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Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults FinalistA graphic novel chronicling the immediate aftermath and rippling effects of one of the most impactful days in modern history: September 11, 2001. From the Sibert Honor- and YALSA Award-winning creator behind The Unwanted and Drowned City. The consequences of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, both political and personal, were vast, and continue to reverberate today. Don Brown brings his journalistic eye and attention to moving individual stories to help teens contextualize what they already know about the day, as well as broaden their understanding of the chain of events that occurred in the attack's wake.Profound, troubling, and deeply moving, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers bears witness to our history--and the ways it shapes our future.Read more books by Don Brown: 83 Days in Mariupol: A War DiaryRun and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

A raw, gripping, authentic, and boldly original novel about a fifteen-year-old Texas girl set to stand trial for murder--and the one person who might be able to help her clear her name.A wealthy businessman is dead, and fifteen-year-old Ruby Monroe is in a Dallas jail awaiting trial for his murder. Ruby has no one she can count on--no one, except her state-appointed caseworker, a woman named Cadence Ware. In Ruby's experience, that's not anyone she can trust.Cadence is familiar with the cold reality of Ruby's situation, even before Ruby was arrested. Angry and alone, homeless and hungry, breaking the law just to survive, she is the kind of girl no one wants to listen to, especially not the prosecutor who wants to put her away for life. But no one knows the story--the real story--of what happened the day Ruby met the man who would end up dead. As the layers of truth are peeled away and time is running out, Ruby and Cadence will both have desperate choices to make--choices that could mean the difference between Ruby spending her life in prison or her name being cleared.Told through a collection of letters, meeting notes, news articles, court transcripts, and more, Girls Like Her is a riveting and unflinching tale of the truths so often lost in the American justice system, and one girl's fight to be heard.

Euphoria meets Girl in Pieces in this coming-of-age story of a girl trying to put a grief-stricken past behind her, only to be startled by the discovery of a long-lost sister who puts into question everything she thought she knew.Amélie Coeur has never known what it truly means to be happy.She thought she'd found happiness once, in a love that ended in tragedy and nearly sent her over the edge. Now, at seventeen, Mel is beginning to piece her life back together. Under the supervision of Laurelle Child Services, the exclusive foster care agency that raised her, Mel is sober and living with a new family among Manhattan's elite. It's her last chance at adoption before she ages out of the system, and she promised, this time, she'll try.But a casual relationship with a boy is turning into something she never intended for it to be, causing small cracks in her carefully constructed walls. Then the sister she has no memory of contacts Mel, unearthing complicated feelings about the past and what could have been.As the anniversary of the worst day of her life approaches, Mel must weather the rising tides of grief and depression before she loses herself, and those close to her, all over again.

New York Times investigative reporter Kenneth P. Vogel takes us inside Washington's murky foreign influence industry, providing an unsparing look at the politically connected and morally flexible Americans who get rich working to shape public policy and popular opinion on behalf of brutal dictators, corrupt oligarchs, and pitiless arms dealers.It has been the source of the some of the most explosive scandals in American politics over the last century, quietly shaping U.S. foreign policy while producing lucrative paydays for some of the biggest names in Washington. But the foreign influence industry has remained shrouded in mystery, defying understanding and explanation--until now.Selling America shines a harsh light on the shadowy intersection of U.S. government diplomacy and private dealmaking. It is a billion-dollar business with a fundamentally undemocratic goal--wielding huge sums of often ill-gotten cash to help shape the exercise of American power around the world on behalf of foreign interests that are often anathema to American values about human rights and democracy.The beneficiaries include African dictators and Serbian arms dealers, as well as the families of American presidents, "America's mayor," and a major lobbyist who burst onto the scene under Trump. The losers include impoverished people living under oppressive regimes around the world, and American taxpayers, whose money is spent propping up the regimes.Kenneth P. Vogel has broken some of the biggest stories about foreign influence in American politics. Using his expansive source network, thousands of documents, and on-the-ground reporting, he takes readers from an oligarch's wooded compound outside Kyiv and a South American presidential palace to Washington, DC, and the C.I.A., revealing the stories of the people, places and deals behind the selling of America.

