On the fifth day after a witch is born, a ritual is
performed to facilitate her use of magic in years to come.
The new witch is kept in a windowless room and out of
starlight for the five days. After the ritual is complete,
she's presented to the goddess, exposed to starlight and
her soul is bestowed. But there's a serious side effect to
the witches ritual. A doppelganger is created. The one
infant becomes two, but only one child has the power
channel magic. The doppelganger, a soulless shell, is then
to be killed by the mother to protect the witch child. But
sometimes, somehow, the doppelganger survives.
A skilled Hunter, Mirage has recently accepted a commission
to investigate the death of a powerful key witch. During
her search for the killer, Mirage discovers that the victim
had been keeping track of her whereabouts for years. As she
has always avoided contact with witches and their servants,
Mirage is not only curious but angry at the discovery.
Feeling her connection with the victim, an unlikely
coincidence, Mirage prepares to carry out the rest of her
commission on her guard.
On the verge of claiming her powers, Miryo prepares for the
Elemental trials that face every novice and makes ready for
her future as a witch. Miryo faces the four elements and
comes through her tests unscathed, but when she faces the
Void, which represents wholeness of self, she comes undone.
At her failure, the Primes, the witches who lead the
various castes, realize that Miryo's doppelganger is alive
and send her to kill the double. A witch can only realize
her full potential if her doppelganger is destroyed, and
the death of one can only come at the hands of the other.
A fully realized new world, Ms. Brennan's first novel is a
brilliant read. The conclusion is a humdinger I never saw
coming and literally stopped reading and said "Wow!" when
it hit me. With likable characters, good world building and
a story arc that keeps you wanting more, everything fits
together nicely and comes to a satisfying conclusion for
characters and readers alike.
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