Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.

As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.

A River Enchanted is an exhilarating journey into a richly realized world of myth, magic, and alliances—old and new—forged for good (and sometimes ill). It imaginatively explores classic themes of duty, honor, and going home again. Its characters are fully realized and you will find yourself willingly—nay, eagerly—following them through dark, unsettling forests, and into the midst of those who may be friend or foe.

When Jack Tamerlaine is summoned to the magical isle of Cadence, he returns to the island home he was forced to leave when he was just eleven years old. Now a scholar and teacher, he takes leave from his job to make the journey home to Cadence, crossing the treacherous, malevolent waters. But it’s only then that he learns the true reason for his return. Drawn again into a world of enemies, dark spirits, and truths hidden behind magic, lies, and old family secrets, he must join forces with a former childhood rival to solve the mysterious disappearance of young girls on the island.

With her adult debut, Rebecca Ross proves herself one of our master world builders and storytellers. This book is a delightful, perfectly-paced read, and will easily become a favorite for readers of fantasy.