The druid

Eilean is a 17-year-old wretched (orphan) transplanted to the site of a new abbey in the middle of a lake. The aldermaston has sensed in her abilities that make her suitable for serving Mordaunt, a prisoner who is considered apostate and an ally of the druids, whom the aldermastons oppose. Mordaunt also senses her strong affinity to the Medium, the source of magic. Then Eilean begins to learn words of power. Soon she is plunged into a search for Mordaunt's tome, much desired by the aldermaston, hidden near the Queen of Dryads. She is pursued by Captain Hoel, who is imbued with the abilities of a seer and is uncertain whether he should fear for her or simply be afraid of her learning too much about her powers. Thus begins a prequel series in Wheeler's Legends of Muirwood (starting with The Wretched of Muirwood, 2011). Action and intrigue are Wheeler's bread and butter, as are stories with the core value of virtue without ambiguity and gratuitous violence, all on display here.

Bestseller Wheeler (the First Argentines series) launches his Dawning of Muirwood series with this gripping tale of teen servant Eilean, who must decide whether to stick to the beliefs she's always known or risk her life following a powerful religious rebel. Eilean serves the maston order, founded around the Medium, a force that is both a power source and something like a religion. She's honored to be chosen to travel with her abbey's Aldermaston to a new abbey being built in the Kingdom of Moros. There, the Aldermaston himself entrusts her with a special job: she'll serve the imprisoned druid, Mordaunt, who's held captive in Moros's castle, with the goal of befriending him and getting him to reveal the location of an ancient tome. Eilean does as she's told--but the more time she spends with Mordaunt, the more she realizes that the maston order no longer serves the Medium. With her own powers growing, it's up to her to help those who still do. Wheeler loads his tale with magic, intrigue, and believably conflicted characters. Readers will be impatient to know what happens next. (May)