fiction

42d

Okay, mastadon, give me your recommendations 😁

#Reading #Readers #ReadingCommunity
#Novel #Books #Fiction
#Bookstodon #FantasyBooks

Post by cass

friend: hey, any book recs?
me: well, this one ruined my life and emotionally scarred me
friend: oh I'll steer clear then
me: ...you misunderstand

Edited 39d ago

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81d

Ebook and print: https://books2read.com/SheGoesToWar
Also in Ebook omnibus (volumes 1-3): https://books2read.com/AshenBladesOpenWounds

With the return of her arch-nemesis to the world in 1972, the Hunter literally goes to war, finding herself drawn to Vietnam, once more backed up by her demon-hunting allies, but as all that faced the horrors of the Vietnam War, she finds her time there trying and emotionally difficult.

@bookstodon
#indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of She Goes to War, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

Three people dressed in tiger-stripe camouflage crouch near the edge of a jungle, in Veitnam. The jungle is a mixture of bamboo and ferns.

The first is a girl with brown hair and blue eyes. She wears a dress, top hat and elbow-length fingerless gloves. She points out of the jungle.

The second is a hispanic man and his skin is covered in greasepaint, to make him blend in even better. He wears a military uniform, including a hat with a round brim and leans on an AK-47 for support. His vest has pouches large enough for spare magazines for his weapon. He looks through a pair of binoculars at what the girl is pointing at.

The third is huge and has the head of a cat, with black fur and green eyes. He wears a military uniform.

(Right) The view from the back of a military cargo plane, with the rear hatch open, in flight, while cargo is dropped for descent via parachute, with the following quote over the top:

“Did you see that?”

“No! I officially *never* saw that crate! I *did not* see the flash of a sword cut the crate apart and *very specifically* didn’t see it explode into a shower of thousands of dinner rolls, with a teenage girl in the middle!”

“Good! I was afraid I was the only one that hadn’t seen that!”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/SheGoesToWar

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80d

📚 Where There Was Fire by: John Manuel Arias

Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, and her husband disappears, the future of Teresa’s family is changed forever.

Now, twenty-seven years later, Ter...

https://bookblabla.com/book/where-there-was-fire

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sagasfiction #literaryfiction #womenfiction #familylife

Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, and her husband disappears, the future of Teresa’s family is changed forever.

Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Teresa, haunted by a missing husband and the bitter ghost of her mother, Amarga, is unable to reconcile the past. What unfolds is a story of a mother and daughter trying to forgive what they do not yet understand, and the mystery at the heart of one family’s rupture.

Brimming with ancestral spirits, omens, and the anthropomorphic forces of nature, John Manuel Arias weaves a brilliant tapestry of love, loss, secrets, and redemption in Where There Was Fire.

A lush and atmospheric novel about three generations of a Costa Rican family wrestling with a deadly secret, from rising literary star John Manuel Arias

“An exciting new voice with a prowess for lyricism.” ―Publishers Weekly

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A B&N DISCOVER PICK * A GMA BUZZ PICK * MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023: CrimeReads, Debutiful, Good Morning America, Library Journal, Zibby Mag, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more!

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80d

Chapter 5 of The Book of Newts: Witchhome is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/102509/the-book-of-newts

Dame Amelia Blackwell settles in for some enjoyable labor in her workshop, after having temporarily delegated her more political responsibilities to the mayor of Rimestar.

However, she's soon interrupted by Denholm...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #webseries

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87d

I need to see the rewritten version of this poem 😂

@reading @bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop @joinin

#ReadingMemes #Meme #Poetry #Humor #Humour #Funny #Geek
#Reading #Readers #ReadingCommunity #AmReading
#Novel #Books #Fiction #Bookstodon

A drawn picture of Edgar Allen Poe and his Raven.
Caption: The Passive Agressive Raven
Speech bubble from the Raven saying, 'Nevermind.'

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55d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/StoneProphet

Nicole seeks to collect the missing fragments of the magical city of Kurg from her home world, but the remaining pieces were deactivated and are hard to find. Luckily, she just found the first piece of the Seventh Sage, an ancient stone man that knows the future, which she hopes knows where to find them.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of Stone Prophet, by Owen Tyme.

