For a young woman who wields the power of fear, humanity’s greatest enemy is her only hope in a new romantic, adventure-filled fantasy by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Seven years on the run from her abusive father, and with no hope of sanctuary among the dwindling pockets of human civilization, Lark is out of options. Her only leverage is a cursed power: she can thrust fear onto others, leaving all threats fleeing in terror. It’s a means of survival as she searches for a place to call home. If the campfire myths of her childhood are true, Lark’s sole chance for refuge could lie in Cagmar, the city of trolls—a brutal species and the sworn enemies of humanity.

Valuing combat prowess, the troll high council is intrigued. Lark could be much more useful than the low-caste humans who merely labor in Cagmar. Her gift makes her invaluable as a monster slayer to fight off the unspeakable creatures that torment the trolls’ hanging city, suspended from a bridge over an endless dark canyon.

Lark will do anything to make Cagmar her home, but her new role comes with a caveat: use her power against a troll, and she’ll be killed. Her loyalty is quickly put to the test when she draws the hatred of a powerful troll who loathes humankind. Still, she finds unexpected friendship in the city and, even more surprisingly, love. But if everything else doesn’t undo her, being caught in the arms of a troll surely will. Now in the fight of her life, Lark has a lot to learn—about her past, about trust and hope when all seems lost, and above all, about the extraordinary power of fear itself.

Fleeing her abusive father Lark has roamed across the drought- stricken land looking for a place to call home and people to call family. Each time she thinks she has found a place of safety she is forced to use her talent - the ability to project fear into others - and is forced to flee as the people she thought were friends turn on her in fear of her power.  She ultimately finds herself in the city of the trolls where the leader hopes to use her power to protect the city from monsters. Lark seems to have found a home as she makes friends and maybe finally finds love with someone who accepts her even knowing what she can do; but then her father appears seeking to conquer the troll city and everything starts to fall apart.

The world building is great; we have a world of drought, humans ecking out an existence with little water available to grow food and then there is the troll city, built into the sides of a deep canyon with access to abundant water and the ability to grow more than enough food. There are monsters in the canyon that attack the city occasionall; but, overall, life in the troll city is good.  Lark makes a home for herself with the trolls, learning they are not the ignorant brutes that humans have always portrayed them but instead are literate with engineers and artisans even as all trolls are expected to train hard militarily.  Humans are not slaves in the troll city but also not citizens and unable to enter the troll caste system that determines a troll’s place in society. The characters, troll and human, are fully fleshed-out and Lark finds love and a family in the place she least expected to.

This is a standalone novel and comes to a satisfying conclusion but I, for one, would love to see a book about the next chapter in Lark’s life. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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