BY THE MOONBEAM AND THE MIST

Rayna Drey's second year at the Esholian Institute should be spent advancing her Wild Whispering magic that the Good Council bestowed upon her last year.

nfortunately, she can't quite focus on her new classes or enjoy all the parties with her friends. Not when Dyonisia Reeve gave her a single, all-consuming task that she can't refuse: catch Coen Steeler, the murderous pirate who erased her memories three months ago, and hand him in to the Good Council.

Then watch him burn.

When Rayna finally does come face-to-face with Steeler, however, she finds that he's even more of a force to be reckoned with than she anticipated. He's fast. He's strong. And he has a wicked tongueone he knows exactly how to use to unravel her mind. Even with a deeper connection to the jungle and secret training from the lethal tiger Jagaros, Rayna can't yet overpower him.

What she can do is get close to Steeler again and strike when he's least expecting it. But while their forbidden meetings evolve into something that burns fiercer than last year, a sinister force is attacking the Esholian villages around them. If Rayna wants to protect the people she loves, she must team up with the very same Mind Manipulator who is supposed to be her enemy. and try not to fall back in love with him in the process.

Mariah Montoya is the author of BY THE ORCHID AND THE OWL (Book 1). She has always spent her days imagining stories about the fantastical. When she was younger, she'd whisper those stories to her two younger sisters. Now, she tells them to her very patient husband, who reads every word she writes. She is currently working on Book 3. You can follow Mariah's journey on Instagram or TikTok @mariah_author.