Protector of Beyond 1 | Shara Curlett

Experience fierce magical creatures, perilous trials, and a heroine to root for in this 1st instalment in a new blockbuster fantasy series.

The moment you enter the Arbiter, your fate is sealed. If you spark, you fight! And 12-year-old Elder Triss produces a spark like no other. Transported to the mysterious Beyond, Elder has no choice but to train for battle and compete in deadly trials for the chance to join the Academy of Protectors and fight for her realm.

If Elder has any hope of avoiding the Factory, where those who fail are put to work, she'll have to pair with a magical creature and control her increasingly erratic spark, while building friendships, avoiding enemies, and uncovering secrets. But someone is trying to stop Elder from reaching the academy - and making it out alive . . .

An exciting, fast-paced middle-grade fantasy series full of page-turning adventure, magical flying creatures and dangerous secrets.

Shara Curlett grew up surrounded by stories, from her mum's bedtime reads to her dad's whimsical space adventures. She wrote her first 'novels' at ten and rediscovered her passion for writing in 2016, completing two full-length manuscripts. A lifelong fantasy fan, she now writes to spark imagination in young readers, believing creativity fosters resilience. Shara lives on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast with her husband, two kids, two dogs, and a dragon (bearded, but she's still claiming it).