The Shattered Mountain

On the outskirts of Joya d'Arena, small villages fight for survival against the onslaught of sorcerers and raiders. Mara's village has been safe--so far--but Mara decides to escape anyway. Escape from her harsh, abusive father. Escape with her first love. But when their plans fall on the same day that the animagi burn the village to the ground, Mara faces losses that could destroy her. She's a survivor, though. She is going to make it through the mountains, and she is going to protect the refugees following her. Because there's a rumored safe haven . . . and some say they have found the Chosen One. Told from Mara's point-of-view, The Shattered Mountain is an alternate perspective of the beginning of the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns.
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I Am the Cheese

Before there was Lois Lowry’s The Giver or M. T. Anderson’s Feed, there was Robert Cormier’s I Am the Cheese, a subversive classic that broke new ground for YA literature. A boy’s search for his father becomes a desperate journey to unlock a secret past. But the past must not be remembered if the boy is to survive. As he searches for the truth that hovers at the edge of his mind, the boy—and readers—arrive at a shattering conclusion. “An absorbing, even brilliant job. The book is assembled in mosaic fashion: a tiny chip here, a chip there. . . . Everything is related to something else; everything builds and builds to a fearsome climax. . . . [Cormier] has the knack of making horror out of the ordinary, as the masters of suspense know how to do.”—The New York Times Book Review   “A horrifying tale of government corruption, espionage, and counter espionage told by an innocent young victim. . . . The buildup of suspense is terrific.”—School Library Journal, starred review An ALA Notable Children’s Book A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Horn Book Fanfare A Library of Congress Children’s Book of the Year A Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee From the Trade Paperback edition.
Views: 630

Death by the River

A High School "American Psycho"SOME TRUTHS ARE BETTER KEPT SECRET.SOME SECRETS ARE BETTER OFF DEAD.Along the banks of the Bogue Falaya River, sits the abandoned St. Francis Seminary. Beneath a canopy of oaks, blocked from prying eyes, the teens of St. Benedict High gather here on Fridays. The rest of the week belongs to school and family—but weekends belong to the river.And the river belongs to Beau Devereaux.The only child of a powerful family, Beau can do no wrong. Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. The star quarterback of the football team. The "prince" of St. Benedict is the ultimate catch.He is also a psychopath.A dirty family secret buried for years, Beau's evil grows unchecked. In the shadows of the ruined St. Francis Abbey, he commits unspeakable acts on his victims and ensures their silence with threats and intimidation. Senior year, Beau sets his sights on his girlfriend's headstrong...
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Words on Fire

Danger is never far from Audra's family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian — they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous.In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra's parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate.As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement. Can joining the underground network of book smugglers give Audra a chance to rescue her parents?
Views: 629

Knight in Shining Suit

Sometimes, getting over pain and betrayal means Getting Up, Getting Even and Getting a Better Man. Astrid has planned out her perfect wedding. That is before she found out that her fiancé, Bryan, is cheating on her with her cousing-slash-best-friend-slash-maid-of-honor, Geena. And worse, Bryan got Geena pregnant. Just when Astrid thought it couldn’t get any worse, she received a wedding invitation telling her that her wedding will happen exactly the way she planned it. Except that she is no longer going to be the bride! So when her parents urged her to attend the wedding “as family”, she planned the perfect revenge. She will put on a show for everyone to see. She’ll show them that she moved on with a better man—handsome, smart, rich and crazy about her. She’s even willing to pay a guy to be her “Knight in Shining Armani”. Then she met bartender, Ryder. Totally smoking hot and quite a charmer. Astrid thought he was perfect for the job. He pulled off the role quite well. Soon, her family thinks that Astrid was really with a smoking hot guy who wears Armani suits on a daily basis, drives a luxurious McLaren, and was totally in love with her. Astrid invented the perfect guy every girl would kill to date, and every ex-boyfriend would hate to be compared with. Or did she really just invent him? What if she really did kiss a frog, or tamed a beast? And that her quest for revenge was just the beginning of her happily ever after? ======= Originally published on Wattpad in June 2013. Now available on www.smashwords.com and will soon be available in: www.amazon.com
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Afterlight

