Description:

For centuries, the Irenthi have ruled Chandris: the island where a race of shapechangers draw on a mountain’s energy to enable their abilities. Sylas is a shapechanger. Or rather, he shows the signs. After a year of studying, changing still eludes him. When he's on the brink of being sent back to a short, hard life in the mines of Chandris's ash desert, the changers’ most notable healer offers him an apprenticeship. He can’t miss this opportunity, though it means leaving his ambitious and possessive lover behind. But trouble is brewing. Sylas’s usually peaceful Chesammos race are in revolt, his lover’s people are their hated oppressors, and the shape-changers are caught in the middle. No matter what, Sylas will be seen as a traitor: to his king; to his lover; to his people. As conflict approaches, his loyalties are divided. But will he side with the Chesammos, the shapechangers, or turn aside from both for his lover's sake? Traditional fantasy, with a compelling magic system, and complex, relatable characters. **“It's easy to care about the hero - a sensitive, thoughtful young man, not your usual whiny, foolish fiction-teenager.”** **“…a book that I literally could not bring myself to put down.”**