From the author of The Littlest Library--a heartwarming novel about a widowed children's book author who moves into a cottage in the English countryside and finds herself face-to-face with the handsome and brooding blacksmith who lives next door.In her books she can write "happily ever after"--but real life? That's another matter...For children's book author Imogen, an idyllic life in the English countryside seems like the perfect fit for her and her husband. But when tragedy strikes, Imogen is left widowed, and finds herself moving into Storybook Cottage alone with only her monstrously narcissistic cat for company.After discovering she is pregnant, Imogen grows determined to embrace a new start in Middlemass, with its duckpond, cricket matches and village fêtes. The only thing Imogen can't seem to shake is her neighbor--a brooding, artisan blacksmith named Zach--who she can't quite decide is friend or foe. That is until she realizes, thanks to an arcane clause in her deeds, that Zach is not just an artist, but lord of the local manor house.He has the power to take her home and leave her completely broke. Devastatingly--he seems keen to do exactly that. Yet, Imogen finds herself drawn to him nonetheless. And in her darkest hour, Zach may just be the bright spot to save Imogen in more ways than one.

Georgie Blalock, the acclaimed author of The Other Windsor Girl, delivers an enchantingly reimagined fictional portrait of Wallis Simpson through the lens of her cousin who is engaged to spy on the Duchess of Windsor for her alleged Nazi sympathies and finds much more than she bargained for!American Amelia Montague defied her family five years ago to marry the man she loved, but that decision cost her everything. Disowned by her family, and left a penniless widow after her husband's death, Amelia becomes her cousin Wallis Simpson's private secretary in France. With no other prospects available, Amelia has no choice but to succeed, and under their Aunt Bessie's direction, hopes to have a positive influence on Wallis and the Duke of Windsor.During the next two years, Amelia realizes that not everything with the Windsors is glittering happiness. Beneath the façade of the besotted couple simmers Wallis's rage at her stunted ambition, and the couple soon reveal themselves to be self-centered Nazi supporters who pursue their own interests at any cost.When the Germans invade France, and the Windsors leave Amelia to escape the Gestapo on her own, Amelia finds herself in position to work for the most unlikely of employers: MI5 and the FBI. Convinced to work undercover, Amelia joins the Windsors in Nassau and soon realizes that Wallis's treachery extends far deeper than the US and British government even knows...Richly imaginative, Georgie Blalock's novel stuns as it explores two women, opposites in every way, and the choices they make to survive both war and each other. . .

"A guide to protecting your skill in a world filling with AI and robots"--

A revolutionary and much-needed exploration of Alzheimer's, how it is a complex disease that requires a complex approach, how the vast majority of dementia research overlooks this fundamental truth, and how patients and their caregivers can simplify this complexity and take back control from this insidious disease. An estimated 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia today. The toll is stunning: it is the fifth-leading cause of death among older Americans, and in 2023 alone, the cost of health care, long-term care, and hospice services for people with dementia has been estimated at $345 billion.But that doesn't mean most of us are doomed to develop Alzheimer's. Research in neuroplasticity has proven that our brains have the capacity to keep changing, learning, and growing even into our later years. Few know better about what Alzheimer's does to people--to their brains, their bodies, their families, their lives--than Dr. Heather Sandison, one of the foremost Alzheimer's dementia-care clinicians. In Reversing Alzheimer's, she shows how we can alleviate the factors that nudge the brain into decline, add more of the things that contribute to brain regeneration, and either make significant improvements in cognitive function or prevent cognitive decline from happening in the first place.Hers is an individualized, step-by-step, whole-body approach: Dr. Sandison systematically guides the reader through addressing the factors that contribute both positively and negatively to our cognitive health--from the biological and the physical (toxins, nutrition, hormones, infections, exercise) to the psychological (negative self-talk, trauma); from the social (personal engagement with our community, loneliness and relationships); to the cultural (ageism, stress). She provides patients and caregivers with an evidence-based approach to reversing and preventing cognitive decline--and distills a multi-factorial approach to treating this complex disease into a doable, step-by-step, customizable program.Reversing Alzheimer's aims to help people suffering from dementia return to themselves, to give families their loved ones back, and to help those who are living in fear of developing dementia the confidence of knowing they are taking good care of their current and future brain health.

