Wow! Chanda's last book crossed into a lot of unusual topics, but this one blew me away. I also have to confess that I laughed at Allemar in the last book. For the evilest of all evil villains, he was almost comic relief, freeing the princess to see whose powers were the most chaotic. Here, however, he and Aspen (banished prince and Allemar's acolyte) kidnap Maeve, force her to become an acolyte, and trick her into using her powers for violence and murder.

Maeve, left for dead and forgotten by the family who didn't even try to find her, had always been the troublemaker in her family. She has never learned to control her powers and when Allemar expresses an interest in training her, she agrees, not understanding that his dark sorcery will permanently change her and make her access her natural magic. As she tries to learn what she can and find a way to disentangle herself, she meets other shifters who are trapped by other spells. She has to try to free them even if it means death for herself and others, and if she survives, she has to search even harder to find a way to free herself from Allemar and Aspen, otherwise, she may be forced to kill innocents.

By far the darkest in the series so far, this book is a good reminder of the power of family, of trust, of love, and the extent people will go to in the absence of these essentials. It's also a reminder that no one is beyond redemption, if they only dare to believe they are worth it and that they can change. I loved it!