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Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before: Subversive Portrayals in Speculative Film and TV
by Diana Adesola MafeA look at African American women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror: &“A compelling contribution to the scholarship on speculative cinema and television.&” —Journal of American Culture When Lieutenant Uhura took her place on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek, the actress Nichelle Nichols went where no African American woman had ever gone before. Yet several decades passed before many other black women began playing significant roles in speculative (i.e., science fiction, fantasy, and horror) film and television—a troubling omission, given that these genres offer significant opportunities for reinventing social constructs such as race, gender, and class. Challenging cinema&’s history of stereotyping or erasing black women onscreen, Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before showcases twenty-first-century examples that portray them as central figures of action and agency. Writing for fans as well as scholars, Diana Adesola Mafe looks at representations of black womanhood and girlhood in American and British speculative film and television, including 28 Days Later, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Children of Men, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Firefly, and Doctor Who: Series 3. Each of these has a subversive black female character in its main cast, and Mafe draws on critical race, postcolonial, and gender theories to explore each film and show, placing the black female characters at the center of the analysis and demonstrating their agency. The first full study of black female characters in speculative film and television, Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before shows why heroines such as Lex in AVP and Zoë in Firefly are inspiring a generation of fans, just as Uhura did.
Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before: Subversive Portrayals in Speculative Film and TV
by Diana Adesola MafeWhen Lieutenant Uhura took her place on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek, the actress Nichelle Nichols went where no African American woman had ever gone before. Yet several decades passed before many other black women began playing significant roles in speculative (i.e., science fiction, fantasy, and horror) film and television—a troubling omission, given that these genres offer significant opportunities for reinventing social constructs such as race, gender, and class. Challenging cinema’s history of stereotyping or erasing black women on-screen, Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before showcases twenty-first-century examples that portray them as central figures of action and agency. Writing for fans as well as scholars, Diana Adesola Mafe looks at representations of black womanhood and girlhood in American and British speculative film and television, including 28 Days Later, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Children of Men, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Firefly, and Doctor Who: Series 3. Each of these has a subversive black female character in its main cast, and Mafe draws on critical race, postcolonial, and gender theories to explore each film and show, placing the black female characters at the center of the analysis and demonstrating their agency. The first full study of black female characters in speculative film and television, Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before shows why heroines such as Lex in AVP and Zoë in Firefly are inspiring a generation of fans, just as Uhura did.
Where No Man has Gone Before: Essays on Women and Science Fiction (Routledge Library Editions: Women, Feminism and Literature)
by Lucie ArmittHow do women writers use science fiction to challenge assumptions about the genre and its representations of women? To what extent is the increasing number of women writing science fiction reformulating the expectations of readers and critics? What has been the effect of this phenomenon upon the academic establishment and the publishing industry? These are just some of the questions addressed by this collection of original essays by women writers, readers and critics of the genre. But the undoubted existence of a recent surge of women’s interest in science fiction is by no means the full story. From Mary Shelley onwards, women writers have played a central role in the shaping and reshaping of this genre, irrespective of its undeniably patriarchal image. Through a combination of essays on the work of writers such as Doris Lessing and Ursula Le Guin, with others on still-neglected writers such as Katherine Burdekin and C. L. Moore and a wealth of contemporaries including Suzette Elgin, Gwyneth Jones, Maureen Duffy and Josephine Saxton, this anthology takes a step towards redressing the balance. Perhaps, above all, what this collection demonstrates is that science fiction remains as particularly well-suited to the exploration of woman as ‘alien’ or ‘other’ in our culture today, as it was with the publication of Frankenstein in 1818.
Where Oblivion Lives (Los Nefilim #1)
by T. FrohockA lyrical historical fantasy adventure, set in 1932 Spain and Germany, that brings to life the world of the novellas collected in Los Nefilim: Spanish Nephilim battling daimons in a supernatural war to save humankind.Born of daimon and angel, Diago Alvarez is a being unlike all others. The embodiment of dark and light, he has witnessed the good and the horror of this world and those beyond. In the supernatural war between angels and daimons that will determine humankind’s future, Diago has chosen Los Nefilim, the sons and daughters of angels who possess the power to harness music and light.As the forces of evil gather, Diago must locate the Key, the special chord that will unite the nefilim’s voices, giving them the power to avert the coming civil war between the Republicans and Franco’s Nationalists. Finding the Key will save Spain from plunging into darkness. And for Diago, it will resurrect the anguish caused by a tragedy he experienced in a past life.But someone—or something—is determined to stop Diago in his quest and will use his history to destroy him and the nefilim. Hearing his stolen Stradivarius played through the night, Diago is tormented by nightmares about his past life. Each incarnation strengthens the ties shared by the nefilim, whether those bonds are of love or hate . . . or even betrayal. To retrieve the violin, Diago must journey into enemy territory . . . and face an old nemesis and a fallen angel bent on revenge.
