Title: Freedom or Death Author: Adria Carmichael Series: Juche #4 Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
A highly addictive Young Adult Dystopian Survival Saga that will keep you glued to the pages.
Areum and Nari are arrested and face imminent doom, but are saved at the last minute by an unexpected and unspeakable betrayal.
Still, they are far from being out of the woods. As they are reassigned to food gathering duty in the mountains, they must continue their fight for survival under the constant threat of daily executions and the rampant starvation sweeping through the prison camp. And with time running out for Nari, Areum is more desperate than ever to find a way to escape, making her forge risky new alliances that until now would have been unthinkable.
As the situation in the camp deteriorates further, their survival comes down to their ability to work as a team. But dark secrets and lies continue to be revealed, sending the fragile coalition to the verge of collapse at an alarming speed.
I buried my face in the pit of my elbow that rested on my folded knees. My head felt almost as heavy as my heart, and the whirlwind of thoughts raged on ceaselessly.
And Nari’s condition is only one of all the Sacred Rules we have broken these past months. Soon, both of us will be up on Cemetery Hill under a buzzing cloud of black flies together with—
A sudden scream made me jump so hard I smashed my head against the wall behind me. I ran to the door and pressed my ear against the cold metal with one hand firmly over the excruciatingly throbbing bruise on my scalp. The scream died out just as abruptly as it had started, but I remained in the same position for a long time before I returned to my corner. The scream had come from a girl, but not Nari. I was sure of that. Still, I couldn’t help rubbing my fingernails in a futile attempt to ease the phantom pain from the invisible needles piercing deep into the pink, tender flesh underneath them.
I didn’t have to wait long for the next scream. This time, it was a boy. I told myself it didn’t sound like Jun Ha, but I was less sure this time. Immediately after that scream had faded, another scream penetrated the air. And then another. The harrowing screams came and went—each more agonizing and horrifying than the previous. I crawled up further into my corner with my hands covering my ears, desperately trying to gather my thoughts. I went through the events of the past few days that had led me to sit here, waiting for my turn to scream.
Adria Carmichael is a writer of dystopian fiction with a twist. When she is not devouring dystopian and post-apocalyptic content in any format – books, movies, TV-series and PlayStation games – she is crafting the epic and highly-addictive Juche saga, her 2020 debut novel series that takes place in the brutal, totalitarian nation of Choson. When the limit of doom and gloom is reached, a 10K run on a sunny day or binging a silly sitcom on a rainy day is her go-to way to unwind.
Title: All-Star Love Author: Stephanie J. Scott Genre: Young Adult Sports Romance
An enemies-to-more fake dating romance set in the world of competitive tennis Maisie Maxwell planned for a senior year of dazzling college scouts by playing her best tennis. Instead, her beloved tennis training academy is thrown into scandal when the academy founder and head coach, who happens to be her uncle, takes off to Tahiti with the school’s tuition money. Her classmates label her a traitor, but she commits to graduate from the school she loves.
Only her aim to lay low is thwarted by the school’s last-ditch hope to stay open, a new partnership with reality show The Academy.
Also not helping her stay-under-the-radar plan? A wayward forehand shot that nails transfer student Shane Wagner in the face on day one. Shane, obnoxiously gorgeous for starters, is the current number one nationally seeded player in junior boys’ tennis. Oops.
Everyone at school sees Shane as an outsider and fame-seeker. He’s just as much an outcast as Maisie. While reality show producers push for chaos, Shane and Maisie band together with their own idea: pretend to be together and control the narrative.
But the savvy head producer has her own agenda, and it’s not collegiate tennis scholarships. Shane and Maisie need to play hard to save the school before they’re outmatched.
Instinctively, I backed up, stepping directly onto Shane’s foot. His hands captured my arms, catching me before we fully collided. I slow turned, mouthing Go! just as the sound of dagger heels against tile floor click-clicked. Paige was coming.
Shane, still holding my arms, stared at me, our faces scant inches apart. He was frozen. Unmoving iceberg, dead in the water.
And then our lips met. I wasn’t entirely sure how, but our faces were definitely connected. I stared at him—or, more like stared into his pores because my face was on top of his. His eyes were closed.
Shane Wagner. Was. Kissing me.
A burst of heat traveled from our lips like a furnace on full blast. He tasted like blueberry muffin with a hint of salt. His lips were soft and welcoming. Actually, I could stay here awhile. I could stay like this, kissing Shane, and live in this furnace blast for—
“Oh,” said Paige behind me.
And just like that, Shane broke away. My sense of direction skewed, I fell back against the wall.
He blinked at me and cleared his throat. “Sorry.” He spoke past me toward Paige. “Maisie and I, we thought we were alone.”
What? I stared back at Shane. Oh, right. We’d been spying and had no reasonable excuse for listening in on Paige’s conversation. This was a cover-up.
Paige gave us a steely look, then continued on her way.
“Come on.” Shane’s hand joined mine. I found myself trailing after him, my vision unfocused. Trailing after with betraying, puffed lips. Lips that wanted another taste.
