Within This Darkness
By Chris Tomasini

This book centers around sisters who immigrated to Douro, Canada during World War I from Poland. The Obara sisters – Katryn, Eva, Dorota, Agata and Magda – have magical powers which travel through bloodlines to family members in following generations. This is the first book of a trilogy that is considered a young adult series.

The power these sisters share allows them to do basically anything they can imagine. They can physically translate themselves to any place they can visualize. They can create things – clothes, food, and whatever else they need. They can even transport others if they are in physical contact.
The only thing they can't do is to interact with others, called walkers, because they are unable to "find" them mentally.

This is a very interesting story. It takes place in 2017, several generations after the original sisters are long dead. Anne and Jeremy Gardela, siblings, together with their Aunt Kasia, are the last remaining descendants of the original Obara sisters. Anne has just discovered her powers and is experimenting, when she is killed in a horrific car accident. Jeremy does not know about the family's magical history, but is deep in his grief for his sister.

Kasia, elderly and wheelchair bound, is visited by a man named Shambling, who has spent his life obsessed with the Obaras and their abilities. He wants to capture the remaining family members – but Kasia realizes he is a dangerous man. She will give him nothing. Thus the chase is on.

This book sets up the scene for the following two volumes. The cast of characters is introduced – including the wolves who play a large part in the story. The potential villains – another magical family in league with Hitler and the Nazis – has made an appearance. Now all that is left, after whetting the reader's appetite, is to wait for the second volume!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.