There's nothing sixteen-year-old Lily Hughes loves more than the sun, the sand and her trusty surfboard but all that is about to change when a tragic accident forces her to move from California to attend boarding school in Northern Ireland. The dreary weather and drearier manor house waiting for her there are nothing compared to the chilly welcome she's gets from the groundskeeper's son, the tattooed and mysterious Rowan Savage, who at the first sight of Lily vows to keep his distance.
At school she finds herself drawn to the dark and dangerous Luca Morello, who in spite of becoming her unlikely savior can't seem to make up his mind about her. It is not long before Lily realizes that nothing about Ex Nihilo Academy is exactly what it seems as she is thrown into a mystical world she thought only existed in fairytales. She soon learns that she has incredible power raging inside of her that could change the very fate of the world she's been thrust into, and because of that power evil forces want her dead. In the midst of the chaos and brewing war she finds herself torn between two worlds as her feelings for both Rowan and Luca grow so which side will she choose in the end?