Neverthorn

By Shannon Mayer

In a realm where magic reigns, a legendary Hero once stood against the encroaching darkness. But with his death, hope dwindled, and the best the world can muster is Harlow Daygon-a thief, magic school dropout, and notorious troublemaker.

At nearly thirty, Harlow can't even cast a simple rune without blundering it. So why does anyone think she can take up the mantle of Hero? Reluctantly, she's dragged back to Neverthorn Academy with seven former classmates, tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

But the challenges are stacked against her:

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she's a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she's not the Hero the world needs-but the next Villain.

With fate hanging in the balance, can Harlow embrace her destiny before the shadows claim her?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1998676102
• ISBN13: 9781998676101
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Hijinks Ink Publishing
• Length: 516 Pages
• Weight: 1.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Intriguing

First off, I enjoyed how the protagonist (Harlow) is not a young kid prophesied to defeat the Dark One, in fact, the whole group of House Phoenix is out of their teens and that is quite refreshing. Yes, they are dragged back to school in order to train to defeat Nocta, but it still is better than children having to do so. It kept my interest the whole time because Harlow is awesome with her version of rune magic (really wouldn't mind the nicking notion she made up, that would make packing so easy!) and she is tough but still cares of Opie and all the other "magicless" kids thrown out to fend for themselves. She has a good heart, except in the matter of Typhon. I was not a fan of him because if Harlow did not agree with something he just threw a rune on her to make her obey. It doesn't matter if he is dark, brooding, and handsome, he is not a good guy. I loved the found family theme with House Phoenix and also the twists about all is not what it seems, especially with the school and Nocta. That kept me intrigued during the classes and battles and trials that House Phoenix and Harlow had to face, even as they were mocked by the other houses and were not given the help needed to become stronger, even as time was running out for the prophecy to be fulfilled. There is so much darkness in the magic dwimmer world, though good things too (love Bandit!). I will definitely need the next book after that last revelation and what Harlow has to do to keep all those she loves safe.