister political plot. Can Evelyn harness her "insight" to put a stop to the sickness and those behind it? Can she come to grips with her high-born ancestry, her allegiance to the Guild, and her relationship to the Old Practitioners' way of life? Can she discover herself amid her struggles to find love and friendship far from home? And can she do it all in a mystical world that is swiftly losing itself?

Owen Gabriel Danielson's characters are as vibrant as his magical world. Steeped in a strong mysticism, his Young Adult Fantasy is fresh and modern while staying true to the traditions of the genre. Deeply thoughtful and written in rich, immersive prose, Danielson's debut is well worth a try.