Rhamey draws a realistic and sympathetic portrait of the uses and consequences of magic in this contemporary urban fantasy. On a wintry night in Chicago, Gabe River rescues a suicidal Latina teenager who’s freezing to death in the snow. Then her face flickers and she’s revealed to be a white woman. She also displays a shocking ability to communicate with his autistic son and can even heal his injured horse. She is Annie, a centuries-old member of a clan of beings who manipulate life energy to heal or harm. Annie is running from K.B. Volmer, a sadistic Homeland Security agent who believes her to be a terrorist, and from Clanmaster Drago, her grief-stricken father-in-law, who blames her for the death of his son. Drago vows to wipe out humankind by manipulating DNA to create a fast-acting infectious disease, and Annie must alert the other clans to Drago’s plans. Rhamey focuses as much on his racially diverse characters’ emotions and goals as on the intricacies of magical properties, crafting a solid paranormal story with an epic feel. (BookLife)