"Excellent!" -Kirkus Reviews

When a dangerous conjurer has her father killed, locksmith's apprentice Tessa and her companions embark on a perilous quest to bring him back to life...

"For those who enjoyed Harry Potter but who seek a feisty, determined female protagonist." -Midwest Book Review

Tessa, who blames herself for actions that led to her father's murder, must race against time to steal the conjurer's most treasured magical artifact—the Dreadmarrow—to restore Papa's life.

"Stellar!" -SPR Book Awards

While helping Tessa, her companions conceal their own secret motivations for infiltrating the conjurer's castle. Ash hopes to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Fellstone's apprentice, and Calder seeks his long-lost love who has mysteriously disappeared since she became the conjurer's wife.

"A gripping fantasy adventure, highly recommended." -Wishing Shelf Book Awards 

Tessa can shapeshift into a sparrow using a magical amulet, Ash wields a sword like no other, and Calder carries a bag of tricks that provide defense against a variety of prickly situations.

"A work of classic fantasy." -The BookLife Prize

But are their combined skills any match for the creatures of the Cursed Wood, the boarmen, the wraiths, and the fiendish conjurer's own insurmountable magic?

Margie Benedict's "prose is crisp and purposeful, charged with feeling, and always attuned to what will engage readers in each moment." (The BookLife Prize)