"A swashbuckling adventure." -Booklist
"A rollicking Indiana Jones flick with a female lead." -BCCB
The Last Magician meets A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling, "breathless" (Kirkus Reviews) tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler's cursed ring in order to save her father.
Some legends never die…
Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She's read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world's most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn't have is her father's permission. That honor goes to her father's nineteen-year-old protégé-and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora's life-Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.
Until Huck returns from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora's help in rescuing him. Armed with her father's travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler-more widely known as Dracula-and that it just might be the key to finding him.
Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren't the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths-including murder-to possess it. Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of young adult books, including The Prince of Mourning, Starry Eyes, The Lady Rogue, Always Jane, and Alex, Approximately and the middle grade novels Grumbones and The Knight Thieves. She also writes historical romance and fantasy for adults. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, won the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly's Best Books annual list. She currently lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs. "Narrator Jesse Vilinsky takes the helm as brassy, courageous Theodora in this mystical, daring treasure hunt. When Theo's father disappears while in search of an immensely powerful ring, she and her best friend, Huck, must use their knowledge and puzzle-solving skills to track him down before villainous figures beat him to his quarry. Vilinsky's brisk pacing speaks to the growing danger throughout their quest, and her characterizations build atmosphere and intrigue. Theo's travel is interspersed with entries from her father's journals, narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross in frank, introspective tones. Bennett, Vilinsky, and Ross unfurl an inventive take on mythology, magic, and complex familial ties in an audiobook that is equal parts mystery, supernatural thriller, and adventure."