From perennially popular historical novelist Christine Wells, the delightful tale of three young women in 1950s Paris who share a single dazzling Christian Dior gown.1957: Three friends--Margot, Gina, and Charlotte--share an apartment above a bookstore in Paris.Margot is a twenty-two-year-old Australian having the time of her life. Having been sent to the City of Light to be "finished" before her debut, Margot falls in love with Paris all over again. In her mind, all she needs to complete her transformation into "Une Parisienne" is a gown from the spectacular designer Monsieur Dior, particularly if she wants to catch the eye of Peter Mountbatten, a distant cousin of the Queen.Gina is an American blueblood whose family has fallen on hard times. She's run away to Paris and is now working in a bookstore while writing a novel at night. But then she receives an invitation to a high society ball at the American Embassy where the man who once jilted her will also attend...with his new wife. Gina must have a knockout gown to wear.French chef Charlotte is the lone girl in a family of boys and one of the very few women working in the stubbornly sexist restaurant business. She's always thought herself homely compared with her conventionally pretty mother and is more interested in her work than fashion. But that is about to change...One night, Margot proposes to share the cost and the gown with her two best friends and roommates. Each will put in some of her savings, and they'll each get to wear the gown in turn.Gorgeous, perfectly tailored, lustrous and luxurious, the Dior gown has the power to change lives--as these three remarkable women are about to discover...

A brilliantly provocative and entertaining essay collection about the Y2K era, the generation-defining period that birthed everything from AOL Instant Messenger, the Hummer H2, bling-era rap, and low-rise jeans, to McMansions, anti-Bush chain emails, Abu Ghraib, and the subprime mortgage crisis. The early 2000s conjures images of dial-up internet connections, inflatable furniture, Hummer H2s, blinged out rap videos, and the feeling that the stock market would go up forever. The arrival of the new millennium was marked by a sense of both unbridled optimism and existential dread. For many it felt like the end of history; we'd solved all the big problems. No more wars, no more racism, no more sexism. But then history kept happening.In Y2K, one of our most incisive young essayists Colette Shade offers a darkly funny meditation, unpacking everything from the pop culture to the political economy of the period. By zooming in on Y2K cultural artifacts like celebrity tabloids, Starbucks, TRL, and the rise of internet porn, Shade produces an affectionate yet searing critique of an era that started with a boom and ended with a crash.In one essay Colette unpacks how hearing Ludacris's hit song "What's Your Fantasy" shaped the course of a generation's sexual awakening; in another she interrogates how her eating disorder developed as rail-thin models from the collapsed USSR flooded the pages of Vogue; in another, she explores how post-9/11 hysteria curdled into a kitschy patriotic consumerism that warps our politics to this day.Perfect for fans of Joan Didion, Jia Tolentino, and Chuck Klosterman, Y2K is a perfectly timed and deeply personal exploration of the final days of millennial optimism.