Where Peace Is Lost: A Novel
by Valerie ValdesA brand-new space fantasy novel from master world-builder Valerie Valdes! A refugee with a secret, a dangerous foe, and a road trip that could either save a planet or start a war. Where peace is lost, may we find it.Five years ago, Kelana Gardavros lost everything in the war against the Pale empire. Now Kel Garda is just another refugee living on the edge of an isolated star system. No one knows she was once a member of an Order whose military arm was disbanded and scattered across the galaxy. And no one knows that if her enemies found her, they might destroy the entire world to get rid of her.Where peace is broken, may we mend it.Kel’s past intrudes in the form of a long-dormant Pale war machine, suddenly reactivated. If the massive automaton isn’t stopped, at best it will carve a swath of devastation that displaces thousands of people. At worst, it will kill every sentient creature on the planet.Where we go, may peace follow.When two strangers offer to deactivate the machine for a price, Kel and a young friend agree to serve as their guides. The journey through swamps infested with predators and bandits is bad enough, but can they survive more nefarious dangers along the way? And will Kel’s fear of revealing her secrets doom the very people she’s trying to protect?Where we fall, may peace rise.
Where Shadows Meet: A Novel
by Patrice CaldwellThe bestselling dark and thrilling Black sapphic vampire romantasy that questions what it truly means to sacrifice for love."This is a lush, intoxicating read, packing tender romance alongside vicious twists. My new obsession!" - Mark Oshiro, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anger is a Gift and Into the LightYou have no idea what I’ve done for love. Just as you have no idea what you may one day do.Once long ago, a girl named Favre sacrificed her wings for love. Thana, the young goddess she so willingly gave them up for, sacrificed that same love for power. But everything has a cost. Favre never got over the loss of her wings. And Thana’s choices led to a life of eternal night, and later, their destruction. Favre has bided her time ever since, waiting for the chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates. Now, a thousand years later, Leyla, the crown princess of a vampire nation, must travel to Nekros, the island of the dead, when her best friend is captured during an attack on her nation’s capital. But nothing is as it seems. The closer she gets to her goal, the more her body seems to work against her, and the more she risks awakening an ancient evil and destroying everything she holds dear.Set in the aftermath of a war between vampires, humans, and the gods that created them, Patrice Caldwell’s devastatingly romantic fantasy debut, Where Shadows Meet, centers the heart-wrenching pain of loss and the struggle of self-discovery to ask: do we choose our fates, or do our fates choose us?“A feast for the senses. Love, friendship, loss, and the fantastic… it’s all here in exquisite, vivid detail. A brilliant addition to the dark fantasy genre.” - Kalynn Bayron, New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead and Sleep Like Death
Where She Fell (Scholastic Press Novels)
by Kaitlin WardFrom the author of the acclaimed novels Girl in a Bad Place and Bleeding Earth comes a heartstopping work of speculative fiction about what lurks beneath our feet... and beyond.Watch your step.Eliza knows the legends about the swamp near her house -- that people have fallen into sinkholes, never to be seen again, maybe even falling to the center of the earth. As an aspiring geologist, she knows the last part is impossible. But when her best friends drag her onto the uneven ground anyway, Eliza knows to be worried.And when the earth opens under her feet, there isn't even time to say I told you so.As she scrambles through one cave, which leads to another, and another, Eliza finds herself in an impossible world -- where a small group of people survive underground, running from vicious creatures, eating giant bugs, and creating their own subterranean society. Eliza is grateful to be alive, but this isn't home. Is she willing to risk everything to get back to the surface?
