THE SHADOW ROAD

Two teenagers are determined to stop monsters from wiping out humanity.

The blitz, short for blitzesser (or lightning eaters in German), are dragonlike creatures with strong electromagnetic fields. They caused a major blackout and have terrorized humans into hiding. Sixteen-year-old Cassie lives in a forest camp with other survivors, relying on her strong intuition to keep her safe from the blitz. Miles away on the prairie, 16-year-old Thomas, left alone after his dad’s death and armed with a book on mythical creatures, hitches a ride west with Danica, a truck driver who’s determined to bring hope to survivors. When the teens’ paths cross, their destinies become closely intertwined. To stop the blitz from eliminating the people who remain, they’ll have to deal with enemies both human and otherwise. Magic abounds in this post-apocalyptic tale of an otherworldly invasion. Kirchmeier draws on folklore and legend to populate the world with mythical beings from various cultures. Themes of destiny, dreams, and intuition round out a well-paced story of survival. The worldbuilding is excellent when it comes to the mythical creatures, but weaker when depicting the human beings who are left on a battle-scarred continent, and some interesting scenarios, such as a cult of religious scavengers, would have benefited from more robust descriptions. Most characters are cued white.

A dark look at a post-apocalyptic, magic-filled world.