The Fight for Balanced Magic

The Statera Cycle #3

by E.R. Munley, Ruth Sanger

Four months, seventeen days.
Wren had been too distracted to count the exact hours since Lily’s capture,
but she could probably ask Ricky for specifics if necessary.

When the Guardians of Statera arrived in Turkey, their only thoughts were of reassembling Statera—the ancient staff representing the unity of magic—and restoring balance to the world of magic. They had traveled the world collecting the pieces and rituals to complete the task. They didn’t expect to emerge from the spell to the chaos of an Arsa siege. In an effort to save her friends, Lily Zuo made the decision to flee with Statera, resulting in her capture by the enemy forces.

Months passed and every effort made to rescue Lily from Arsa have resulted in failure. Wren Byrne and Ricky Lee, alongside Absalom Peres, Karina Hasanov, and Javier Moreno, will race across the country to try and find her. Balancing the search for Lily with the building of alliances has the team struggling to stay one step ahead.

With Statera in the hands of Arsa, the Guardians and their protectors will be faced with their most dangerous challenge. Beside their allies, they must stand their ground in a final battle against Galiena Lear and her forces.

There’s only one thing left to do
Fight for Balanced Magic.

338 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2023

About the author

E.R. Munley has been crafting stories since she was able to tell them. An avid reader and advocate, she has been working for over a decade to build young readers as a high school English teacher in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. All things considered, becoming a published author herself was almost inevitable.

Having grown up in the Baltimore Metro Area, she is an avid fan of the Orioles and Ravens, no matter the number of heart attacks or heartbreaks. When she isn't writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband (though she is a devoted indoor cat) or snuggling up with her dogs.

Reviews

[Katie Schramm]

I am really pleased with how this series ended. I think the authors had enough of a world built for a fourth book, which is part of why I know I will read this again someday. They have laid out plenty of opportunities for spin offs, especially with Wren and Absalom (*wink wink*.) The reader really benefits from the deeper insight into characters and their relationships in this book in particular. The final action came after a good deal of build up, but the story did not feel long and drawn out. The end feels as exciting as I hoped! If I could make one recommendation to readers it would be to pick the series up now and crank straight through all three books. Because I broke up the reading so much (master’s thesis and all) I lost track of some of the characters, and I don’t think every moment with characters other than the mains always hit for me because of that. Silly me- I didn’t notice the magical index until the end, so make use of that as you need to. Great work, and thank you to the authors for this story!

[Hella]

This book has everything, high-stakes fantasy, deep friendships, and unforgettable characters. The Guardians of Statera feel so real, and the story’s pacing kept me on edge the entire time. The final showdown against Galiena Lear was intense and beautifully written. Truly a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling!

[Susan]

Interesting twist on fantasy.