Her whole life had been a lie. On the horrific night Selestial Inriser was snatched from her home by a dark stranger, her father had charged her with saving the world. He sacrificed his life for her. As she fled, she heard his tortured cries. The village had been warned, but stubborn denial of encroaching danger cost them everything. Can a simple teenage girl make the arduous trek across the Inner Realm with the Key that would end the threat of evil? Can she trust the mysterious hunter and the mythical creatures she meets along the way? Can she face the future outside her sheltered life in the Glade? Can she recover from the biggest lie of all?
Wow. This is the first thing that comes to mind for this book. I'm not someone who typically reads epic fantasy or allegorical fantasy such as this book is, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The fantasy world building was amazing and it reminded me of the Lord of the Rings (of which I have only seen the movies). So if you like Tolkien, Lewis, or Chuck Black, you'll probably enjoy this too. It was highly enjoyable and the characters were all very fleshed out and unique.
Content Warnings: I'd rate this like a PG-13 movie, but for violence and scariness. Think Lord of the Rings. There's witches and demons and such, but they are all evil and portrayed as such. There's some semi graphic wounds. I'd say it's for ages 14+ Overall a very clean book, no profanities, no sexual content. Highly recommend.