ECHO OF THE EVERCRY

A teenage girl faces an awakening ancient god in Dawson’s YA fantasy novel.

Once upon a time, evil god Evercry and its magic corrupted the world until it was defeated by the Fair Lady, a goddesslike guardian figure. For a thousand years since, the warrior sisters of the Fair Lady’s order in the medieval-like city of Lathore have protected the world from the lingering tendrils of the Evercry’s essence by slaying those who fall under its spell. Larissa is about to be tested by the Fair Lady, and once she passes her trial, she will one day—like her mother and countless women in their family before her—hear the call to slay her enemy. But when Larissa fails her Empirical (a sort of final graduation test), she is placed within the secretive caste of the darkkins, the only ones within their order who are allowed to study and even wield magic to face the Evercry (“They studied magic, the tool of the Evercry, to better understand and defend against their foe. Sisters warned all acolytes to steer clear of them; they bore taint for their meddling with magic”). When she is called to go on an unexpected mission, she and her friends Jyan and Valare, who are knights, embark on a dangerous journey that may change everything. The story brilliantly juxtaposes Larissa’s friends’ prowess in fighting in exciting action sequences with Larissa’s more scholarly nature. Her studies as a darkkin unveil the truth about her heritage, the history of her world, and her role in it, as she learns, “The world is not a stagnant history book. It changes all the time, with every passing day, and many of us are never aware.” Satisfying character arcs, a deeply felt sense of sisterhood between Larissa and her friends, and a bit of romance are the cherries on top.

A strong beginning for a promising fantasy series.