THE LAST REFUGE

Bacilieri presents a coming-of-age YA fantasy series starter about the transformative power of love.

Sixteen-year-old Kiera Vandyer’s mother endured years of poverty and despotism to keep her daughter safe, but when the young woman takes a bold risk to improve her family’s position, she invites dangerous magic into their lives. In exchange for a diamond bracelet that she could use to buy a stable home, Kiera escorts six wealthy classmates to Etabon—a once-uninhabited land into which all the world’s magic was banished 150 years ago. Now, Etabon’s borders are open to those with enough wealth to access the decadent spectacle of an annual festival that includes violent tournaments. Notably, most attendees are magically transformed into animals when they enter Etabon’s gates, and Kiera discovers that her magical form is a rare, extraordinary lynx. So unique is the magic that courses through Keira that her arrival attracts the attention of Eugene Hallowfeld, a corrupt wizard known as the Ascendant One. He uses threats to force her to fight in the tournaments. When her courage and mercy become a rallying cry for revolution, Hallowfeld raises the stakes, employing deceit and dark magic to threaten all Kiera loves. Bacilieri’s novel is fast-paced and wildly imaginative, which results in a consistently compelling read. Kiera is a fresh, modern hero who grows into her new role as a shapeshifter. Coming to terms with her new physical strength, Kiera learns to balance defense with compassion, discovering great power in the process. She also begins to understand the fluidity of her own emotions as well as her emerging romantic love for Attalin, a mermaid trapped by Hallowfeld’s plans. Readers will find themselves swept along to a cliffhanger conclusion as Kiera heads toward a destiny that may save the dying planet.

A suspenseful adventure that will engage readers to the final page.