Thorn has lived her life in the shadow of her twin sister, Brier. While Brier is a talented harvester of lightning bolts—which power the weapons the Vale’s soldiers use to keep the monstrous Gulgot at bay—Thorn is just a . . . gutter sweep. But the lightning is getting harder to find, even for the girl with lightning in her veins. And that means the Gulgot is climbing closer and closer to the surface—more and more darkness is spilling into the Vale. If he reaches the top of the Break, the land will be lost. Queen Celestyna is only a few years older than Thorn and Brier, but she is supposed to be the Mender of the Break. She is supposed to save the Vale. She carries the spell that has kept them safe for this long—but it's beginning to feel more like a curse. When Brier is struck by an unusual bolt of lightning, Thorn must take her place answering the queen’s summons. And then Thorn is sent—on Brier’s unicorn, with five guards—on a quest to find more lightning, beyond the Break, across the valley full of dark, evil shadows. Quiet, artistic, meek Thorn. But she’s stronger than she knows, and this quest will reveal a shocking secret: The lightning they’ve been harvesting isn’t natural. Each bolt has a witch inside, trapped there since the Break was formed. Now Thorn has a new goal—free the storm witches and save the Vale. To do it, she’ll need the help of Quicksilver Foxheart, a legendary witch from the Star Lands. And in the end, they may find that the monster they’ve been fighting isn’t their true enemy at all. New York Times–bestselling author Claire Legrand creates an intricate and layered world, full of unicorns, witches, mistbirds, grifflets—and unlikely heroes. This stand-alone companion to Foxheart explores what it means to be brave and the destruction of war on nature and community—while remaining an accessible, driving adventure. Unforgettable and surprising, Thornlight is a perfect introduction to Claire Legrand’s work, and will appeal to fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Kelly Barnhill, and Jessica Townsend.