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Trial by fire
374 pages
A thrilling plunge into a dark, alternate-universe Salem where physical vulnerability transforms into staggering, dangerous magical power.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping through a mirror into a darker, more dangerous version of reality. It begins with the suffocating frustration of physical vulnerability before exploding into a high-stakes, magic-fueled adventure. The atmosphere is tense and crackling with elemental energy, grounding its fantastical world-building in intense, relatable teenage angst and a swoon-worthy, complicated romance. The narrative moves at a brisk, cinematic clip, pulling you through a landscape of terrifying creatures and morally gray power struggles. It is an incredibly satisfying power-fantasy that explores the duality of human nature—who we are versus who we could be under different circumstances. Fans of portal fantasies and dramatic, star-crossed love stories will devour this atmospheric, emotionally charged escape.
- Mood
- tense
- magical
- atmospheric
- darkly enchanting
- Tone
- earnest
- dramatic
- angsty
- romantic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- chronic illness to empowerment · the burden of power · alternate identities · star-crossed romance · finding inner strength
- The writing
- Accessible and emotionally driven, with vivid, cinematic descriptions that bring a dark, alternate reality to life.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from a place of suffocating physical vulnerability and social humiliation to a state of staggering, albeit conflicted, magical empowerment.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave 2010s-era YA portal fantasies featuring intense romantic subplots, alternate dimensions, and heroines discovering their hidden, dangerous potential.
Content notes
- chronic illness and medical emergencies
- bullying
- violence
- mild sexual situations
About the book
In her hometown of Salem Lily Proctor endures not only life-threatening allergies but humiliation at her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But in a different Salem -- one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles, she is Lillian, the strongest and cruelest Crucible... Lily's other self in an alternate universe that Lily suddenly finds herself where she is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.
Once meek and tormented by debilitating allergies, Lily Proctor is transported to an alternate universe and becomes a staggeringly powerful witch. The plot contains mild profanity, sexual situations, and violence. Book #1
Description from Open Library.
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