4 Stars
432 Pages
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group, Tor Teen
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Genre: Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Romance
The country of Alderlands is about to begin its winter season. The Order of Magicians is concerned that the storms are becoming worse and the upcoming season will be the worst to come. The magicians in the Order are each bound to a Living Wand. When an important Living Wand begins to thaw waiting to be bound to a person, they know it could be catastrophic. Domenic Barrow, an underachiever, was chosen by the wand. Ellery Caldwell, upset that the wand did not choose her, goes out to the great alban tree. When she was a child and used her magic for the first time, the alban tree gave her a seed. Now the tree senses the seed and produces the first Living Wand created in modern times.
Domenic is the summer champion hailed to save the Alderlands from winter. With Ellery having a winter wand, she is now the winter champion. They must work together to save their world and find the saboteur. If you like fantasy young adult stories, you will enjoy this book.
