Legacies: A Shadow Grail Novel, by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Spirit White is only sixteen when her family dies suddenly in a car accident. Her trust fund ensures that she is sent to Oakhurst, a remote boarding school for orphans in Montana. But Oakhurst isn’t an ordinary school. It’s a school for magicians with blossoming powers. The problem is that Spirit doesn’t seem to have a knack for any magic. Spirit begins to make friends quickly. But she isn’t at Oakhurst long before students begin disappearing and lies are spread about their whereabouts. When Spirit and her friends uncover a clue in a file that says a missing girl was marked “tithed,” they decide to figure out the mystery behind the missing students and put a stop to the malevolent force before any more are “tithed.”
Spirit is a sympathetic character, having lost her family and thrust into a school full of mystery, not knowing who she can trust. The school itself may seem like Harry Potter for an older crowd, but the similarities stop at the school of magic. Oakhurst almost becomes its own character, with its bizarre rituals and shrouded in secrecy. Lackey and Edghill have created a fantastic world of magic in a modern day world, blending teenage angst, subtle magic, and mystery.
This is the first installment in the Shadow Grail series for young adults. With plenty of adventure and thrilling suspense, Legacies is am exciting introduction to the students and school. The tension builds throughout the story to a stirring and riveting conclusion that leaves a few questions unanswered, for follow-up in further series installments. Urban fantasy fans of all ages should enjoy this extraordinary series.