At the center is a hexagonal coin with a golden appearance,. That bears a watercolor painting of a woman's face, which drips paint as if it were fresh.

Following the edges of the coin, the background is divided by a spiral of black lines into six images representing vital pieces of the titular stone prophet.

Upper right is an attractive woman with blue eyes and blond hair that's almost white. She stands in place of Memory.

Right is an eye with a blue iris surrounded by blue skin and golden decorations, representing Vision.

Lower right is a hooded woman in darkness, partially illuminated by a purple triangle that magically restrains her. She is Skill.

Lower left is a heart made of and resting in blue sand, with yellow light inside. That shines through cracks, hinting at fragility. This is Emotion.

Left is a gray sphere covered in black zeros and ones. More zeros and ones lay over the top, in blurred white. This is Reason.

Upper Left is a brass statue of justice, wearing a robe and blindfold. She holds a sword and scales. Behind her are the stars of space. This is Heart.

(Right) The same attractive woman from the upper right section of the cover, looking right at the viewer. The following quote frames her face, above and below:

“Does the Leader make the hard choices, or do the hard choices make the Leader?”

“Will she do what must be done, for the good of all?”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/StoneProphet

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46d

Ebook: https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

The painter of the universe, known as Life, just wanted to fulfill her reason for being, by creating a universe full of beautiful wonders and living things, but her twin brother, Death, exists solely to destroy her work, leading to an intractable argument about whose work should prevail.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #fiction #shortstory #life #death #creation #destruction #humor #satire #darkhumor

(Left) The Cover of Emergent Consequences, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

Life and Death lay asleep in a the grass, the way they lay slightly resembling the yin-yang symbol. The tools of their trades are scattered around them.

Life is a woman with black hair, in a white robe. Behind her are the paint brush and palette she paints the universe with. She's rather short and has rosy cheeks.

Death is a skeleton in a black robe, which appears to be continually disintegrating at the hem line. Behind him lay his scythe and scroll of names.

Between Life and Death is the hourglass that serves as the source of time for the entire universe, an item that's most commonly carried by Death, but which is part of the work of both of them.

The artwork is cartoonish, with some bushes and a tree that has one red piece of fruit dangling from it. The scene is looked upon by the sun, which frowns at everything.

(Right) The background is an image of some green bacteria with the following quote over the top:

"I think I'll call it Ted."

"Ted? You want to name a micro-organism Ted? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Ted."

"Alright, I just thought Bob would fit better."

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

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28d

Chapter 27 of The Book of Newts: Witchhome is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/102509/the-book-of-newts

Amelia and her friends wake up in a dirty alley, completely hungover, while Sampson screams a sermon at a crowd gathered around the mouth of the alley.

They begin to discuss the wild night that came before, which included a drink known as a "black hole"...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #actionadventure #fiction #webseries

the-book-of-newts

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79d

Major spoilers ahead ⚠️

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41d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/TymeStarwitch
Audiobook: https://owentyme.bandcamp.com/album/the-book-of-newts-starwitch

The undead queen of the space pirates kidnapped Amelia’s sisters and damaged her ship, leaving her with little fuel. Amelia’s a dead woman without her sisters, forced to attack the pirate’s mountain-sized star ship, despite how slim the odds are…

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books #audiobook

(Left) The cover of Starwitch, by Owen Tyme.

In the background is a red, orange and white nebula.

In the foreground is a line drawing of a red spotted newt, in white. The lines of the newt are outlined in black, to help it stand out. The interior is red, with an appearance similar to stained glass.

(Right) In the background is a red and orange galaxy, with a blue core, which bears a resemblance to an eye. It has the following text over it:

“First you turn my dog against me, then you steal my ship’s core? What’s next, pulling my teeth?”

“We didn’t ask for this! You attacked us! Why don’t you just let us go?”

