Her very existence is a crime… Seventeen-year-old Serena isn't human. She’s a bad blood, and in the politically corrupt city of Vendona, bad bloods aren’t allowed to live. When Serena is aided in an escape moments before her execution, a revolution is sparked. While on the run, she’s forced to put her trust in a man she knows little about.An Ember in the Ashes meets Red Queen in this action-packed dystopian fantasy series that has readers calling it “addictive” like The Hunger Games and Divergent. Her very existence is a crime… Seventeen-year-old Serena isn't human. She’s a bad blood, and in the politically corrupt city of Vendona, bad bloods aren’t allowed to live. When Serena is aided in an escape moments before her execution, a revolution is sparked. While on the run, she’s forced to put her trust in a man she knows little about. Daniel will do anything to stop the twelve-year war that has killed so many of his own. When Serena falls into his life, he sees the opportunity to fight back and stop the eradication of all bad bloods. But there’s more to Serena than meets the eye. They share a connection to his tragic and mysterious past, and the two of them united together might just be Vendona’s only hope. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.REVIEWS FOR THE BAD BLOODS SERIES: "I loved this book! It's an unlikely combination of gritty and clean that is executed beautifully." - On My Kindle  "A powerful work of art. In November Rain, Thompson invites us into a world of secrecy, murder, and unlikely friendships that are bound to make your head spin with wonder." - Lena May Books "Bad Bloods is a solid work of dystopian YA that will delight any fan of the genre. It also includes an angle that is too often overlooked by other authors in the category." - Truth About Books "This is one of those 'you can't put it down' books. Thompson builds the tension of the election and its importance slowly and with care. She develops her characters fully and with great attention to detail. She is a masterful storyteller." - The Bookie Monster

When Adam arrives in Prosperity, his life is in ruins. His parents are dead, and he has little in the way of money and prospects. But with the help of his new friend, Fontus, he slowly learns the ancient secrets of success that enable him to build a business, and a whole new life. All is well until his past resurfaces, threatening to unravel everything...Sacrifices is the part two of Alan's To Wrestle with Darkness trilogy. In Sacrifices, we meet Cil, Deborah, Ruth and Sarah. They are four sisters descended from the coupling of angels and humans. And as such they have been embodied with fantastical abilities which they use to defend the world from those who would harm it, be they flesh or spirit. They find themselves tested, as they must contest the forces of darkness who are intent on ending all of creation. If they are to prevail, there will certainly be sacrifices.

Der mit allen Wassern der Fabulierkunst gewaschene Schelm Baudolino erzählt uns seine Lebensgeschichte. Informationen über die historischen Hintergründe zu »Baudolino« finden Sie im Special des Carl Hanser Verlags ... Konstantinopel brennt! Die prachtvolle Hauptstadt des Byzantinischen Reiches – erobert, geplündert und in Brand gesetzt von den Rittern des Vierten Kreuzzuges. Einer von ihnen ist ein gewisser Baudolino aus dem Piemont. Den Kopf voller Flausen, Phantasien und Lügen, führt er uns durch ein historisches Panorama von überwältigender Breite. Er erzählt, wie er als 13jähriger Bauernsohn den im Nebel herumirrenden Kaiser Barbarossa aufgabelt, der Gefallen an dem naseweisen Jungen findet und ihn daraufhin adoptiert; wie er den Kaiser auf seinen Italienzügen gegen die aufmüpfigen oberitalienischen Städte begleitet und auf den großen Kreuzzug ins Heilige Land, immer auf der Suche nach dem mythischen Reich des Priesterkönigs Johannes im fernen Orient. Und natürlich wie er, Baudolino, mit seinen aberwitzigen Ideen ganz nebenbei den Lauf der Weltgeschichte lenkt, ob nun bei der Heiligsprechung Karls des Großen 1165 oder bei der Erfindung der Legende der Heiligen Drei Könige, um dem Erzbischof von Köln, Rainald von Dassel, einen überwältigenden Einzug in seine Domkirche zu sichern. Alles hat Baudolino miterlebt, doch ein Geheimnis kennt nur er ganz allein: Barbarossa, der angeblich im Fluß ertrank, ist mysteriöserweise bereits in der Nacht zuvor ums Leben gekommen. Unfall? Herzversagen? Nein, Mord! Baudolino ahnt, wer der Mörder sein könnte …

After seventeen-year-old Thais Allard loses her widowed father in a tragic car accident, she is forced to leave the only home she's ever known to live with a total stranger in New Orleans. New Orleans greets Thais with many secrets and mysteries, but none as unbelievable as the moment she comes face to face with the impossible— an identical twin, Clio.Thais soon learns that she and the twin she never knew come from a family of witches, that she possesses astonishing powers, and that she, along with Clio, has a key role in Balefire, the coven she was born into. Fiery Clio is less than thrilled to have to share the spotlight, but the twins must learn to combine their powers in order to complete a rite that will transform their lives and the coven forever.

A moving, compulsive science fiction novel from one of the best writers in the field When the human settlers arrived on Hobbs Land, the native intelligent species, the Owlbrit, were already almost extinct. Before the last one died, a few years later, the humans had learned a little of their language, their ideas and their religion. It seemed the natural thing for the settlers to maintain the last Owlbrit temple, with the strange statue that was its God. When that God died - disintegrating overnight - it seemed equally natural to start preparing its replacement. Maire Manone came to Hobbs Land to escape the harsh patriarchal religion of Voorstod, but Voorstod hasn't forgotten her - or forgiven her. But the men who arrive on Hobbs Land to find and return Maire to her homeland haven't taken Hobbs Land's God into account ...

