Description

Take an epic journey in this award-winning young adult fantasy, winner of Best YA Book for the 2019 Connecticut Author Project! A young woman's quest to become the next guardian of a secret healing Elixir is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and The Lord of the Rings.

Katora Kase isn't the firstborn son nor does she possess the type of magic that conjures spells or bewitches others. In the land of the Great Peninsula--an epic fantasy world ruled by the Great Mother Nature and her offspring--those things aren't a measure of one's worth. And what Katora does possess is the subtle magic that marks her as the next guardian of a secret healing Elixir that is her family's legacy. It is such a highly guarded secret that Katora doesn't know of its existence until a rare snowstorm blows through with a message for her father, the current guardian.

Katora sets off on a quest into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the flowers that give the Elixir its potency. Even though she is accompanied by her sister, her brother, an old family friend, and a handsome mapmaker, she feels alone. For it is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir's magic to serve and protect it until a new guardian is chosen. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora faces is whether to give up a piece of her independence for the Elixir.