Splintered light

the long version

A young girl comes of age as the first of a new species of human, a near-god, and is forced into the role of a reluctant Second Coming of Christ. The outside world explodes with violent reaction and her inner world implodes with personal betrayals. Eva Connard is the first of the Nova sapiens species. Novas can manipulate both psychic and physical energies. On the cusp of developing supernatural skills, she is aided by Joshua O'Donnell, her older half-brother, an almost-Nova, a warrior sworn to protect his baby sister. But neither Eva's evolving skills nor her brother are protective of the emotional vulnerabilities of a young girl. This is quickly discerned by Robert Blake, a brilliant and charismatic televangelist with a carefully concealed moral deficit. He invades Eva's affections to turn the incipient power of the Novas to his own ends. Terrible choices confront Eva's need to save evolving humanity.