Where There's Smoke
by Lex ValentinePassion ignites the pages of Book 3 of The Phoenix Prophecy! With his true mate at his side, Zander sets off on a journey of discovery. Finding assassins on their trail and danger at every turn, Zander and Voth must face their fate together and fulfill their destiny! A murderous father. A son with a price on his head. Zander's year-long affair with a mysterious woman ends when she tells him that her abusive mate is the father he's never known. The woman, a prophesy-dreaming immortal known as the Phoenix, explains that Zander has three brothers and that his father killed their mothers. Now, the Phoenix has dreamt of her mate's death and Zander's destiny. Voth is the Phoenix's successor and Zander's true mate. The two set out to find Zander's brothers while eluding the assassins sent after them by Zander's father. Passion burns hot between them, sealing their fate, as their journey leads them to fulfill the Phoenix's prophecy.
Where There's Smoke: a completely unputdownable thriller
by Jodi PicoultBestselling author Jodi Picoult is 'a master of her craft' (Daily Telegraph) who writes 'elegant, spare prose with the punch of a populist thriller' (Elle). In this original short story, available exclusively as an eBook, Picoult introduces Serenity Jones, one of the fascinating characters from her eagerly awaited new novel, Leaving Time.Even as a child, Serenity Jones knew she possessed unusual psychic gifts. Now, decades later, she's an acclaimed medium and host of her own widely viewed TV show, where she delivers messages to the living from loved ones who have died. Lately, though, her efforts to boost ratings and garner fame have compromised her clairvoyant instincts.When Serenity books a young war widow to appear as a guest, the episode quickly unravels, stirring up a troubling controversy. And as she tries to undo the damage - to both her reputation and her show - Serenity finds that pride comes at a high price.
Where There's a Kilt, There's a Way (Kilty Pleasures #2)
by Ella Stainton"This book was a total delight" -- Cat Sebastian, author of Two Rogues Make a Right on Best Laid Plaids Have kilt, will travel.Sweden, 1930Two years ago, Dr. Ainsley Graham proved the existence of ghosts and fell in love—hard to top that. But a trip to Sweden to research at a prestigious university for the summer is nothing to sneeze at, especially since his partner, psychologist Joachim Cockburn, will be teaching alongside him. A change of scenery might be just the thing.Their idyllic trip to Sweden is interrupted by a ghost with a proclivity for rude hand gestures and graphic curse words—and a ghastly history begging to be investigated. Life among the living is complicated, too, by a gruff professor who can&’t take his eyes off Ainsley, and an enticing new job offer for Joachim.What starts as an adventurous trip abroad turns into mayhem, murder, and…a magical moose? And everyone—well, perhaps not the moose—is a suspect in the death of the ghostly young man who brings them together to expose secrets, loves lost, and a crime that will shock them all.Kilty PleasuresBook 1: Best Laid PlaidsBook 2: Where There&’s a Kilt, There&’s a Way
Where There's a Witch (Bewitching Mysteries #5)
by Madelyn AltTaking a break from her job at Enchantments, Stony Mill's finest mystical antique shop, Maggie O'Neill visits a carnival where she senses some bad spirits. And when a construction worker is suspected of killing a young woman, it's up to Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghosthunting team to uncover the dark spiritual energy leaking into their town before it spoils everyone's fun.
Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way (Monster High #3)
by Lisi HarrisonThe frighteningly hip teenage children of the world's most famous monsters have gathered together under one roof...to brave the horrors of high school! Always overshadowed by her six brothers and her fab friends, Clawdeen Wolf plans to finally strut her stuff in the spotlight at her upcoming Sweet Sixteen bash. But after The Ghoul Next Door goes viral, it's into the woods for the family Wolf. Clawdeen goes stir crazy lying low at her family's B&B with her annoying brothers until Lala shows up to keep her company. But is the vamp flirting with Claude?!
Where Time Winds Blow (Gateway Essentials #291)
by Robert Holdstock'A planet where eerie time displacements, like winds, can dump alien artefacts from the past and future into now, or sweep things away from now into anywhen.''A planet that attracts both scientists and fortune hunters, rummaging among the strangenesses, risking oblivion, carrying with them their own hang-ups, desperations, odd urges and searches.'You won't easily forget this haunting, fully-realised world.' TRIBUNE.
