We are all born to trouble, but some of us are especially so. Lyssanne—debilitated by a painful disease, exiled from home, and pursued across the wilderness by monsters—holds a place of honor among those especially so. But she will learn the secret beginning of her troubles, and maybe even bring them to an end. In Keeper of Shadows, Bridgett Powers creates something unusual in fantasy: a heroine who, physically damaged to the point of disability, can fight only through spiritual strength. The religion of this fantasy world, constructed strictly along Christian lines, coexists easily with magic, sorcery, and otherworldly creatures. The story moves too leisurely at times, but this gentle, imaginative fantasy has magic of its own.

Best for: YA readers; fans of romance, fantasy, and Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

Discern: Mild violence, including non-graphic battles; mentions of murder and suicide; a child witnesses her mother’s murder in a very brief but disturbing scene.