Crown of the Ancients

Twelve-year-old Briana Jacobs thought seeing ghosts was the weirdest part of her life. She was wrong. When a desperate spirit pleads for help, Briana is thrust into a world hidden just beneath our own-a world where magic is real, ghosts are hunted, and ancient powers have begun to stir. She learns she is niaju, a rare type of magic wielder who can walk between the realms of the living and the dead. With the help of her best friend Jana, a sarcastic sprite named Woody, and the wisdom of her great-grandmother Kaya, Briana begins to uncover a terrifying truth: something dark is returning. A crown lost to legend. A war long forgotten. And a dangerous figure named Lord Draven, who seeks to rip the boundary between worlds apart. To stop him, Briana must journey through enchanted marketplaces, face cursed beasts, and help end a war between unicorns and dragons. Along the way, she meets powerful allies and terrifying enemies, confronts painful secrets, and discovers just how heavy the weight of destiny can be-especially for someone who still has homework due Monday. But Briana isn't alone. The strength of her ancestors flows through her veins. And while she may not have asked for this fight, she refuses to let the world fall into darkness. Can a girl who's still figuring herself out become the one to save us all?