Nox Winters and the Stygian Serpent (Nox Winters Chronicles, 2)

The second book in a rich, eerie middle grade fantasy duology full of magic, monsters, and miles and miles of untamed forest, from Rochelle Hassan, author of The Prince of Nowhere. Perfect for fans of Over the Garden Wall and Serafina and the Black Cloak.

After Nox’s narrow escape from the Nightwood last fall, he had no intention of ever returning. It doesn’t matter that he’s a Keeper of Night, destined to guard and rule over the forest. He never wanted the title or the power; it wasn’t his choice, so as far as he’s concerned, it’s not his problem.

But when an old friend comes to Nox for help, he can’t refuse. He agrees to go back to the Nightwood one more time, a decision that sends him on a harrowing journey into the mountains at the edge of the forest. There, he and his friends fall prey to a trickster deity of good fortune, whose games they must win if they want to survive. But victory may require Nox to do the one thing he swore he wouldn’t—accept his magical inheritance and the responsibility that comes with it.

Nox might be ready to put the Nightwood behind him. But the Nightwood isn’t ready to let him go.