Welcome to The Youngling Trilogy

A dark, emotional fantasy about:

• a girl born under extraordinary circumstances 
• a man drifting between worlds 
• a creature who is not quite one thing or another 
• a shadow that feeds on life force
• two realms cracking and pulling toward disaster
   

It’s character-driven, atmospheric, and grows darker as the story unfolds - with moments of warmth, friendship, and quiet grace.

If you enjoy fantasy that blends the magical with the human, with creatures, fractured faith, and worlds that don’t behave as they should, this one’s for you.

This is Syn’s origin story - her birth, childhood, and the moment everything begins to go wrong.
It sets up the Midgarden, the danger in the Seams between worlds, and the first spark of the shadow creature.

Seth’s parallel journey continues here.
Across the divide, he tries to survive in a world where mercy is rare, while Syn learns to endure the Manheim after being torn from her own.

Syn and Seth are finally drawn together as the shadow creature reaches its full form and the worlds begin to break.
This book answers the trilogy’s biggest questions and brings the story to its emotional, fiery close.

• Dark fantasy
• YA - adult crossover
• Dual-world / portal-adjacent
• Creature companion
• Character-driven
• Slow burn → intense escalation
• Themes of belief, identity, loss, and courage
• Shadow creature mythology
• Coming-of-age through danger

Generally, yes.
The books contain:

• mild-to-moderate fantasy violence
• emotional intensity
• darker themes involving fear, faith, and survival
• no explicit content

Most readers 13–14+ will be fine, depending on sensitivity.

The short version:

• It started as Syn’s story 
• Then expanded when Seth’s viewpoint became essential 
• Seven full rewrites deepened the world and characters
• The series grew in complexity, emotion, and scope
• It was written around a busy day job
• Some of the people it was written for, including the author’s dad, never got to read all of it
• The trilogy is dedicated to them
   

This is a world built slowly, carefully, and with a lot of heart.

A girl whose journey was meant to begin at the academy - until everything went wrong.

A man drifting between worlds without realising it, lost and almost forgotten.

A shapeshifting creature caught between instinct and loyalty.

Fierce, determined, scarred but unbroken.

A man of faith whose certainty is beginning to fracture.

A charismatic ringmaster infected by a shadow older than either world.

The Youngling trilogy is availabe in ebook or paperback.  It's also  available for free on Kindle Unlimited.

You can read more about the trilogy, including watch the trailer