In Brannland, small, elite cadres of teenage knights defend the people against the terrifying shadow beasts that roam between gloaming and dawn. Even though Nora Kemp was identified at 7 as one of the rare immune children eligible to become knights, her father refused to let her join the MacAskill Orders. Then he was killed by a beast. Now 12, Nora finds her life changed forever when she successfully defends her mum against a pair of the giant spiders known as Aranea umbrae and is whisked into service as a knight despite her total lack of training. At Noye's Hill, the castle that serves as the Orders' headquarters, Nora displays uncanny raw talent in simulated battle (nurtured in part by her hours of video game play) and is appointed to the Order of the Hawk. The novel's formula is cozy and familiar: Nora faces initial hostility within her Order but quickly proves herself, for instance. Its brittle worldbuilding (names point to a Brannland that is as robustly multicultural as its analog, Britain, but there's no sense of a world beyond its borders) and arbitrary plotting (Nora's sponsor easily allows her to bring forbidden personal items into Noye's Hill), however, require tolerant readers. Magras' warm character development and keen sense of pacing help. Nora presents White; her fellow knights are a diverse bunch and include a trans girl who uses hearing aids and a Muslim boy with two hijabi mums. Absorbing action eases readers over the bumps. (map) (Fantasy. 10-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

As one of the increasingly few children immune to the lethal venom of the Brannland-terrorizing Umbrae--also called Shadow Beasts for their ability to transform into shadow--Nora Kemp should have started training as a knight of the MacAskill Orders at age seven, but her father refused. Now 12, the traditional age of knighthood, cued-white Nora lives with her mother in a farmhouse following her father's Beast-related death. When she nearly loses her mother to an attack of massive spiderlike Umbrae, Nora at long last contacts the Orders, trading a relatively straightforward adolescence for a young life of slaying and fighting. Despite her lack of training or experience, Nora's unprecedented skill at battling the Umbrae swiftly earns her a place in the top-rated Order of the Hawk. Out in the field, Nora quickly bonds with her newfound companions, and proves adept at wielding a MacAskill Iron axe, but a revelation about the Umbrae's intense recent spawning ups the stakes. Though the plotting and worldbuilding at times feel nebulous, Magras's (The Mad Wolf's Daughter) incidentally inclusive cast and its strengthening camaraderie make for an emotionally rich, character-driven contemporary fantasy. Ages 9--12. Agent: Adriann Ranta Zurhellen, Folio Literary. (June)

Percy Jackson meets The Witcher in this fast-paced middle-grade fantasy filled with creatures of the night. Brannland has been overrun by Shadow Beasts, or Umbrae, who come out at night and whose attacks are quick and deadly. Only young knights immune to Umbrae venom are able to fight them, and they train for years to do so. After an Umbrae kills her father and attacks her and her mother, immune 12-year-old Nora decides to join the knights and help fight the shadow beasts. With no formal training, Nora has a rough start, but her natural talent and courage help her prove that she has what it takes to be a knight. As she trains, the knights become close friends and begin to search for answers as to why so many Umbrae are appearing. Nora proves to be an endearing and courageous protagonist, even as she struggles with loss and the initial friction with her team, and readers will be equally enchanted by the world of Brannland and the mythology behind the Umbrae. A thrilling fantasy.