The Gift

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful Gift, a Gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadavan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now, she and her teacher Cadavan must survive a punishing and uncertain journey through a time and place where the dark forces they battle stem from the deepest recesses of other-worldly terror. Alison Croggon's epic fantasy about Maerad and her astonishing yet dangerous Gift is a beautiful, unforgettable tale. Steeped in the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world few have yet discovered, it is one of literature's most exciting stories . . .