“I might as well cover myself in tartar sauce, then go swimming in shark infested waters! My lieutenants would tear me to shreds, just the same!”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TymeStarwitch

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76d

📚 The Reformatory by: Tananarive Due

Gracetown, Florida

June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-reformatory

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #horror #generalfiction #historicalfiction #historical

Gracetown, Florida

June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award *

“You’re in for a treat...one of those books you can’t put down...Due h

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51d

📚 The Calamities by: Chuck Wendig

Mourning Mayne knows he’ll one day bear the duty of managing his family’s vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy of cruelty, domination, and exploitation . . . and something even darker.

Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-calamities

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #contemporaryfiction #urban

Mourning Mayne knows he’ll one day bear the duty of managing his family’s vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy of cruelty, domination, and exploitation . . . and something even darker.

Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in our world are the fiends—half-human, half-demon, and possessed of a dark magic born from buying human souls—and the Maynes are one of the oldest and most influential fiendish families.

But when Mourning’s estranged father, the formidable and terrifying Hadrian Mayne, demands that Mourning return to the fold, he has to decide whether to accept his legacy and embrace his role in the family or to forge his own destiny, and with it, change the course of the world.

Because along the way home, he will meet Key, a black-market seller of human souls, and Quinn, an artist who may hold the dark truth behind the fate of the fiends. Alone, they have all struggled with the darkness of their natures . . . but together, they might find a path out of the shadows.

Book One of The Fiends

The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret of their power in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

“Vivid, unsettling, and darkly compelling, The Calamities is Chuck Wendig at his best.”—#1 New York Times bestselling aut

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51d

Spoiler ahead ⚠️

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53d

Chapter 40 of Scarlet Eye: Homecoming is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/153820/scarlet-eye

During a meeting of the seven arch demons, Pride gets raked over the coals for how badly things have gone, considering the fact the Ashen Blades actually destroyed Castigation City.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #witches #demons #vampires #webseries

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42d

📚 American Hagwon by: Min Jin Lee

In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow le...

https://bookblabla.com/book/american-hagwon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #literaryfiction #familylife #multigenerationalfiction #immigrationfiction

In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year. Once comfortably middle class in Korea, John and Helen Koh and their three children—Bo, DH, and Mido—find their lives upended, first by a shocking betrayal by John’s oldest friend, then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Desperately striving to regain their footing, they leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in Southern California—where new vistas of opportunity open up for the children as their parents, strangers in a strange land, must adjust to a new life in which their experience and education mean little, and they set their sights on whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures. The Kohs, their friends, relatives, and even their foes move in and out of each other’s lives as they navigate new courses across the years, always nursing the almost all-consuming faith that education will lead the next generation to success and security.

In American Hagwon, Min Jin Lee has crafted an unforgettable, panoramic novel where the smallest of gestures can have enormous repercussions, where the bonds of family and of memory twist and fray but rarely break, and where willful self-sacrifice—for the benefit of loved ones and even strangers—is a ki

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75d

Major spoilers ahead ⚠️

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75d

Ebook: https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

The painter of the universe, known as Life, just wanted to fulfill her reason for being, by creating a universe full of beautiful wonders and living things, but her twin brother, Death, exists solely to destroy her work, leading to an intractable argument about whose work should prevail.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #fiction #shortstory #life #death #creation #destruction #humor #satire #darkhumor

(Left) The Cover of Emergent Consequences, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

Life and Death lay asleep in a the grass, the way they lay slightly resembling the yin-yang symbol. The tools of their trades are scattered around them.

Life is a woman with black hair, in a white robe. Behind her are the paint brush and palette she paints the universe with. She's rather short and has rosy cheeks.

Death is a skeleton in a black robe, which appears to be continually disintegrating at the hem line. Behind him lay his scythe and scroll of names.

Between Life and Death is the hourglass that serves as the source of time for the entire universe, an item that's most commonly carried by Death, but which is part of the work of both of them.

The artwork is cartoonish, with some bushes and a tree that has one red piece of fruit dangling from it. The scene is looked upon by the sun, which frowns at everything.

(Right) The background is an image of some green bacteria with the following quote over the top:

"I think I'll call it Ted."

"Ted? You want to name a micro-organism Ted? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Ted."

"Alright, I just thought Bob would fit better."

