Witch of Benel

A magical apprentice and coming of age fantasy with high personal stakes, magical animal friends, and a low body count. If twenty-year-old, magic-filled Sha-li could make it back home, she'd cast a curse on the wizard who banished her. But, if she leaves the company of the witch she's been apprenticed to, she'll lose the chance to learn what power she has and what she can do with it. Best-case scenario, once she's been trained, she'll actually be able to cast her own curses. Worst case, she'll return to find her best friend dead and magic truly suppressed. Torn between the desire to act first and think later as she's always done and the chance she has to sit at the feet of one who knows more than she does, Sha-li struggles against her own strong personality, magical ignorance, goblins, and banshees. Even as she does, she knows she can't waver forever on the choice of whether or not to stay. She'll have to decide, and soon, if magic is worth any of this trouble. Perfect for readers who love:Strong heroines who grow and learnLoyal magical animal companionsAction-packed adventuresCharacter-driven narrativeUnique magicMythical creatures (from the sweet to the deadly)Uplifting story arcs Character-driven with good vibes as well as lots of attitude, The Witch of Benel is for fans of the themes of "e;coming of age,"e; "e;identity and the shadow self,"e; and "e;knowledge and patience versus power and pride"e; as found in Le Guin's The Wizard of Earthsea as well as for those who love the joy of the journey experienced in Becky Chamber's Monk and Robot and Wayfarers series but set in a fantasy world rather than space. Start the series now with Book 1: The Witch of Benel!