COMPLETE STORY Isolated because of what she is--because of the power she holds inside--Astrid longs for contact with another human being. Her well-intentioned mother locks her away from society in order to protect her from an evil that seeks to use Astrid's abilities for his own means. But the resulting loneliness drives Astrid deeper into the shadowwalk--a power she is forbidden to use, a magic that lands her directly into the arms of the Shadow.