Where Two Worlds Meet
by Gordon SmithFrom internationally renowned medium, spiritual teacher and bestselling author Gordon Smith comes a captivating tale about finding your way through death, grief and loss.'Nothing that lives can truly die,' said the stag, 'but we must all experience a winter in our lives, otherwise we haven&’t truly lived.'Following the tragic death of his sister, 10-year-old Dill's life changes forever. In an attempt to escape their grief, Dill and his parents move to his grandmother&’s remote cottage in the countryside. Isolated from his family, who are struggling to come to terms with their loss, Dill spends his time exploring the wild landscape with his trusty spaniel, Bramble. He soon learns that life in his new home, the Dip-n-Dells, is anything but lonely.With the help of his grandmother, Dill learns a magical language that allows him to befriend the animals of the Dip-n-Dells and uncover the secrets of the mystical landscape around him. As his friends in nature help him to understand the cycles of life and death, the cloud of sadness surrounding Dill begins to lift. Determined to share this gift with his parents, Dill and his friends set out to bring light back into their lives. In doing so, he finds out that where love is involved, anything is possible....
Where Winter Finds You: A Caldwell Christmas (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World #19)
by J.R. Ward#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward is heating things up this winter with a holiday novel featuring some of her most iconic Black Dagger Brothers.When Trez lost his beloved to a tragic death (The Shadows, Black Dagger Brotherhood #13), his soul was crushed and his destiny seemed relegated to suffering. But when he meets a mysterious female, he becomes convinced his true love has been reincarnated. Is he right? Or has his grief created a disastrous delusion? Therese has come to Caldwell to escape a rift with her bloodline. The revelation that she was adopted and not born into her family shakes the foundations of her identity, and she is determined to make it on her own. Her attraction to Trez is not what she&’s looking for, except the sexy Shadow proves to be undeniable. Has fate provided a grieving widower with a second chance...or is Trez too blinded by the past to see the present for what it really is? In this sensual, arresting book full of the themes of redemption and self-discovery, two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads where the heart is the only compass that can be trusted...but that may require a courage that neither of them possesses.
Where Winter Finds You: a Black Dagger Brotherhood novel
by J. R. Ward'To die for' SUZANNE BROCKMANN'Frighteningly addictive' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'Delicious, erotic, and thrilling' NICOLE JORDAN _____________________No. 1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward is heating things up with a novel featuring some of her most iconic Black Dagger Brothers.When Trez lost his beloved to a tragic death (The Shadows, Black Dagger Brotherhood #13), his soul was crushed and his destiny seemed relegated to suffering. But when he meets a mysterious female, he becomes convinced his true love has been reincarnated. Is he right? Or has his grief created a disastrous delusion?Therese has come to Caldwell to escape a rift with her bloodline. The revelation that she was adopted and not born into her family shakes the foundations of her identity, and she is determined to make it on her own. Her attraction to Trez is not what she's looking for, except the sexy Shadow proves to be undeniable.Has fate provided a grieving widower with a second chance...or is Trez too blinded by the past to see the present for what it really is? In this sensual, arresting book full of the themes of redemption and self-discovery, two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads where the heart is the only compass that can be trusted...but that may require a courage that neither of them possesses._____________________Find out why readers are OBSESSED with the Black Dagger Brotherhood...'Intriguing, adrenaline-pumping' BOOKLIST 'Insanely good! . . . Intensely romantic and straight up flipping steamy, violent and gruesome, heartbreaking and deep. Her addictive writing tells a story like none other' Goodreads reviewer'I can't get enough of these sexy, tough, intriguing vampires' Amazon reviewer'Emotional by epic proportions' Kobo reviewer'The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a twisting, often surprising, but always awesome read' Amazon reviewer'The story had me captivated the whole way' Kobo reviewer'Each and every character is compelling' Amazon reviewer'A must read' Goodreads reviewer
Where You Once Belonged: A Novel
by Lorna GrahamA writer at Dateline NBC tries her hand at a different kind of mystery, perfect for fans of Chandler Baker&’s Whisper Network, where a cynical TV news producer sells out her principles to rise to her network&’s top job, and comes face-to-face with what appears to be her idealistic teenage self. Everleigh Page is on the cusp of greatness. Executive producer of an award-winning primetime news magazine, she&’s just been offered a role never attained by a woman at her network: president of the news division. It will be her job to shape coverage of world events and mold the journalists of tomorrow. Too bad in order to get here she&’s sold out most of the principles she held as an idealistic young reporter. Too bad she&’s just, at the direction of her boss, fired two of her best staffers and killed an important investigative story that could save lives. As a woman, she knows, you have to play ball to get to the top. Even if it means bending your moral code or breaking up with your boyfriend. Sean may be the love of her life, but his large, complicated family has started taking up too much of her time. Her younger self wouldn&’t recognize her. Or will she? When a college reunion takes a mystical twist, Everleigh finds herself defending her choices to the toughest critic in the world and confronting a crucial question: can she possibly right all the wrongs she was willing to tolerate just an hour ago?