"The delight is in what's seen en route, as Lake has configured his world-dominating empires, one British, the other Chinese, with huge and devoted attention to the last detail. The delight of the next volume--prefigured with unrelenting clarity in Escapement's final pages--should be the discovery that the destination adds up." --Washington Post Book World on Escapement Rejoin the Librarian and the Chinese submarine captain, the British sailor, the clockwork man, and the young sorceress who has gone south of the great equatorial wall.  This adventure in Lake’s Clockwork Earth continues the tale begun in Escapement. "The very cosmology of this world is an enigmatic astonishment, and it underpins every single bit of action and character….Lake has a ball transporting his characters up and down this magnificent world, subjecting them to all sorts of perils and escapes in a wild variety of settings. His three main protagonists all exhibit distinct and memorable personalities that allow us to filter their world through three prisms of intelligence and attitude….Fantasy has always been "escapist" in the best sense of the word, and Lake engineers a fine tale of humans in search of liberation from the clockwork and customs that ensnare them and us as well." --Sci-Fi Weekly on Escapement

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Cassie Tremblay just wanted to focus on getting into a good college; she didn't want to become a rare magical wellspring that every demon and their uncle wanted for their own. But now that she's become the hottest commodity in the paranormal community, she must quickly learn how to deal with black magic-- and even worse, the politics thereof-- or forfeit her freedom forever.Cassie Tremblay divides her time between working the cash register at her neighborhood coffee shop and studying to produce the grades to get into a top-tier university. Sam, a mysterious co-worker at The Daily Grind, seems to have taken an instant dislike to her, but for Cassie, the looming specter of the SAT Verbal section is a much bigger concern. After a freak accident nearly leaves Cassie and her co-workers dead, a spell cast in desperation transforms her from a regular teen to a valuable familiar: a magical well a demon can tap. As if she didn’t have enough problems, now every demon (and their monstrous minions) seems to be after Cassie’s latent magic, and will stop at nothing to possess her. Sam, now her “master” (loath as Cassie is to admit it) works to protect her, but she soon realizes the security bought by his barely controlled black magic comes at a terrible price. She would love nothing more than to earn her freedom for herself, but with no ability to cast spells of her own, how can she fight back against creatures that wield awesome powers beyond mortal comprehension? Blending a hint of gothic romance with wry humor, The Problem with Black Magic is a YA-friendly novel that contains enough depth for genre fans of all ages. The first book of The Familiar Series, this is a tale of one young woman’s struggle for independence in a brand new world of sorcery, intrigue, and wonder.

The water nymphs love their crystal pavilion and the sparkling waters flowing through it. So much so they can't be bothered to fulfill their bargain with Circe, the island's sorceress.It's time the pleasure seeking,comfort loving creatures are taught a lesson. And who better than a sorceress to give it to them?In the land of Cush, Princess Lilya suffers under the rule of her father, until the day when young King Thomas of Havilah invites her away to his lands. There, she hopes to find peace she has never known. But Thomas has been drawn to a foreign land, to figs he hopes are from Eden and the Tree of Life. When he eats them to heal his wounds things change within him, distorting him in ways he could not predict. Now Lilya must make a decision. Does she stand by Thomas's side or act to dispel the evil consuming his soul? Amidst this world Lilya has befriended a dragon. There are secrets within the beast that could determine all their fates.

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.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.

Women: Underestimate them at your own peril!Janelle Argos and Holle MacLeod stop by the Scholar's Inn after a hard days work. After hearing a scuffle outside, the inn is taken by ten criminals, fresh off of a botched heist. They take the girls and the Inn's owners, Kat and Will Brewer, hostage. Janelle and Holle must use their wits, their charms, and their weapons to survive the night.Lea Jones isn't a good person. She has murdered, cheated, and double-crossed everyone she knows. But this time she's gone too far and the cops are after her. Lea's only chance at escape is a train whose destination isn't the one she thinks it is.

Dreams may be pleasant or some times a little disturbing. Nightmares are all too different. For the dreamer the best thing about a nightmare is waking up. For the narrator however this was not actually the case.A boy is being bullied. But that happens all the time, doesn't it? For this boy, however, life takes an unexpected turn, and he will discover what he is really made of when he finds that which was hidden a long time ago.A short story suitable for all ages, from young adult and upwards.

A scintillating party. One novice tripper. One DJ. One dedicated girlfriend. Exchange of opinions. Tattoos. Enhanced vision. And suddenly there are 7 other men, who have other views about the human spirit of freedom and thought, and in succession make some life altering amendments to the atmosphere in the party. When the bad turn extra bad, the good become deadly.Phone use has skyrocketed, phone etiquette has not. In fact it seems they are inversely related. The more we use phones the less we know how to act on them. This essay is an attempt to correct that by offering some time tested tips on how to use a phone to call someone one. While this is the last use to which most people put their cellphones to use these days, it is still something that is done enough to require some sort of arbitrary rules to govern behavior whilst using.

For a millennium, the Others have maintained an uneasy peace that has protected them and the Twilight, a shadowy parallel world beneath our own. But the battle for supremacy between the forces of the Light and the Darkness is far from over . . . Now older and more powerful, Light magician Anton Gorodestsky has risen to the top levels of the Night Watch. He is also father to a ten-year-old girl who is destined to become a magician of unprecedented power. When he hears a young boy at the airport screaming that a plane will crash, Anton suspects the child is a prophet—a rare type of Other who portends catastrophe. If Anton is right, than the boy has awakened a terrifying danger—a rare, multifaced beast that exists to stop the prophecy from coming true. With all of their lives in mortal peril and time running out, Anton must to find a way to keep his gifted young daughter safe . . . and save the Twilight itself.