In this provocative, darkly funny, and unique novel--a mix of Lord of the Flies and The Royal Tenenbaums--a dictator's former right-hand man becomes housebound and a family power struggle erupts. Growing up on a Cuba-esque Caribbean island, Casandra, Calia, and Caleb endure life under two tyrannies: that of their parents, and the Island's authoritarian dictator, Pop-Pop Mustache. Papa was the dictator's former right-hand man. Now, he's a political pariah and an ugly parody of a tyrant, treating his home as a nation which he rules with an iron fist. As for Mom, his wife and hateful second in command, she rules from the mind. Obsessed with armchair psychoanalysis, she spends her days reading self-help books and seeks to diagnose the kids, and perhaps even herself.But within these walls, a rebellion is fomenting. Casandra, a cynical, self-important teenager with the most unlikely of attractions, recruits Caleb, meek yet gifted with a deadly touch, to join her in an insurrection against their father's arbitrary totalitarianism. Meanwhile, Calia, the silent, youngest sibling who just wants to be left alone to draw animals, may be in league with the flies--whose swarm in and around the house grows larger as Papa's violence increases.Equal parts Greek tragedy and horror, with a touch of J.D. Salinger and Luis Buñuel, The Tyranny of Flies is a biting and wholly original subversive masterpiece that examines the inherent violence of authority and the frightening and indelible links between patriarchy, military, and family.Translated from the Spanish by Kevin Gerry Dunn

A gripping historical novel set in Norway and Sweden in 1940, based on true events, which follows one of the first female US Ministers, Daisy Harriman, and her fictional niece as the two are unexpectedly caught up in the German invasion of Norway.Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that right up until the man she loved went missing in Poland and Cleo was forced to turn to the only person who might be able to help--her aunt Daisy, the US Minister to Norway.Daisy Harriman has never shied away from a challenge, be it canvassing for women's suffrage or driving Red Cross ambulances in WWI, so as only the second woman ambassador, she is determined to prove the naysayers wrong and succeed in her post. When her disgraced niece Cleo lands on her doorstep, penniless and demanding help to find her lost lover, Daisy must balance her responsibilities as a diplomat with her desire to help her family.Their search for answers is interrupted when Germany invades Norway and the two of them find themselves on the run in a countryside that is quickly becoming a battleground. Then as Daisy is given the task of escorting the Norwegian Crown Princess and her young children to America, Cleo's lover resurfaces with a story that doesn't add up and dangerous enemies on his trail. This riveting historical novel, based on the astounding life of Daisy Harriman and a real-life royal rescue, vividly captures a desperate time and a fearless heroine.

In this charming and emotionally resonant follow up to the internationally bestselling Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Satoshi Yagisawa paints a poignant and thoughtful portrait of life, love, and how much books and bookstores mean to the people who love them.Set again in the beloved Japanese bookshop and nearby coffee shop in the Jimbochi neighborhood of Toyko, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop deepens the relationship between Takako, her uncle Satoru, and the people in their lives. A new cast of heartwarming regulars have appeared in the shop, including an old man who wears the same ragged mouse-colored sweater and another who collects books solely for the official stamps with the author's personal seal.Satoshi Yagisawa illuminates the everyday relationships between people that are forged and grown through a shared love of books. Characters leave and return, fall in and out of love, and some eventually die. As time passes, Satoru, with Takako's help, must choose whether to keep the bookshop open or shutter its doors forever. Making the decision will take uncle and niece on an emotional journey back to their family's roots and remind them again what a bookstore can mean to an individual, a neighborhood, and a whole culture.

"Jane Eyre meets The Thirteenth Tale in this new modern gothic mystery from two-time Mary Higgins Clark award-winner Carol Goodman, about a reclusive writer who is desperate to rewrite the past"--

A funny, vulnerable, and disarming debut graphic novel from Emma Hunsinger, the creator of the popular "How to Draw a Horse." How It All Ends is a book about being overwhelmed by who you are and who you might be--and all the possibilities in between. For fans of Snapdragon; The Magic Fish; Heartstopper; and New Kid.Thirteen-year-old Tara lives inside the nonstop adventure of her imagination. It's far more entertaining than dull, everyday life. But when she's bumped from seventh grade directly to high school, she gets a dramatic jolt to reality.Now, Tara is part of a future she doesn't feel at all ready for. She's not ready to watch the racy shows the high school kids like, or to listen to the angsty music, or to stop playing make-believe with her younger brother. She's not ready to change for PE in front of everyone, or for the chaos of the hallways, or for the anarchy of an English class that's overrun with fourteen-year-old boys.But then there's Libby.Tara doesn't know whether she's ready for Libby. She can't even explain who Libby is to her because she doesn't know yet. She just knows that everything's more fun when she and her new classmate are together. But what will happen next? How will it all end?This debut graphic novel is a clever and candid portrait of a young girl grappling with the pressures of fitting in, finding your people, and sorting through confusing feelings. Emma Hunsinger has a pitch-perfect ear for the awkward yet endearing moments that accompany growing up, and her illustrations are downright hilarious. She brilliantly captures the humor and the horror of self-discovery and the first blushes of having a crush. How It All Ends deftly explores how unbearable--but exciting!--it is to grow up.

