AustLit

'War is coming. A war that will finally end the struggle between Kainordas and Fenvarrow, the lands of shadow and light.

'It is foretold that a blue-haired man will be the ultimate victor, and lead his people into a glorious new age of dominance.

'The only problem - there are two of them.

'Bel sets forth to retrieve the Stone of Evenings Mild, his sole chance to reunite with his darker half, Losara ... but the Stone has been stolen by an undead mage of questionable allegiance and is hidden in the lair of an insane dragon. Meanwhile, Losara grows dangerously curious about his other self, and devises a weapon so uncontrollable, it frightens even him.

'How can two men fulfil a fate meant for one? Will this infernal balance persist, or is there a way to bridge destiny's rift?' Source: author's website.

'For a millennium the lands of Kainordas and Fenvarrow have been at war, ever since the gods of shadow and light broke the Great Well of Souls. In the absence of victory, they have settled into an uneasy stalemate - until a prophecy foretells of a child of power who will finally break the balance. Each side races to find the child, and when they do, a battle ensues with unexpected consequences - in a terrible accident, the child's very soul is ripped in two. Each side retreats with their own part of the child, uncertain as to whether they now possess the one capable of finally ending their age-old battle.

'Prophecy's Ruin tells the story of the two boys as they grow to be men. Bel becomes a charismatic though troubled warrior, Losara an enigmatic and thoughtful mage. Both are powerful young men, yet incomplete. As they struggle to discover their place in the world and the shape of their destinies, inevitably each has to ask the ultimate question: will he, one day, have to face himself?' (From the publisher's website.)

'Once there was a gypsy queen who wore on her wrist a chain of six lucky charms - a golden crown, a silver horse, a butterfly caught in amber, a cat's eye shell, a bolt of lightning forged from the heart of a falling star, and the flower of the rue plant, herb of grace. The queen gave each of her six children one of the charms as their lucky talisman, but ever since the chain of charms was broken, the gypsies had been dogged with misfortune.

'It is even worse for the Finch tribe - they have been thrown into gaol with only three weeks to live. The only members of the family to escape are thirteen-year-old Emilia and her cousin Luka, who have been entrusted to find the six charms and bring them together again. What Emilia and Luka do not realise is that there is a price to be paid for each lucky charm, and that the cost may prove too high...' (Publication summary)