A quirky baby bird has bonded with Ash Ridley. It’s a Phoenix, the most powerful beast in all of Cascadia—and he’s hungry, hyperactive, high-maintenance and hiccups fireballs.

Twelve-year-old Ash waves goodbye to her miserable life as a traveling circus stablehand when she and her feisty bird, Flynn, are whisked away to the Academy of Beasts and Magic. It’s a school where wealthy children train unicorns, manticores, and scarf-wearing ice dragons.

What’s the downside to owning such a highly magical beast? Everyone wants him. When a mysterious sorcerer suggests the Academy may have dark intentions, Ash realizes her tiny bird might be the key to saving Cascadia—or destroying it.