The Light That Blinds Us (Descent into Darkness #1)

Teens possessing the power to control the elements become entangled in an epic battle between good and evil in Theo’s propulsive debut. Alexis Michaels spends his entire childhood haunted by visions of the violent Shadow Man until the hallucinations abruptly cease. Now a teen, he tries to move on from the ordeal, attempting to live a normal high school life. With his best friend Demi, Alexis ventures out of town for the first time on a school trip. Alexis has always felt drawn to Demi, perhaps because of the green pendant she wears that seems to match his own blue amulet, a comfort object he’s possessed since he was younger. Arriving at Stonehenge following a detour, Alexis and Demi wander away from their classmates and encounter teenagers Blaise and Caeli carrying similar pendants. As if reacting to the four amulets, the ground inside Stonehenge transforms into a portal that pulls the quartet into a futuristic facility. There, the group meets a great white wolf and human Elemental-wielder Incantus, who reveals that the teens are involved in a prophecy that states they must use their Elemental powers—enhanced by their amulets—to defeat a sinister forthcoming evil. A lushly rendered third-person POV grounded in Alexis’s personal challenges anchors the narrative; lived-in character dynamics and high stakes invest readers from the jump, resulting in an inventive fantasy series launch. Ages 14–up. (Feb.)