Lankow, Emily- Riftrider: Fall of the Enclave

Loss is agony, but it is also where we find our greatest strengths.

After her recent job goes terribly wrong, nineteen-year-old Monica is forced to make a quick escape in order to keep from losing the magical artifact she was sent to retrieve; a coveted dagger with the rare ability to open rifts between locations, including other realms. The split-second decision to use the dagger’s magic to escape a perilous pursuit lands Monica in the magical realm of Vhalta, along with an accidental tagalong; a human teenage boy named Finn. Things only get worse when Monica discovers the dagger missing upon their arrival, leaving the two of them stranded.
While Finn becomes enchanted by the fantastical creatures and incredible magic of Vhalta, Monica is haunted by the terrible truth of this place. Much of the realm is governed by The Enclave, a group of radical magic wielders who loathe humans and will turn any who are unfortunate enough to cross their paths into slaves or corpses, a fact that Monica’s mother and twin brother learned the hard way.
Now with her fragile human friend in tow, Monica knows she must find a way to send him home before he suffers the same fate. But her boss has other plans for them. Will Monica be able to find a way to return Finn to his own world, or will her boss’ treacherous plans make her lose Finn too?