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

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75d

Chapter 7 of The Book of Newts: Witchhome is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/102509/the-book-of-newts

The Blackwell sisters observe the unusual sight of Uthec (the star, not the goddess) going nova on a much earlier schedule than expected.

Iris is only mildly concerned, while Marta worries and Amelia prepares for potential riots...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #webseries

the-book-of-newts

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52d

Chapter 17 of The Book of Newts: Witchhome is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/102509/the-book-of-newts

After ensuring their home is safe, the sisters turn their attention to Rimestar and seek intel. They're soon told the city is in the middle of a rebellion led by General Delia "Chaos" Kane, an old witch from the Dugaria military...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #actionadventure #fiction #webseries

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74d

Mild spoilers ⚠️

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52d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/SheSeeksPeace

The Hunter seeks peace and quiet to mourn the loss of her best friend in a world that seems bound and determined to make that task impossible. Enemies attack when she’d rather be alone, allies can’t take a hint and the arch-demon Wrath seeks the Hunter’s hand in marriage, even though she’d sooner kill him.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of She Seeks Peace, by Owen Tyme.

The background is a snow-capped, craggy mountain with green, grassy hills at its base, which feature yellow and blue flowers.

The foreground is dominated by the round symbol for peace, in gold. Along the bottom of it are two olive branches. At the top is a dove in flight. Arranged on the lower three spokes of it are three figures based on the AIGA symbol for a woman. The figure on the right is blue. The one in the middle is a very dark gray, bordering on black, which includes a top hat. The figure on the left is red and has horns, like a demon.

(Right) The background is a view from the interior of a gun's barrel, with the rifling very apparent and the following quote over the top:

Reggie looked down the barrel of one of his own pistols, which the girl held in both hands, because the M1911 was a little large for someone so small.

There was a long, silent moment as the girl giggled and met his gaze. The murderous look was gone, replaced by something more playful, like a cat toying with a mouse.

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/SheSeeksPeace

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75d

📚 Station Eleven by: Emily St. John Mandel

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Ki...

https://bookblabla.com/book/station-eleven

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #literary

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FINALIST • Set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. • Now an original series on HBO Max. • Over one million copies sold!

Look for Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling new novel, Sea of Tranquility!

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52d

📚 Appetite by: P. Paramita

Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only upside? She gets to take home leftover ingredients and whip up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eating—all while enjoying her second greatest passion, professional wrestling: namely, her hero Sierra My...

https://bookblabla.com/book/appetite

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #lgbtq #general

Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only upside? She gets to take home leftover ingredients and whip up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eating—all while enjoying her second greatest passion, professional wrestling: namely, her hero Sierra Myst, the massively successful, high-flying heel who’s built like a superhero and is every bit as daring.

One night, Zarina posts about Sierra Myst, and the impossible happens: Sierra responds. Zarina is elated at the chance to become closer with her idol. At first, their friendship is everything she’s ever dreamed of. But as the weeks fly by, Zarina starts to feel more like Sierra’s unpaid personal assistant and relationship counselor—and her desire to make Sierra happy soon threatens everything she’s worked for.

An affirming and utterly original debut about a young chef chasing her dreams—and the pro wrestler she idolizes who derails everything

“Appetite holds a mirror to the puzzling ways humans sometimes find themselves connecting with one another, on and offline. Prepare to be captivated.”—Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up to You

“I flew through Appetite in one hungry sitting—chest racing, mouth watering, and seriously questioning if I should make women’s wrestling my new personality.”—Haley Jakobson, author of Old Enough

How far will you go to feed your ambitions?

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75d

Let's do this.

@bookstodon#Books #Reading #SFF #SciFi #Fantasy #Fiction #BrokenEarth

(comment on The Stone Sky)

N. K. Jemisin: The Stone Sky (AudiobookFormat, 2017, Hachette Audio)

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74d

Chapter 31 of Scarlet Eye: Homecoming is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/153820/scarlet-eye

The struggle of Annmarie and Jake to prevent her from being dragged to her waiting eternal punishment is interrupted at the last moment by an unexpected ally...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #witches #demons #vampires #webseries

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