Argenterra

For lovers of epic fantasy…In a land where oaths can't be broken, be careful what promises you make. To break the binding oath is to risk the very magic of Argenterra.Best friends, Sophy and Aria, are on a family trip in Scotland when they find themselves swept away to another world. The lush land of Argenterra is imbued heavily with a magic known as the GIVEN - but while Aria adapts quickly, able to use and recognize the magic as naturally as if she'd been born in this world, Sophy struggles to find her place. Far from discovering her own magical gifts, Sophy is unable to feel the GIVEN at all. Something about the magic has warped and changed her appearance and she's lost her vibrancy, becoming a mere shadow of her former self. Previously the attractive, outgoing one, now she is ugly and unable to fit in, whereas Aria has grown in confidence.As Aria thrives, quickly falling in love with a dashing prince, Sophy fights to survive in an increasingly hostile and deadly realm. She pairs up with Oakheart, ambassador to the king, on a quest to discover her true purpose in the kingdom, but soon the darker side of Argenterra and its people becomes apparent to both women.The GIVEN is not without cost - the laws of this magic dictate that oaths are bound with the GIVEN and the inhabitants of Argenterra bear the mark of the original, ancestral oath to the land. Every promise must be kept or the land's magic will compel its completion. Only murder can sunder a binding oath and then magic will wane and Argenterra will become the Ungiven Land - but no native Argenterran has that power. Now trapped by binding promises of their own, Sophy and Aria's friendship will test oaths and Sophy's very presence will pose a true threat to Argenterra...  Best friends, Sophy and Aria, are on a family trip in Scotland when they find themselves swept away to another world. The lush land of Argenterra is imbued heavily with a magic known as the GIVEN - but while Aria adapts quickly, able to use and recognize the magic as naturally as if she'd been born in this world, Sophy struggles to find her place. Far from discovering her own magical gifts, Sophy is unable to feel the GIVEN at all. Something about the magic has warped and changed her appearance and she's lost her vibrancy, becoming a mere shadow of her former self. Previously the attractive, outgoing one, now she is ugly and unable to fit in, whereas Aria has grown in confidence.As Aria thrives, quickly falling in love with a dashing prince, Sophy fights to survive in an increasingly hostile and deadly realm. She pairs up with Oakheart, ambassador to the king, on a quest to discover her true purpose in the kingdom, but soon the darker side of Argenterra and its people becomes apparent to both women.The GIVEN is not without cost - the laws of this magic dictate that oaths are bound with the GIVEN and the inhabitants of Argenterra bear the mark of the original, ancestral oath to the land. Every promise must be kept or the land's magic will compel its completion. Only murder can sunder a binding oath and then magic will wane and Argenterra will become the Ungiven Land - but no native Argenterran has that power. Now trapped by binding promises of their own, Sophy and Aria's friendship will test oaths and Sophy's very presence will pose a true threat to Argenterra...