My intrepid beta readers: Justine Dell, Jaime Lawrence, Leah Block, and Stina Lindenblatt, thank you a thousand times for both criticism and encouragement. My dear friends, Jennifer R., Lydia Kang, and Brigid Kemmerer, for listening—my day is made every time I see your names in my inbox. My patient and understanding boss, Paul Block, for making it possible to balance two worlds, and my incredible colleagues: Liz Cantor, Catherine Allen, Kim Bennett, Heather Drever, Anne-Marie Bora, Yerissa Mago, and the entire CCBS staff, for understanding the weirdness of my double life, for being excellent, and making my “day” job easy. And Petra (Safari Poet), for reaching out from across the ocean to support suicide prevention, a cause I hold dear.
Book bloggers, especially Alexa, Lili, Bethzaida, Maja, Heidi, Keertana, Rachel, Nicole, Christy, and Ali: your enthusiasm and insight made my introduction to the online world of readers and reviewers much more fun and rewarding. And to all my readers! I could never have anticipated how inspiring it would be to interact with you. It’s an honor, and I’m grateful. And if you ever crave more from the Guards of the Shadowlands world, look for Malachi’s journal entries at GuardsOfTheShadowlands.tumblr.com, which is also where you can ask questions and look for news about the series.
Finally and most fundamentally: my family. I sincerely hope you know what you mean to me, and that I could not do anything if not for you. My parents, Jerry and Julie Fine; my sisters, Cathryn and Robin; my husband, Joey; and my babies, Asher and Alma (okay, I know: you’re not babies; you’re BIG). Nothing else to say except you bring me joy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo credit: Rebecca Skinner
SARAH FINE WAS BORN ON the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a child psychologist. No, she is not psychoanalyzing you right now. Her first novel, Sanctum, was published by Skyscape in 2012. Find Sarah online at www.sarahfinebooks.com or on Twitter @FineSarah.
For more information about the Guards of the Shadowlands series, and to read excerpts from Malachi’s personal journals, visit GuardsOfTheShadowlands.tumblr.com.
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT PAGE
DEDICATION PAGE
CONTENTS
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR