Cat Weatherill

Irenee Sabel is a good witch, a sophisticated beauty, a member of Chicago’s old-money elite, and a defender of an ancient code of ethics that prohibits the indiscriminate use of power attached to magical possessions. Responsible for confiscating and destroying hidden relics of the sorcery realm still employed by practitioners of the craft for self-centered reasons, she attends an aging warlock’s gala party to burglarize his safe in search of an item of mystical mayhem. But when undercover agent Jim Tylan interrupts her break-in with an undisclosed search warrant from the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, she finds herself not only launched into an escapade after pieces of a legendary evil object but also thrown together with the agent destined to be her soul mate.

One pale wooden girl stands on the shore of Black Sand Bay, where the sea meets the sky and the wind meets the water. But Snowbone knows that she and her wooden friends can't stay here forever. Something is happening deep within the forest. Something--someone--that must be stopped. Determined to save the Ashenpeakers from a dark destiny, Snowbone leads her gang of wooden tiddlins on a perilous chase--on the heels of human slave traders. They encounter feathered flying machines, a mystifying ancient prophecy, a looming volcano, and hungry cannibals. Snowbone, strong and courageous (and a bit stubborn), urges them on, while learning what it means to be a good leader.In a companion novel to Barkbelly, Cat Weatherill weaves another magical tale about the world of Ashenpeake and its lovable wooden heroes.From the Hardcover edition.