#2: Pillars of Fire

Just because thirteen-year-old Vero Leland has discovered his true identity doesn’t mean his life has gotten any easier. Middle school is humiliating at best, and his training in the Ether—the spiritual realm that surrounds the earth—has only intensified. Becoming a guardian angel, the fiercest of all warriors, is not for the faint of heart.

At any moment, Vero could be yanked from earth to the Ether, where he must face whatever trials come his way in angel school, aka C.A.N.D.L.E. (the Cathedral of Angels for Novice Development, Learning, and Edification). This year, Vero and his fellow fledglings are selected to compete in the Angel Trials, a set of three challenges that will test everything they’ve learned and pit them head-to-head with advanced angels from other realms.

But as Vero soon learns, there is more at stake in these trials than a crown of glory. Back on earth, his sister Clover is in trouble, and her fate may be inextricably tied to Vero’s own. As the evil both on earth and in the Ether grows, Vero must choose which battles he can’t afford to lose. Once again, he is tested beyond what any previous fledgling has endured, and the choices he makes will affect not only his grade in C.A.N.D.L.E., but also the fate of the world.