Night Shine

Nothing is an orphan who has spent sixteen years moving unseen through the empress's palace, where only the Great Demon and Prince Kirin, the heir to the throne, know her well. When Kirin vanishes, Nothing and the prince's bodyguard are convinced the Sorceress Who Eats Girls has taken him. The sorceress has long terrorized the realm but has never before targeted a boy, and Nothing knows more about the prince's secrets than most. While the empress's soldiers search in vain, the two set out through rain forests haunted by demons and past crossroads watched over by spirits.

Their path leads to the Fifth Mountain, the sorceress's stronghold. There Nothing learns that every form of magic demands a payment, and that she may hold more power than she has ever believed. The cost the sorceress sets for Kirin's return could take something Nothing cannot easily spare.

Readers who loved Girls of Paper and Fire or Tess of the Road will find a romantic fantasy with a lush, dangerous setting and a heroine who has to trust her own strength.