Perfect for fans of The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani and the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce, this page-turning fantasy immerses readers in a vivid desert landscape and the mysteries and dangers that lie beyond the Wall.

Malenie doesn’t need anyone…

By her fourteenth year, Melanie has learned how to survive on her own in the harsh reality of her small town. Bullies. Judgmental neighbors. A broken friendship. She also knows how to hide her secret, the one emblazoned on her skin that she herself barely understands.

Then a stranger comes to town, one who knows more about Malenie than she does, and he takes from her the person most precious in the world. Her Papa. To save her father, she must get in touch with her ancestral magic, dare to forge new friendships and confront a deadly villain. Papa's freedom, and her own, are bound up in secrets from the past and Malenie's own courage to face them.

The Desert Wall is the first book in a new series about friendship, families and magic.