The world lies devastated after the massive oil crisis that was described in LAST LIGHT. Human society has more or less entirely broken down and millions lie dead of starvation and disease. There are only one or two beacon communities that have managed to fashion a new way of living. Jenny Sutherland runs one of these groups. Based on a series of decaying offshore oil-rigs - for safety - a few hundred people have rebuilt a semblance of normality in this otherwise dead world. But as her and her people start to explore their surroundings once again, they start to realise not every survivor has the same vision of a better future than their catastrophic past. There are people out there who would take everything they have. War is coming, and the stakes are truly massive...
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The Dangerous Games

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Master and apprentice. Chosen by fate. Destined for conflict. When Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are sent to the Galactic Games, they are meant to be keepers of the peace. Then they discover an illegal event that Anakin knows all too well: Podracing. Even though Obi-Wan forbids it, Anakin cannot resist the thrill of the race—and the chance to face off against his childhood rival, the loathsome Sebulba. As a Jedi, Anakin is supposed to let go of his past. But his past will not let go of him.
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Reunion: Supervillain Rehabilitation Project

Traumatic experiences from his days as a superhero have left telepath Aiden Powell burned out. Now retired, he wants to focus on his new civilian career as an EMT and his budding romance with former colleague, Tanvi. He has no interest in resuming the dangerous work that cost him both his parents and almost his life.However, on the anniversary of his mother's death, a strange woman approaches him. A woman who thinks he's his father ... and also that it's 1998. Death ray, time travel device ... She's heard it both ways.Of course, nothing involving super powers is ever easy. Aiden and his newly returned mother have literal hours until the supervillain who took her away from her family the first time arrives.
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Mortal Coil

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior. Oh yes. And dead. Skulduggery Pleasant is back, and reunited with his original head. But all is not well in the magical world – for one thing, foreign powers are conspiring to take over the Irish Sanctuary, and for another thing, Valkyrie has discovered she might be the sorceress set to destroy the world. The problem is, she doesn't feel she can tell Skulduggery what she's learned... and that's how all the trouble starts. With Valkyrie on a quest of her own, to seal her name and prevent her evil destiny from coming to pass, Skulduggery and the gang are even more vulnerable. Which is a shame, because remember those thousands of remnants, imprisoned in the Midnight Hotel? Well, now they're out. Not only that but they believe Valkyrie is their messiah. And that means thousands of wicked souls, desperate to get to Valkyrie, willing to kill anyone in their way... Oh, and because they can possess any body, they could be ANYONE....
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Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories

Master storyteller Diana Wynne Jones presents a riveting collection of unpredictable tales, including: A cat tells how the kindhearted wizard she owns is suddenly called upon to defeat a horrific Beast. When Anne has mumps, her drawings come to life, and she must protect her home from them Four children become involved in the intrigue surrounding an innocent prince, an evil count, and a brave outlaw. These fifteen stories and one novella will enchant, startle, and surprise!
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Invision

***Please note if you haven’t read *Instinct*, there could be spoilers in the synopsis below. One boy . . . Many demons. Think there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders? Nick Gautier was born to bring about the end of the world . . . it’s not easy being the heir of a demon overlord. But Nick is determined to thwart his destiny and get into a good college. To be more than his genetics and prophecy foretell. No one is ever going to tell this stubborn Cajun who and what he really is. Or how to live his life. Not even the Fates of the Universe. But now that he and his team of ancient gods and demons have claimed the Eye of Ananke, and he sees the missteps of the future, he has to battle the demons within that are far deadlier and more treacherous than any he’s battled before. All the while his arch nemesis is back and determined to reclaim his place as the harbinger for Armageddon. Even if it means killing Nick and barbecuing everyone he loves to do so.
Views: 629