Stephanie J. Scott writes young adult and romance about characters who put their passions first. Her debut ALTERATIONS about a fashion-obsessed loner who reinvents herself was a Romance Writers of America RITA® award finalist. She enjoys dance fitness, everything cats, and has a slight obsession with Instagram. A Midwest girl at heart, she resides outside of Chicago with her tech-of-all-trades husband and fuzzy furbabies.
Title: Arcadia Author: Al Stone Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
AN UNTOLD PROPHECY, A BROKEN COVENANT AND A FALLEN ANGEL AS AN ALLY.
WILL CHARLIE SURVIVE?
Arcadia, 10th Anniversary Edition is a complete collection, featuring three full length novels in a single volume for the first time. A young-adult fantasy series full of magic, mythology and adventure. Perfect for fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Lord of the Rings.
Talisman Of El They have always been here … watching in silence. Now both worlds are about to collide.
Charlie Blake has always known he was different. He hears what others don’t. He sees what others can’t. In his quest for the truth, he discovers he is the physical embodiment of a powerful ruler and finds himself locked in an ancient battle between good and evil that threatens the life of every being on Earth.
Blackout Hold your breath. It’s contagious.
Saving mankind becomes near impossible when Charlie’s visions start to invade his reality. He can no longer identify what’s real. When he starts exhibiting symptoms of a deadly disease, he faces a race against time to find a cure, but shocking revelations makes him question where his true allegiance lies.
Ground Zero Mankind’s only hope is not human. Approach with caution.
26,000 years ago, a supernatural apocalypse almost wiped out civilisation. Now that time has come again and no one is destined to survive. Charlie Blake is determined to stop the apocalypse, but fate might not have the same agenda. Is Charlie destined to save the world or destroy it?
The image vanished, and Charlie found himself staring at Derkein, who was standing in front of him, gripping his shoulders. ‘Charlie, can you hear me?’ Derkein asked.
Charlie blinked hard. He looked through the single-arched doorway behind Derkein, but all he saw was the forest.
‘Hey,’ Derkein said, ‘talk to me.’
‘There used to be a palace here,’ Charlie said.
‘Doesn’t look like a palace now,’ Richmond observed.
Derkein let go of Charlie, his expression anxious. ‘All right, I think it’s time we head back to the campsite.’
They started to head off when Charlie suddenly stopped.
‘What is it?’ Alex asked.
Charlie’s eyes swept the forest. ‘I heard something.’ He expected Candra to pop out of her hiding place. Instead, he saw the red-haired boy he had seen earlier that day, watching him from behind a tree. ‘Hey. Where’s my bag?’
The boy’s eyes widened in shock, and he took off.
‘Hey.’ Charlie chased after him.
‘Charlie,’ Derkein called. ‘Charlie, get back here.’
Charlie didn’t stop. With the burning torch still in his hand, he raced through the forest after the boy. ‘Stop!’ he yelled. ‘I just want my bag.’ The boy was a good thirty feet ahead of him. What do they feed this kid?
‘Charlie,’ he heard Derkein call. It wasn’t until a loud cry reached him that he stopped.
It was Alex.
He turned around but saw no sign of the others. Panicked, he looked back at the boy, who had also stopped, and then he turned and ran back the way he had come.
It didn’t take him long to spot Derkein. When he got closer, he saw Richmond, who was now on his feet, Alex’s burning torch slowly fading on the ground beside him. But where was Alex?
Seeing Derkein and Richmond glancing up into a tree, he followed their gazes and spotted Alex trapped in a rope net.
‘It could be worse,’ Richmond said. Charlie and Derkein glanced at him. ‘What? It could be.’
Derkein’s gaze shifted to Charlie, and the lines on his forehead smoothed out, his expression stern. ‘Didn’t we just have a conversation about you running off?’
‘I know,’ Charlie said, ‘but I was trying to get my bag back.’
Derkein looked confused. ‘It’s not just going to fall out of the sky.’
‘What? No, that kid –’
‘Ah, hello,’ Alex said hotly. ‘Girl in a rope here. I don’t know about you guys but I’m thinking whoever set this trap might come back.’
Charlie looked up at her, her body bent in an awkward position with her legs reaching high above her head, and a faint smile crept onto his face. ‘Hang in there, Alex,’ he called up to her.
‘You just wait till I get down, Charlie Theodore Blake,’ she threatened.
Charlie looked at him, his smile fading. ‘Shut up.’
Derkein cleared his throat to refocus their attention. ‘How are we going to get her down, boys?’ he asked.
Charlie glanced back up at the tree. The distance between Alex and the ground was at least twelve feet, twice Derkein’s height. To get her down, Derkein would have to hoist Charlie onto his shoulders and then some.
As Derkein pondered a strategy, Charlie’s focus shifted to the thudding sound he heard coming towards them. Before he even had time to panic, the sound died almost as soon as it had begun.
He turned around and froze, the sound of his heartbeat in his ears as he stared at the line of people armed with shiny blades and arrows pointed at his head.
Al Stone is the author of the Arcadia Saga (YA Fantasy). After graduating with a BA in Film & Television, Al worked in the television industry for a brief period before a disabling injury led to a pursuit in storytelling. Talisman Of El is Al’s debut novel. The sequels Blackout and Ground Zero are currently available for sale.
