Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to.

She and her assistant Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire's precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city's elite. But a revolution is brewing, and when the library goes up in flames Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy - and very handsome - neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks - the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .