The Seven Lands of Velspar put their faith in the Intercessors, a psychic priesthood responsible for the purification of the spirit. Where passion flares, they soothe its intent. Those who cannot be soothed, are cast out, their spirits destroyed by fire. The Intercessors are mystics of the highest order, but Velspar’s ruling Skalens believe their power has grown too great. Surviving the Intercessor’s murder plot against her family, Sybilla Ladain rises to power. The Skalens come together under the banner of her grief, bringing the practice of Intercession to its brutal, bloody end. Yet victory brings Sybilla no peace. In time, she will have to face the people of Velspar, forced to live in a psychically alienated world, and a band of rebels led by an escaped Intercessor set on her annihilation. "An enveloping epic in a strikingly harsh world." KIRKUS REVIEW "Gorgeous, vivid, enchanting; and dark. A troubled woman rises to power to avenge her family in this impressive fantasy by Balstrup. The Seven Lands of Velspar, ruled by an elite class called the Skalens, have always put their faith in the Intercessors, the mystics of the highest order responsible for purification of the spirit. But with the Intercessors gradually gaining in power, the Skalens begin to feel threatened. When an unsettling event initiated by the Intercessors brings a great tragedy in the fierce Sybilla Ladain's life, she knows she must gather her strength and fight the priesthood. This absorbing fantasy builds tension and suspense by alternating among the perspectives of several characters, with Sybilla at the center. Told in present tense with the hypnotic cadence of fairy tales, the carefully impersonal third-person narrative in alternating voices keeps readers invested. Establishing from the beginning that something tragic happened in Sybilla's life elevates the overarching plot from a straightforward revenge tale into a complex intrigue about motivation and belief. Balstrup treats Sybilla's troubled journey sincerely and sensitively. Though the fantastical elements remain vague, Balstrup ably conjures a magical world of rituals and traditions immersed in magic and her characters, among them the righteous but draconian Skalens, the ruler class, and the psychic priesthood, are skillfully sketched. There are many conflicts that shape the story but the most significant one is religion, with the relentless power game between the Skalens and the rebels at play. Foreshadowing sets up the heart-wrenching episodes later in the narrative along with the satisfying ending. Heartbreaking and yet heartening, this is a lush fantasy rooted in personal belief versus religion." THE PRAIRIES BOOK REVIEW "Balstrup's ambitious, accomplished debut brings rare imaginative power and rigor to religion, ritual, and holy war in fantasy, introducing a fascinating world of faith and fire while continually challenging—and rewarding—genre expectations. The story builds early to conflagration and revolution, with the holy order of Intercessors attacking a ruling family after its ruling head, who holds the position of Skalen, commits pointed heresy by urging rejection of the Intercessors' authority. In one of Balstrup's many bursts of rousing and inventive language, Reyan Terech thunders that the visions of the First Diviner said nothing about Intercessors, white-robed psychics who "purify" spirits through fire. Taking on the fervent and psychically gifted, though, comes with a cost, and soon holy fire rains down. In the aftermath, it's daughter Sybilla who is Skalen. Readers might expect that her efforts to avenge her family and end the rule of the Intercessors will drive the book, but Balstrup's interest isn't the usual heroic violence of epic fantasy—instead, it's in rich questions of power and belief, the weight of leadership, and what comes after a hard-won victory that tears a civilization apart. The narrative vaults ahead in time as Sybilla faces hard choices, rebellion, and a faith that will not die. The seriousness with which Balstrup presents that faith sets this singular series-starter apart just as surely as its polished prose, mature themes, and unconventional structure. Balstrup has conjured up gorgeous, creepy holy texts, chants, rituals, and prayers, the depiction attentive to how faiths adapt over time, how they draw from and distort older belief systems, and—crucially—what they mean in the lives of adherents. The Way of Unity boasts weird magic, original creatures, flights of horror and beauty, and a thirty-year sweep that builds to an enticing promise of more. The book's long and sometimes demanding, but readers who favor fantasy of literary ambition with fully imagined lives and beliefs will find this a feast. Takeaway: This standout dark fantasy debut takes on rich questions of faith, fire, rebellion, and power. Great for fans of: Tamsyn Muir, Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires ." BOOKLIFE [Editor's Pick] Sarah K. Balstrup i