In the Shadows of the Light
Part 1 of the In Dark and Light Series
Elvira Groenendijk
YA FANTASY | YOUNG ADULT | FANTASY | FICTION
Product Details
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: August 24, 2025
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Ebook
ISBN: PB: 979-8296544667; HB: 979-8296545046
Trim Size: 6 × 9
Page Count: 321
Buy the Book
In a world where Shadows reign, only one carries the last spark of hope. However, to restore balance in the realm, she must face her inner darkness. Will she be able to follow in the footsteps of a great sorcerer and uncover the ancient secrets?
Dive into this psychological fantasy, which serves as an allegory of depression and finding hope.
Thousands of years ago, a powerful sorcerer named Merva created a magic stone of sinister energy while attempting to extract the darkness surrounding him. A catastrophe unfolded that not only resulted in the stone’s magic becoming too powerful and deadly but also in the creation of a dark and powerful entity.
Determined to restore the balance, he created the Core Stone and brought equilibrium back to the world, but the secrets of its creation were lost to time. Now, the Core Stone is stolen and destroyed, the elven city of Ollnahone slowly becomes poisoned with malevolent magic, and the realm is in danger once more.
Born and raised in the city, the elf Valira has watched her homeland slowly wither away. Desperate, her people decide that they must divide to survive: one group stays to defend the city, one seeks knowledge in the mountains, and one moves to the safety of the caves. But these caves are more than a sanctuary. Here, Valira discovers secrets hidden deep within that could change the fate of the realm. Transformed by this discovery, she follows in the long-lost footsteps of Merva to rescue her realm from drowning in the darkness. Though she can lean on some of the odd creatures and scraps of forgotten knowledge Merva left scattered in the realm, Valira must overcome her own darkness within her to restore the balance of the light.
In the Shadows of the Light is a richly imagined and dramatic YA fantasy adventure about balance, inheritance, and courage, where the fate of the world rests not with kings or heroes, but with one girl brave enough to step into the dark and keep going.
Perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone, Graceling, The Bone Witch, and An Ember in the Ashes.
About the Author
Elvira is an author who was born in the Netherlands and later migrated to Switzerland. Writing has been her lifelong passion that ignited in childhood, despite the struggles she faced in school. She now works mainly in schools, while keeping her love for writing alive and never forgetting the stories that first sparked her imagination. Elvira lets the nature around her, and her own experiences, inspire her stories, often creating scenes that hide a double meaning.
Website: www.elvirawrites.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elvirawriter/
Reviews
“Lost magic, big stakes...
This is the kind of fantasy that sneaks up on you with magic and then hits you right in the heart while the world is falling apart.”
—Paige Turner, Goodreads
“In the Shadows of Light was a fun, classic young adult fantasy filled with adventure, magic, and hope. Valira is headstrong and easy to root for and the overall story has a strong good versus evil. Looking forward to more books in this series.”
—Tanna Heitman, Goodreads
“The author does a great job building her world and creating her amazingly colorful characters. This gave me the nostalgic feeling of epic fantasy without it being 1000 pages. It felt comforting. We have good guys, bad guys, darkness, light, people who stay to fight, people who seek shelter in caves, and people seeking knowledge in the mountains. I got so caught up in the story that I forgot that it is a book 1 until I realized how far along I was and that there was a whole lot more to the story that was going to be told later!”
—Myranda, Goodreads
Working Together
“I started this project as an insecure new writer trying to navigate all that goes into publishing. And now I can confidently send my book out into the world! All thanks to Robin. She has been very patient, flexible, kind and professional. She truly went above and beyond, exceeding my expectations. She made sure we were on the same page with the story's meaning and technical aspects. Robin also made sure I had time to check everything / put in notes, and then put a lot of work into the revision. Also, later in the project, she stayed proactive and helped with different aspects of publishing. I am very happy with the result and to have had a professional keep me on track.”
—Elvira Groenendijk, author, In the Shadows of the Light
Are you ready to publish your book?
The first step is getting in touch. Send us a message to get the conversation started. We can’t wait to hear from you!