Where it Rains in Color
by Denise CrittendonLileala has just been named the Rare Indigo – beauty among beauties – and is about to embrace her stardom, until something threatens to change her whole lifestyle and turn the planet of Swazembi upside down.--Colonized by the descendants of Earth&’s West African Dogon Tribe, the planet of Swazembi is a blazing, color-rich utopia and famous vacation center of the galaxy. No one is used to serious trouble in this idyllic, peace-loving world, least of all the Rare Indigo.But Lileala&’s perfect, pampered lifestyle is about to be shattered. The unthinkable happens and her glorious midnight skin becomes infected with a mysterious disease. Where her skin should glisten like diamonds mixed with coal, instead it scabs and scars. On top of that, she starts to hear voices in her head, and everything around her becomes confusing and frightening.Lileala&’s destiny, however, goes far beyond her beauty. While searching for a cure, she stumbles upon something much more valuable. A new power awakens inside her, and she realizes her whole life, and the galaxy with it, is about to change…File Under: Science Fiction [ True Colors | Embrace the Change | What Will Be | Dancing in the Rain ]
Where the Axe Is Buried: A Novel
by Ray NaylerAll systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a man who has downloaded his mind to a succession of new bodies to maintain his grip on power. Meanwhile, on the fringes of a Western Europe that has renounced human governance in favor of ostensibly more efficient, objective, and peaceful AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind is malfunctioning, threatening to set off a chain of events that may spell the end of the Western world.As the Federation and the West both start to crumble, Lilia, the brilliant scientist whose invention may be central to bringing down the seemingly immortal President, goes on the run, trying to break out from a near-impenetrable web of Federation surveillance. Her fate is bound up with a worldwide group of others fighting against the global status quo: Palmer, the man Lilia left behind in London, desperate to solve the mystery of her disappearance; Zoya, a veteran activist imprisoned in the taiga, whose book has inspired a revolutionary movement; Nikolai, the President’s personal physician, who has been forced into more and more harrowing decisions as he navigates the Federation’s palace politics; and Nurlan, the hapless parliamentary staffer whose attempt to save his Republic goes terribly awry. And then there is Krotov, head of the Federation’s security services, whose plots, agents, and assassins are everywhere.Following the success of his debut novel, The Mountain in the Sea, Ray Nayler launches readers into a thrilling near-future world of geopolitical espionage. A cybernetic novel of political intrigue, Where the Axe is Buried combines the story of a near-impossible revolutionary operation with a blistering indictment of the many forms of authoritarianism that suffocate human freedom.
Where the Axe is Buried
by Ray NaylerAll systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a man who has downloaded his mind to a succession of new bodies to maintain his grip on power. Meanwhile, on the fringes of a Western Europe that has renounced human governance in favour of ostensibly more efficient, objective, and peaceful AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind is malfunctioning, threatening to set off a chain of events that may spell the end of the Western world.As the Federation and the West both start to crumble, Lilia, the brilliant scientist whose invention may be central to bringing down the seemingly immortal President, goes on the run, trying to break out from a near-impenetrable web of Federation surveillance. Her fate is bound up with a worldwide group of others fighting against the global status quo.Each of them must navigate seemingly insurmountable dangers and threats to remain free and, ultimately, put humanity's future back into its own hands.A cybernetic novel of political intrigue, Where the Axe is Buried combines the story of a near-impossible revolutionary operation with a blistering indictment of the many forms of authoritarianism that suffocate human freedom.
