Creation - Evelyn M. Exley

"To belong, she must become-with the gift that made her different."

Pint's gift has always set her apart. In a family where community and practicality are valued above all, her need to create-secretly, relentlessly- is met with growing resistance. Unknown to them, she has long spoken with a boy named Farthing who lives in a place called Alameth-and heard the quiet voice of its King, who once promised she would be tested for entrance into his Hidden Kingdom.

When a door opens at the mysterious and storied Finnerty Chateau, she takes a step-not just into the unknown, but into the deep myth she's carried her whole life. Her world opens in unexpected ways: there are others like her-artists with rare and radiant gifts-and the Chateau's enigmatic master seems to know who she is before she does.

As Pint is slowly renamed "Creation," she navigates a series of trials she doesn't fully understand-quiet crucibles hidden in the folds of ordinary life, yet which seem to carry unseen weight. All the while, a Kingdom beyond this world calls to her, watching to see what will emerge when the soul is tested.

**Creation offers a mythic, allegorical coming-of-age for those who've always felt set apart. A wondrous fantasy tale of the artist's journey-the temptations that lure them, the longing that fuels them, and the Kingdom that keeps calling them home.