Reaching Shadows

Inspired by the coming-of-age adventures of Percy Jackson, the epic worldbuilding of The Elder Scrolls, and the dramatic edge of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Reaching Shadows offers character-focused depth and development in a vast world full of magic and monsters, human or otherwise…

Dawnhaven Manor is beautiful.

That much is obvious when Luke wakes there, dazzled by the sunlight streaming in from wide windows, surrounded by warm beds, polished wood floors, and all the food he could need. Clean. Safe.

Empty.

Luke’s sister is missing, and his captors seem to have no intention of letting him leave, promising help even as they stand in the way. As the days slip by in the abandoned academy and Luke grows more desperate to find her, an old curse stirs in the corners of his mind, threatening to expose him for what he really is.

Before he can do anything about that, though, he has to deal with the angel.

Maia doesn’t see Luke as dangerous. He’s outright hostile, and he’s ungrateful, even after she saved his life. Most of all, he’s secretive, shutting down even the most basic questions. But dangerous? Even when Luke is glaring her down, threatening her with the first sharp thing he can find, all she sees is his hands shaking.

When Luke asks for Maia’s help in finding his lost sister, she is quick to promise it. But the closer Maia gets to the truth Luke is fighting to keep hidden, the more she worries that her uncle might be right: Luke is something far more dangerous than the helpless human he appears to be.


The first novel in a young adult, urban high fantasy series, Reaching Shadows explores the tenuous bonds between its characters as deceptions and darker motivations come to light. Drama, mystery, and adventure elements.

Finalist in the international 2023 Page Turner Awards!