A story of pluck and determination inspired by the real events of 1815-17, when a young man named Karl Drais invented the very first bicycle.Before there were trains, or cars, or planes, people rode horses to travel from place to place.Then came the Year without a Summer, when a cloud of volcanic ash blocked the sun and crops withered across half the world. With no oats to eat, horses grew too weak to walk. Everyone despaired--how would they get around?But one day, a young forester had a bright idea in the darkness...Inspired by true events, The Running Machine shows how resilience in the face of adversity can lead to something wondrous.

A sweet, tender, and touching tale about a wise lighthouse guiding a young boat through the turbulent waters of life. This is a beautiful take on parenting and growing up, and a perfect pick for sharing and gifting.Once, there was a lighthouse.She stood proud and steady, strong and bright. In fair weather and in foul, she towered over the waters and guided ships to safe harbor.A lighthouse stands by the sea and keeps everything in her sight safe and sound. When a little boat named Brightness appears in her harbor, Lighthouse offers to watch out for her. But, as Brightness becomes more confident, she goes out farther than Lighthouse can see. When a big storm hits, will Lighthouse be able to protect Brightness?Perfect for both young readers and adults, this gorgeous picture book by Katie Frawley and Ben Mantle shows that, even when there are storms, love will always guide children home.

The shocking true-crime story of a Texas border patrol agent turned serial killer, the four sex workers whom he mercilessly killed, and the upended border town of Laredo where his heinous crimes occurred.Twelve days is all it took.Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Ann Luera, Griselda Hernandez, and Janelle Ortiz were four marginalized women striving to make ends meet as sex workers. They looked out for one another. But they would soon share a connection that none of them could have imagined. When Melissa was found dead, the other three women were on edge but assumed they were safe. Twelve days later, they too were dead and police had detained an unlikely suspect--Juan David Ortiz, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, where he carried a badge, a service revolver, and was entrusted to protect the community in which he eventually killed. From September 3 through September 15, 2018, Ortiz, a husband and doting father to three children, lured his victims into his white Dodge truck and drove them to the outskirts of town where he violently executed them, leaving them dead or dying on the sides of dark, rural roads.In this fast-paced, electrifying tick-tock, Pulitzer Prize-winning USA Today journalist Rick Jervis tells the gripping story of the four murders that shook the small border town of Laredo, and the quest to unmask a cold, calculated killer who was hiding in plain sight. The Devil Behind the Badge is also a deeply human portrait of the four lives lost and an attempt to uncover what motivated Ortiz's descent into darkness. Along the way, it raises serious questions about the border crisis, the abuse of law enforcement, and the challenges of a federal agency to police its own ranks.

"An intriguing plot matches the well-developed, reflective leads. As always, the real strength of this series lies in its authentic atmosphere, evocative descriptions of the landscape, and fascinating details of Navajo life. Hillerman consistently satisfies." --Publishers WeeklyFossil harvesting, ancient lore, greed, rejected love and murder combine in this gripping new installment of New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman's Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series.An unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Utah's Bears Ears National Monument raises questions for Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. Why would a seasoned outdoorsman and well-known paleontologist freeze to death within walking distance of his car? A second death brings more turmoil. Who is the unidentified man killed during a home invasion where nothing much seems to have been taken? Why was he murdered?The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and the discovery of unique fossils which revolutionized the scientific view of how early animals dealt with their changing world. Chee and Manuelito appreciate the area's scenery and wealth of human and scientific resources, but their visit to this achingly beautiful place is disrupted by a current of unprecedented violence that sweeps them both into danger. Illicit romance, a fossilized jawbone, hints of witchcraft, and a mysterious disappearance during a blizzard add to the peril.It takes all of Manuelito's and Chee's experience, skill, and intuition to navigate the threats that arise and see justice served.

