When she was a girl, Autumn dreamed of fairies and magical
adventures--but those adventures weren't her imagination after all, and
the reality is more dangerous than she ever thought possible.
As a child, Autumn Ackerman believed that Santa Claus and his army of
talking teddy bears were the creators of the universe. She lived in a
fantasy world where her imaginary friend, Barnaby, accompanied her on
amazing adventures. But after her father walked out on her and her mom,
the magic quickly faded from Autumn's life, leaving her to ask the
question: Why live in a world without teddy bears and Santa Claus?
Now a high school senior, Autumn is bogged down by stress and anxiety
about college and is stuck working a minimum-wage job at a local coffee
shop to help her mom financially. Just when she would give anything to
have the tiniest bit of magic back in her ordinary life, Barnaby
reappears and turns the imaginary into reality by introducing her to the
fantastical world of the Night Folk, real-life creatures behind the
legends of trolls and monsters.
Led into this dark and dangerous reality, Autumn encounters characters
such as the legendary October King, the treacherous Mr. Balloon, and
many others whose lives are closely intertwined with hers. As the story
of her family's past begins unfolds, Autumn is guided on a path of
self-discovery fraught with danger and mystery at every turn.
