A single woman stands between order and chaos. She will determine the fate of Taria. An anomaly in the world that values the future over the ways of old, Renna is in great danger. Possessing unexplained—and forbidden—magic, she now attracts unwanted, dangerous attention. Amidst the chaos, there are two who desire her safety. Khellios mourned her, living with guilt for the last two millennia. The God of Moon and Stars, he offers her a sanctuary in Taria, trying to rekindle the flame between them. Sethos, a fae with unusual magic, has been guiding Renna from afar, drawing her nearer and keeping her safe. He now visits within her dreams. Conflicted by her desires, Renna is pulled between the men who are willing to fight for her. But when a deadly force breaches the sanctuary and threatens to destroy Taria, she is faced with an impossible choice. Embrace the life she's wanted without magic with Khellios’s help, or accept her destiny as a daughter of chaos at Sethos's side.
Brower debuts with an urgent, romantic space-fantasy series kickoff, centered on a graduate student who has strived to live her own life—and hold in check the destructive power of the magic that stirs and thrashes inside her. That magic is fueled by anger, desired by dark forces, and banned by the Planetary Council that rules this post-Earth human enclave in the Andromeda Galaxy. A magic attack on the campus quad terrifies Renna, and soon she must go into hiding from Am-Re, God of Darkness, who wants to control Renna to cause destruction and chaos. Renna is taken to the planet Taria, shielded from the Council and “beings who wield dark magic.” There, Renna is put in the care of Khellios, the God of the Moon and the Stars, who recognizes her as a Renna whom he loved millennia before—and her tattoo as his sigil. That takes Renna by surprise—she's never met him before, or has she? Complicating an already fraught situation, Renna is visited in dreams by Sethos, a beautiful fae who reveals himself to be her protector and guardian. Her attraction and connection to both Sethos and Khellios leaves her conflicted. In a galaxy of chaos and fear, where Renna feels “like a prisoner in my own body when I cannot wield my magic in times of fear or any other emotion,” the hero’s fight to survive and discover her place comes spiced with love, sex, and the complexities of the heart.
Bower has crafted both engaging characters it’s easy to feel for and fresh but resonantly familiar worlds, societies, and political situations for them to navigate. The storylines move at a brisk pace and aren't bogged down by the somewhat complex worldbuilding. Instead, the tale, like Renna’s magic, is driven by great swells of feeling. The hopes and losses of this cast, good and evil, compel and surprise, right up to climactic revelations and cliffhangers that will have romantasy fans eager for more.
Takeaway: Rousing romantasy debut of a grad student, a god, and the magic burning inside.
Comparable Titles: Meredith Mooring’s Redsight, Alexis Menard’s Order and Chaos series.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
