• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Years have passed since the conclusion of the prequel to this book, Nightwalker. Maurey, fully grown and a leader in his own right, finds himself pulled from his quest across the sea to protect a young princess whose life has been thrown into turmoil following her brother's murder. Princess Eleanor is determined to thwart her mother's misguided efforts to marry her off to her cousin. But even if she succeeds, her father remains a prisoner in Eswy castle, and a mysterious symbol shows up over and over again, pointing to some sort of plot against Eleanor and the kingdom. To achieve freedom, Eleanor and Maurey must work together and Eleanor must find her power.

K.V. Johansen has Master's Degrees in Medieval Studies and in English. Her main scholarly interests are ancient and medieval history and languages, and the history of children's fantasy literature. She held the 2001 Eileen Wallace Research Fellowship in Children's Literature from the Eileen Wallace Collection at the University of New Brunswick. She also received the 2004 Frances E. Russell Award for research in children's literature from the Canadian section of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People. Johansen received the Canadian Authors' Association 2006 Lilla Stirling Award; she has had fiction titles nominated for the Silver Birch Award, the Diamond Willow Award, shortlisted for the Canadian Association of Children's Librarians Book of the Year for Children Award, and included on the Ontario Library Association's "Best Bets Top Ten List" and Voya's "Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror" list. Her adult non-fiction book Quests and Kingdoms: A Grown-Up's Guide to Children's Fantasy Literature, has been highly praised internationally and was shortlisted for the 2006 Harvey Darton Award in the UK.
She has an arboretum in her backyard, grows exotic trees indoors, watches a lot of anime, and should probably have been an eighteenth-century landscape gardener. Visit her website: www.pippin.ca.

K.V. Johansen's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books
• Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"

"The sequel to Nightwalker may be even better than the first book! Johansen continues to impress me with her gift of storytelling."

TeensReadToo.com

"Every bit as good as Nightwalker. Highly recommended."

CM Magazine

"The story switches back and forth in each chapter, with Korby and Eleanor narrating their own adventures and experiences. This lends a sense of immediacy to the action, and makes for a gripping read...[This series] packs a lot of plot-driven punch. I am looking forward to the third installment."

Mad Tales blog

"The characters are well developed and individual, even the villains, and the action is compelling."

KLIATT

"Blending history, romance and humor, K.V. Johansen spins a tale of treachery and triumph that will delight her fans and earn her new ones."

The Brandon Sun

Treason in Eswy (Warlocks of Talverdin)