Author Description

A novel where trauma and its achingly slow recovery are deeply understood. A novel about trust betrayed, silence broken, and one girl's reckoning in the dark. Trapped by privilege and bound by contract to marry a stranger, Helaine de Berzé feels like a caged bird in her own home. Haunted by secrets and surrounded by enemies in the guise of friendship, Helaine's carefully controlled life shatters when betrayal strikes from within. Fleeing into the forbidden forest, she encounters the Wild Boy and the mythical unicorn he protects-beings of untamed magic who awaken her yearning for freedom and purpose. But Helaine's escape is short-lived. When her father falls gravely ill, Father Robert-the family priest whose true agenda is hidden even from himself-demands she summon the unicorn to save him, even if it means sacrificing the legendary creature. As her people are gripped by fear of the plague, they too demand the unicorn's death. Helaine is torn between loyalty to her family, the dictates of her heart, and her growing realization of the power she holds. With danger closing in from all sides, Helaine must decide whom to trust, how far she'll go to protect those she loves, and whether she can ever return to the life she left behind. Exile has purpose. She is not broken, she is coming back. -- "There is plenty of suspense and intrigue... Overall, this is a thoughtful story that is well-paced and with a treasure trove of characters." - Readers' Favorite