Every shadow is proof of light.

A light-bearer with limited vision. A prisoner with wings. Can two cursed souls defeat the forces of darkness?

Noire hates the magic that cursed his family and trapped him in the form of a raven. But to break the spell, he’s willing to do anything, even if it means striking a bargain with the cruel sorceress Venefica. After agreeing to destroy the one person who threatens Venefica’s dark power, he seeks out the key ingredient for a curse of life-altering pain …

Lyssanne has never let diminished vision interfere with her teaching or storytelling. But when mind-numbing pain robs her of the strength to continue, some townsfolk question her usefulness to th village. Unsure where to turn, Lyssanne witnesses a terrifying sight: a shadowy mist, which only she can see, sending a beloved student into a frightful rage. When she tries to warn her people of a sinister force on the prowl, the villagers cast her out into the wilds…

As Lyssanne struggles to survive the elements, Noire plans his deadly attack. Stalking her every move, the raven has second thoughts about ending her life, even though failure would doom his people. But every moment he delays brings Lyssanne one step closer to wielding her gift of light. Can she discover her destiny before the entire realm falls to dark magic?

Book 1 of the Light-Wielder Chronicles Series.

We are all born to trouble, but some of us are especially so. Lyssanne—debilitated by a painful disease, exiled from home, and pursued across the wilderness by monsters—holds a place of honor among those especially so. But she will learn the secret beginning of her troubles, and maybe even bring them to an end. In Keeper of Shadows, Bridgett Powers creates something unusual in fantasy: a heroine who, physically damaged to the point of disability, can fight only through spiritual strength. The religion of this fantasy world, constructed strictly along Christian lines, coexists easily with magic, sorcery, and otherworldly creatures. The story moves too leisurely at times, but this gentle, imaginative fantasy has magic of its own.

Best for: YA readers; fans of romance, fantasy, and Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

Discern: Mild violence, including non-graphic battles; mentions of murder and suicide; a child witnesses her mother’s murder in a very brief but disturbing scene.