When 13-year-old Connor’s shadow is stolen, he has only three days to venture into the Shadowlands and retrieve it or lose himself forever. The Shadow Police are overworked, corrupt, and ill-equipped to help, leaving Connor to navigate a disintegrating world ruled by deceit and betrayal. It is a place of hunger and discomfort where even the sun is little more than a dying coal in the sky, and ash falls like snow over petrified forests.
Despite the dangers, Connor learns there is good in the Shadowlands: friends who will help him, fathers desperate to save their sons, creatures who might be kinder than they look. But looming over it all is the Neverborn Thief ... an enemy Connor neither understands nor knows how to defeat.
Will Connor find the strength to become whole again, or will he fade into the shadows that threaten to swallow him?
“The Neverborn Thief pulls readers into a realm where shadows are both currency and curse. Najberg's vivid world-building and deeply drawn characters illuminate every page. It's a story of redemption that proves even in the darkest shadows, courage and compassion find a way to shine.”
“With The Neverborn Thief, Najberg has crafted a tale brimming with invention, nuanced social commentary, and memorable characters. Sinister intrigue and high adventure abound, the eerie world of The Shadowlands positively sparkles.”
“Equal parts dark portal fantasy, mystery, and adventure in the vein of Tales of Earthsea and Narnia. Najberg crafts a wonderful coming of age tale that explores the things we lose and gain with age, the burdens and responsibilities we must carry, where the Shadowlands is a metaphor for the murky navigations through adulthood and the lessons it holds: truths, lies, and the in-between. This book brings us on a journey of lessons and teachings through stories, of how to be resilient and remaining hopeful, knowing when to ask for help, and the lessons that we must learn alone. At its heart is a story of injustice, corruption, and the kind hearts that shine through it all.”
