When a sacred treasure goes missing from its vault on Capric Hill, the monks sworn to protect it mount a recovery mission. But as they venture farther from home, they’re faced with the fact that their brotherhood shares culpability for the land’s barrenness. With The Treasure of Capric, first installment in the King of the Caves series, Brandon M. Wilborn blends Brother Cadfael with Prince Caspian to conjure a complex, lived-in world populated by fully realized characters. Novices Kurian, Rhys, and Tobin must fight, sneak, and negotiate their way across a derelict and usurped kingdom. But is the outlaw they pursue a dire threat or their only hope of restoration? Biblical allusions flourish without intruding, and, though the plot may grow too convenient toward the end, the story manages to capture a precious treasure indeed: a fantastical feeling of genuine awe.

Best for: Older teens and adults seeking traditional fantasy with vivid worlds and thematic depth.

Discern: Strong bloody violence, mild profanity, some sexual situations involving witches and sirens.