Where the Axe is Buried
by Ray NaylerAll systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a man who has downloaded his mind to a succession of new bodies to maintain his grip on power. Meanwhile, on the fringes of a Western Europe that has renounced human governance in favour of ostensibly more efficient, objective, and peaceful AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind is malfunctioning, threatening to set off a chain of events that may spell the end of the Western world.As the Federation and the West both start to crumble, Lilia, the brilliant scientist whose invention may be central to bringing down the seemingly immortal President, goes on the run, trying to break out from a near-impenetrable web of Federation surveillance. Her fate is bound up with a worldwide group of others fighting against the global status quo.Each of them must navigate seemingly insurmountable dangers and threats to remain free and, ultimately, put humanity's future back into its own hands.A cybernetic novel of political intrigue, Where the Axe is Buried combines the story of a near-impossible revolutionary operation with a blistering indictment of the many forms of authoritarianism that suffocate human freedom.
Where the Beast Dwells
by Laura Pérez Macho"Nature is the only place where human beings can go to find themselves" – Henry David Thoreau (Walden) – Celtic fiction and mythology develop in the historical framework of fifteenth-century Scotland to give life to this novel full of battles, adventure, love, betrayal, and mythology. Where the Beast Dwells is a lengthy novel that blends elements of the fantasy, historical, adventure, and action genres. The characters experience a "journey" or life path that they will have to follow, marked by their own lives and experiences. They fight against danger, against death, against blood, and against loneliness. How far can revenge take us? What can we do for love? Are blood ties a limit to love? What are the doings that give us strength in life? How can we seek justice?
Where the Black Flowers Bloom
by Ronald L. SmithA gripping, richly imagined fantasy set in an alternate ancient African world in which a Black girl finds her power and saves her people from evil, by the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning author of Black Panther: The Young Prince. In the land of Alkebulan, twelve-year-old Asha is an orphan, raised by Madame S, the proprietor of a traveling carnival. When Madame S is attacked by ghoulish creatures, she manages to tell Asha before she dies, “Seek the Underground Kingdom, where the black flowers bloom.”Asha doesn’t understand the mysterious words, but they launch her onto a page-turning quest to protect her people and stop an ancient evil. Along the way, she uncovers shocking secrets about the family she never knew and begins to find her place in the world as she discovers her own untapped powers.
Where the Creek Bends
by Linda Lael MillerFrom acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller comes a beautifully rendered timeslip novel about the family we create for ourselves…Madison Bettencourt has tried to assemble all the pieces of a perfect life, but nothing fits quite the way it should. She&’s moved back home to Montana to care for her grandmother, who is slipping further and further away. And she&’s called off her wedding, and worries her dreams of a family are fading with it.As Madison rattles around her family home, childhood memories come flooding back. Bliss Morgan transformed eight-year-old Madison with her loyalty, and for a while, the two girls were as close as can be. But Madison never understood why Bliss suddenly vanished, leaving only a friendship bracelet and a message etched into a matchbook.Before she can begin again, Madison must uncover what happened to Bliss, and Liam McKettrick—a widowed dad trying to repair his relationship with his two children—becomes her unlikely ally. He, too, understands the pang of regret. Yet there are mysteries that Madison hesitates to explore with anyone, and strange energies in Bettencourt Hall that blur the lines between past and present. Poignant and utterly captivating, Where the Creek Bends shows that finding yourself begins with following your heart, no matter where it leads.Perfect for fans of: Second Chances Family Drama Small Town settings Susan Mallery, Nicolas Sparks and Ashley Poston
Where the Dark Stands Still
by A. B. PoranekA New York Times bestseller A girl with dangerous magic makes a risky bargain with a demon to be free of her monstrous power in this &“dark, devastating, and gothic&” (Kirkus Reviews) young adult fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens and House of Salt and Sorrows.Liska knows that magic is monstrous, and its practitioners are monsters. She has done everything possible to suppress her own magic, to disastrous consequences. Desperate to be free of it, Liska flees her small village and delves into the dangerous, demon-inhabited spirit-wood to steal a mythical fern flower. If she plucks it, she can use its one wish to banish her powers. Everyone who has sought the fern flower has fallen prey to unknown horrors, so when Liska is caught by the demon warden of the wood—called The Leszy—a bargain seems better than death: one year of servitude in exchange for the fern flower and its wish. Whisked away to The Leszy&’s crumbling manor, Liska soon makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain, and all her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her taciturn host&’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts—figurative and literal—of his past. Because something wakes in the woods, something deadly and without mercy. It frightens even The Leszy…and cannot be defeated unless Liska embraces the monster she&’s always feared becoming.