Lumara

Gr 7 Up–This novel is set in a world where some are born Mystics and have the ability to use magic. Talia Morris has a heart condition and empties her bank account on a quest to have a powerful Mystic heal her. When this turns out to be a farce, Talia’s distrust of Mystics makes her an activist against magic until she learns that her boyfriend of a year, Nathaniel Wood, has been keeping a secret—he is a Mystic. Pushing the betrayal aside, Talia accepts Nate’s invitation to attend his cousin’s prestigious wedding on Lumara, a well-concealed, magical island where Nate’s mother is the Grand Lumara. Talia hopes that Lillian Wood will be powerful enough to cure her condition. However, once Talia arrives on Lumara, strange dreams and ghostly visitors indicate that Talia and the island are connected in surprising ways. When the wedding party suddenly collapses into an inexplicable coma, Talia is suspected as the culprit, and the circumstances shed light on both Talia and the Wood family that unravel a web of lies, murder, and dark magic. After many twists and turns, readers also discover that Talia is not who she says she is. Landers’s novel is well-paced and balances a plot-driven narrative and fully developed characters. Readers will love this mystery exploring magic, romance, grief, and revenge.