When Asa Alejándro León moves with his family to West Marshall, a small Midwestern town, he's looking for one thing: oblivion. Haunted by memories of his past, broken by what he has lost, Alex struggles to find a reason to live. And then he discovers that someone in his quiet new world is using magic-the very same kind of magic that Alex lost. With that magic come old responsibilities that Alex is not ready to let go. When the dead begin to rise in West Marshall, and when the people Alex loves start falling inexplicably ill, Alex discovers that-even without magic-he still has a lot to lose. And a lot to fight for.