Fans of urban fantasy with a strong female lead will enjoy this series launch. The realm populated by immortals, such as vampires, was once entangled with the human realm, but the two are now mostly separate. Seahaven, Wash., is one of the few places where the realms meet, and the rifts that can be created there irrevocably change the magical balance of the universe. Winter Mulcahy is the sole remaining member of her wizarding family who’s able to restore that balance, and she struggles to preserve law and justice in her city. With Seahaven closer to chaos than ever, Winter must confront a major new threat when she learns of a powerful being’s plan to end the “time of hiding,” revealing the existence of immortal beings to the mass of humans as a prelude to unprecedented bloodshed. Lowan grounds her imagined world in reality by inserting preternatural entities’ power plays, such as land grabs, into the backstory, and her thoughtful characterizations suggest she’ll likely be able to deepen her familiar series concept in future installments. This is a very capable start to the series. (BookLife)