Adventure Fantasy Books for Teens:
The Castors of Wrynford Saga
The series begins with Whisper of Weapons, but all five books contain magic potions, animal familiars, a high-stakes confrontations, and sweet no-spice romance! It's about a barely upper-class castor named Mella striving to produce the best animal familiar so she can win the Castling Competition and save her family's fortune. When everything goes wrong and she falls on the kindness of strangers and an illegal animal familiar, she learns that social status may not really be what's worth fighting for.
Told from four points of view (Mella, an undercover boy with a hopeless crush, the princess ex-friend Mella's now competing against, and an introverted castor who prefers working at the library to training with his cohort), Whisper of Weapons is a story of found family, corrupt leadership dethroned, and the kinds of friends worth fighting for—even to the death.
The Castors of Wrynford Saga: Five Adventure Fantasy Books
"A unique, enthralling concept gorgeously executed, populated with characters you’ll want to root for and set in an iridescently enchanting world you won’t want to leave. The perfect read for fantasy fans and animal lovers alike!"
—Chelsea Bobulski, author of The Wood and Remember Me
"Fans of The Hunger Games and Eragon will love this story of world-changing teens and their talking animal companions! Full of sweet romance, captivating found-family dynamics, and the best character journeys, Whisper of Weapons is guaranteed to hook readers of all ages. You won't be able to put this book down!"
—R. Dugan, author of The Starchaser Saga and Tales of Wonder and Woe
"Whisper of Weapons, a delightfully fun and captivating fantasy, has all the right elements to keep readers turning those pages! This deftly woven tale of found family, loyal animal companions, and courage against all odds will be your new favorite!"
—Kim Chance, award-winning author of Keeper & Seeker
Book 1: Whisper of Weapons
If she succeeds, the life of her dreams is within reach. If she fails, she loses everything.
Sixteen-year-old Mella's future among the aristocracy of her medieval city rests on a single test to produce a strong and beautiful animal familiar. However, when she fails to produce any creature at all, she loses everything in one crushing blow.
But then she gets a second chance.
Working with teenagers from the lowliest of places, Mella begins to learn that status isn’t everything. With their help, she trains an impressive avian in the shadows and passes her off as her familiar.
She’s constantly terrified someone might realize the creature isn’t what she seems.
If they’re caught, the avian’s life will be forfeit and Mella will lose her new friends and the last hope of a future she has left.
If you like cutthroat competitions, medieval settings, and found family, you’ll love Whisper of Weapons!
With magic potions going wrong, opinionated animal familiars disappearing at the most inconvenient times, and stiff competition for the upcoming tournament, this adventure fantasy book has it all!
Did I mention there's also a ballroom scene? It's my favorite scene in the whole book, and many readers agree!
Featuring a diverse ensemble cast and told from four points of view (including one neurodivergent character), Whisper of Weapons will keep you turning page after page.
You can read the first two chapters for free right now!
Book 2: House of Hybrids
Can her sixth sense for romance finally help her find the love she longs for, or will it only end in heartbreak?
Skilled violinist and castor, Reenalyn of Wrynford, has it all—a nice job at an instrument repair shop, a winning animal familiar, and close, supportive friends. But she’s also got a headache from all the love in the air.
Everyone’s always falling in love. But never with her.
When a friend’s animal familiar goes missing and she and the others travel to a neighboring kingdom to rescue them, Reenalyn stumbles into the love-at-first sight she’s always longed for—dreamy, dashing, and even taller than her.
But Morrenfayre has more to hide than a missing animal. As they uncover details of a queen’s plot decades in the making, more questions than answers come to light, challenging everything they know about their familiars and everything Reenalyn knows about love.
One mistake, and Reenalyn could lose her own familiar and her heart forever.
If you like fierce female friendships, mistaken identity with a magic twist, and the ending of Tall Girl, you’ll love House of Hybrids, the second book in the Castors of Wrynford Saga!
Trek across the country with the Castors of Wrynford in this adventure fantasy book as they encounter long-forgotten potions and wild spells. Gaze at the magic desert garden and admire the plants and butterflies. And keep an eye out for budding romances!
House of Hybrids is also told from four points of view, but we swap one of the originals out for Reenalyn, who's the main-most character of this book.
Fossil magic, hybrid castlings, and a few new characters join the Castors of Wrynford in a quest against time to save one of their own before it's too late.
Grab signed copies while I have them in stock!
Book 3: Fury of Fossils Coming 2025
She just wants the freedom to make her own choices. Not the responsibility of choosing for anyone else.
Selverine Merrandil has never wanted to rule anything. And she’s still not going to. But facing the mess the queen left in Morrenfayre, she chooses to stay and help, even though the royal coffers are empty. If Acres and his endearing bookishness and distracting kindness would get out of her way, that would be great.
When delegates from a neighboring country arrive and offer an enormous sum of money in exchange for the kingdom’s worthless fossil resource, it seems that helping her people will be easier than she thought.
But then her friends in the manor start petrifying like the Avian Army, and the fruitless search for a remedy throws Selverine and Acres together over and over. Which doesn’t help her focus on the task at hand.
When Selverine discovers there’s more to the fossils than she thought and she can’t risk handing them to the enemy even for enough money to save Morrenfayre, they make increasingly hostile demands with more dire consequences for failing to meet them.
With the discovery of a spell from her family that answers one question but raises another, Selverine must choose between condemning all three kingdoms, or risking Acres’s life.
If you enjoy mutual pining, magic fossils, and a mean girl’s redemption arc, you’ll love Fury of Fossils, book three in the Castors of Wrynford Saga!
More Adventure Fantasy Books Coming Soon! Castors of Wrynford 4 & 5
Each adventure fantasy book in the Castors of Wrynford Saga has multiple POVs and centers around one of the five main female characters in Whisper of Weapons. Trinka and Willova each get their turns in the last books, and I can't wait for you to fall in love with their voices as the story of the Castors of Wrynford continues!