In this "thoughtful, ambitious, and unexpected" (Kirkus Reviews) debut fantasy perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and A. B. Poranek, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.
Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she's exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back-even for just a little while-is to steal love from others.
Wren is a source-a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren-the only caretaker to her ailing father-has spent her life hiding her secret.
When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren's father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.
Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them-that is, if they don't kill each other first. Adrienne Tooley grew up in Southern California, majored in musical theater in Pittsburgh, and now lives in Brooklyn with her wife, six guitars, and a banjo. In addition to writing novels, she is a singer/songwriter who has currently released three indie-folk EPs. She's the author of Sweet & Bitter Magic and Sofi & the Bone Song. You can find her online at AdrienneTooley.com. "In this debut fantasy audiobook, magic has a price, and two young women make a contract that will cost each of them more than they know. Tamsin, portrayed by narrator Andrea Emmes, was banished as a young witch while trying to save her twin sister. Now Wren goes to her, seeking a cure for her father, who has fallen victim to a plague. Wren's innocent view of life is unfolded by narrator Ferdelle Capistrano. Emmes captures Tamsin's difficult emotional transformation from an inability to feel love to a hopeful attitude about the future. Capistrano illuminates more subtle changes as Wren loses some of her naïveté and uncovers her strength."
