THE WEIGHT OF THE WISHING STONE

People unite to stop a powerful, evil being from destroying their world in Cox’s fantasy novel, the first in a series.

Seventeen-year-old Selaina lives in isolation; her mother warns her never to wander past a particular stream in the forest. Beyond it, apparently, lies the “wicked world” of Galanor. That doesn’t stop Selaina from jumping the stream, but one day, she returns from a forest walk to discover her mother missing. She sets out to find her without much of an idea of where to search and luckily runs into an obliging ally along the way. Elsewhere, Rykan, a relatively inexperienced soldier in the kingdom of Elenior, looks for help. Merciless Vatreus has led his Iron Flood army to devastate the capital city that Rykan and fellow soldiers vowed to protect. Help may come from the Wishing Stone, which some claim can undo things that have already happened. Rykan ultimately crosses paths with Selaina as they and several others brave savage creatures and a dark, ancient building to get that stone. Cox masterfully builds an expansive world within a taut narrative—characters pass through a ruined city and enter an enchanted forest “from which no one ever returns” while name-dropping locations in Galanor that readers don’t see in this first installment. Genuinely terrifying villains keep tension high, from Vatreus (who wields a blue-flamed, oversized sword) to a variety of creatures covered in flames or “black fur bristling like jagged spikes” that the cast must defend themselves against. Interactions among Rykan, Selaina, and their comrades are highlights; they prove to be either fiercely loyal or deceptive, and while some share romance, others don’t make it to the end. Nonhuman races add further texture, with Selaina enduring rancor and epithets for being a pointy-eared “Lith” just like the much-despised Vatreus.

This exceptional tale drops readers into an immersive world with unforgettable characters.