The Sleepless (The Sleepless #1)

An unlikely trio becomes entangled in the machinations of capricious gods in this ambitious duology opener by Williams (Titanchild). As a child, orphaned human Elver is sacrificed by a mage to deity the Bloody Claw. Saved by the Queen of Serpents, Elver is then transformed by her rescuer into a monster with poisonous skin and charged with protecting the mythical Jih Forest. Now 17, Elver is content with her role separated from others, until a stranger—Artair—trespasses on her domain. Artair is one of the Sleepless, a monk whose body becomes possessed by an enigmatic spirit while he sleeps. When a mage serving the Bloody Claw invades Artair’s monastery home and kidnaps his peers, Artair is forced to steal a foxlike cub from the Jih Forest as ransom. Commanded by the Queen of Serpents to retrieve the cub, Elver makes a deal with Artair to travel with him and save his friends before returning the cub home. But the being inhabiting Artair—an amnesiac spirit named Lucian—has his own mission, for which he intends to recruit Elver. Refined omniscient third-person narration deftly conveys a complexly wrought world shaped by divine manipulation and populated by eerie, inventive creatures, while slow-burning romantic elements simmer in the background. The trio read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Mushens Entertainment. (Sept.)