Word Walkers

by Abbey Franer

Arabella fears nothing more than a too small life in a too small world. She wrote her first thing into being when she was nine years old, deciding lines of ink that sprouted in her backyard. There were rules and boundaries and she intended to learn every one of them until her budding power turned deadly.

When she learns the strange magic in her veins makes her a rare and coveted Word Walker with the ability to travel between worlds, she accepts a secretive invitation to cross the boundary to the realm of Valarae. As she strives to understand and hone her abilities, she is thrust into a world of magic, politics, and power.

At Valarae, Arabella meets her bonded pair, Valence Kilacky, who is desperate for a cure for his mother. Discovering the true extent of their combined power, they become targets for those seeking control. As the vile underbelly of Valarae and its headmasters rears its wicked head, Arabella and Valence flee into the Otherworlds or risk being leashed and drained of their magic for malicious means.

When their friends and worlds are threatened, Arabella is faced with the impossible choice of pursuing freedom or returning to Valarae and tearing it all down.

Genres: Fantasy

492 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2024

About the author

Abbey is a wife, mother, and lover of all things Fantasy. She enjoys a good slow burn romance, tons of action, unique storytelling styles, lyrical prose, and lush world building. Her journey to becoming a published author began with fairytale retellings in second grade and progressed to hand-written original novels when she was in middle school. She took two courses with The Institute of Children's Literature when she was 15-17 and began taking her dream of a writing career more seriously when she wrote her first fantasy trilogy that, many years later, became Dragonhearted.

For more book related news, follow her on Twitter @abbey_author.

Reviews

[Brend]

When she learns the strange magic in her veins makes her a rare and coveted Word Walker with the ability to travel between worlds, she accepts a secretive invitation to cross the boundary to the realm of Valarae. As she strives to understand and hone her abilities, she is thrust into a world of magic, politics, and power.

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Word Walkers has a very good premise, but everything seems to happen quickly. Passages are a little disjointed with the passing of time and switching between characters’ points of view. More detail, backstory, and characterization would have been helpful.

Overall, it was a good read. I enjoyed the story.