Dream Catchers: A Dark Epic Fantasy by Matthew Phen

Perfect for dark fantasy readers who crave a character-driven, neurotic slow-burn with a unique writing style + the found family and aesthetics of Dragon Age and Expedition 33. To save the sister who gave her a home, Celena must return to the nightmare she once escaped from. As a child, Celena managed the impossible by escaping The Darkness: a creature-infested realm that shadows the entire land in fear, and the nightmarish place she once called home. Now adopted by Zoe’s family, Celena finally has a loving sister and a life she’d only dreamed of. But that life is stolen away from Celena when faeries kidnap Zoe, dragging her into The Darkness. Desperate to save her sister, Celena joins a deadly expedition where she meets two companions carrying burdens of their own: Alaric, an idealistic prince who wishes to save his kingdom from The Darkness, yet whose desire to see the good in humanity is tainted by a need for revenge against the man who murdered his childhood-friend. And Legato, a violinist who conjures winter magic through songs of his violin, yet is feared for possessing those very same gifts because people believe that those with magic caused The Darkness in the first place. United at the expedition, Celena, Alaric, and Legato descend into The Darkness. But while each step forward unveils its secrets, so too are they forced to confront a truth that rooted in their connected pasts lies a gruesome cultish conspiracy. So if any of them hope to survive, each of them must accept that those very same things which have brought them together can lead to their undoing. Because what are they willing to sacrifice? And what will they leave behind? Every decision they make for the people they’ve come to love will determine who will make it out alive—lest they succumb to the shadows within themselves.