In this YA fantasy, a tween trains to fight in a swiftly approaching war.

Twelve-year-old Luke Weiler lives on the isle of Zuturo. His best friend is Damien Berlinger, a quiet boy of the same age who excels in drawing and standing up for Luke when he’s in trouble. Luke’s older brother, Finn, is a member of the Crimson Raiders, soldiers who defend Zuturo and explore the continent’s other islands. One day, the isle celebrates the Crimson Raiders’ latest expedition, and Finn stands aboard The Fallen Rose in the harbor. Tragically, the ship explodes. It’s determined that Elvos Kreen, a vicious pirate from the neighboring island of Mokrull, is responsible. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Kaori Takenouchi works in the Hangman’s Lair, a pub run by Blacktooth Ramsey. Having killed Kaori’s parents, Blacktooth keeps the girl as his pub wench. But she dreams of visiting every island of Iros like her hero, explorer Linus Grimrett. When she escapes servitude, Kaori joins the Crimson Raiders. At Nakamura Training Camp, she joins Luke and Damien, who seek to avenge Finn. Looming over the adventure is the myth of the sorcerer Selior Darakhan’s finger. Supposedly anyone who eats the finger gains the dead villain’s power. Yet such power is rarely given without a steep price. Bracklow’s colorful coming-of-age story hides treasures great and small in every chapter. The well-rounded characters, like Damien, whose art is considered “freakish” by some, guide the tale firmly with their actions. Familiar literary elements, including a siren, keep pace with numerous cleverly executed twists. The prose always rises to the occasion during epic scenes, as when “Luke’s veins suddenly glowed yellow, as if hundreds of fireflies were coursing through them.” Though the characters skew younger, there are subtle moments of romance that foreshadow deeper emotional entanglements in subsequent volumes. But Bracklow’s most deft decision is playing with the chosen-one trope. When one character’s special skills transfer to another, it resets the dynamic sharply and reveals an author whom readers can trust to offer consistent thrills.

A fantasy that unfolds in marvelous layers and teaches readers to expect surprises.