Eleven-year-old Vanya Vallen has always felt like she doesn’t fit in. She’s British-Indian in a mostly white part of England, her parents won’t talk about their pasts, and her brain seems to work differently from other people’s. Oh, and she talks to books. More importantly, the books talk back. When her family is attacked by a monster she believed only existed in fairytales, Vanya discovers that her parents have secrets, and that there are a lot more monsters out there. Overnight, she’s whisked off to Auramere, an enchanted library and school where Vanya trains to join the ranks of monster-hunters and archivists. Life at Auramere is unexpected, exciting and glorious. But even here, there’s no escaping the monsters. The mysterious, powerful Wild Hunt is on the prowl, and Vanya will need all her creativity and courage to unmask its cruel leader and stop them before they destroy the only place she’s ever truly belonged.