Reviewed by Stefan Vucak for Readers' Favorite

Merelda, an evil sorceress, is thrown out of Cristabel by creatures of the Zodiac who control Earth with the Tribes of Light and the Council of Elders. Vowing vengeance, she enters into a pact with a demon, promising to bring back darkness and the Ancient Times. After stealing the power crystal from Libra the Scales, with the help of enslaved trolls, she flies with her dragon to attack the Great Dam Plaza where the Zodiacs and the Tribes of Light are preparing to celebrate the Rites of Spring. With her powers, Merelda captures the pregnant Virgo, whose newborn will herald the thirteenth sign, enabling the demon to be reincarnated. The Zodiacs pursue her to the forest of Giant Trees of Long Ago and defeat her, foiling the demon’s plans.

Equal Dark is beautifully written, and the reader is carried effortlessly into a land of magic, dragons and lyrical rites where god-like creatures rule and mankind lives a seemingly idyllic existence. The reader can identify with Merelda, who she is and what she wants. Although intriguing, the Zodiacs are insubstantial, their motivations and behavior, and the responsibilities they are meant to discharge, illusive. Lost in their sybaritic existence, the Zodiacs hardly know how to deal with Merelda and the danger to their existence posed by the demon. The reader wants desperately to identify with the story, but the enchantment wears off.

Gary Fortcher has an expressive style that carries the reader with consummate skill. With Equal Dark, his imagination spins a world where young readers can easily lose themselves and enjoy the wonder of fantasy - if for a little while.