In a world constantly churning out new life hacks and "productivity? gadgets, bestselling author and award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis has a radical new message: You already have what you need;you just need to learn to leverage it.

Set in a whimsical world with both human and animal friends, this debut graphic novel series is about besties who make crafts, mistakes, and friendships.Eight-year-old Evelyn is beyond excited to enter her town's annual art show! She joins two of her friends with a plan to submit a group project, but Dylan and Avery (a playful and imaginative skunk kit) start butting heads early on in the creative process. When Evelyn tries to diffuse the tension, both friends end up angry at her and the group splits apart.What will this mean for their art--and, more importantly, for their friendships?The first book in the new graphic novel series for young readers, Evelyn and Avery is all about navigating friendship and emotions, fostering different kinds of creativity, and forgiveness. Set in a world with both human and animal characters, the series is both relatable and whimsical.

When Jack's P.E. coach pairs him up with Jay Perkins for the cross-country team, neither of them is happy about it. Jack is grieving the loss of Joseph, his foster brother, and adjusting to his role as big brother to Jupiter, Joseph's orphaned daughter. Dealing with Jay Perkins--who'd once ganged up with his buddies to jump Joseph in the locker room--is the last thing he wants to do.But then Jack realizes that Jay is grieving too--the loss of his cousin Maddie, Jupiter's mom.As Jack's relationships with both Jay and Jupiter grow and his running improves, he starts to feel more like himself than he has since Joseph died. He's finding his stride . . . until Maddie's parents, who have never shown interest in their granddaughter before, decide to claim Jupiter as their own, blocking Jack's family from adopting her.And suddenly Jack's past and present smash together, threatening to dissolve both his newfound confidence and his friendships.This poignant, powerful companion to Orbiting Jupiter is Gary D. Schmidt at his best. He is the author of the Printz Honor and Newbery Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; Okay for Now, a National Book Award finalist; and The Wednesday Wars, a Newbery Honor Book, among many acclaimed novels for young readers.

A bad*ss story of the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary skaters who charted a path to the Olympics and changed the face of skateboarding.Who gets to tell the story of skateboarding? Drop In is the first book to recognize and historicize the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary humans who blazed the path that led to today's more equitable skate culture. It wasn't easy getting here.Like the rest of the world, skateboarding has long been patriarchal. In the 70s, it personified the punk rock, lock-up-your-daughters, middle-finger-to-the-man ethos. In the 80s, it was Miami Vice soundtracks and parachute pants, neon graphics and fingerless gloves. In the 90s it was New York City--graffiti, hip-hop, and skating in the street. Rarely did you see a woman's name in a skate video--either on a deck or behind the lens.The four skateboarders at the heart of Drop In defied expectations of gender, talent, physical ability, and mental capacity to fight the status quo: Alana as the first openly nonbinary athlete in Olympic history; Vanessa as a trailblazing runaway, dominating contests while drinking to excess; Marbie as an accidental boundary-breaking trans icon; and Victoria as the skate rookie turned social media sensation. Drop In spotlights their paths from rebellious outsiders to recognized pioneers on the historic stage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding made its historic debut. Their experiences reveal a side of skateboarding that's never been recorded, amplifying voices that have, for too long, gone unheard.

For fans of dungeon crawls and dice rolls--and anyone wanting to know more about them--Side Quest is a stand-alone graphic novel history of roleplaying games (RPGs), from ancient games to those played today, with personal stories from creators throughout!With a meld of history, fantasy, and memoir, Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games gives existing fans of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) insight into the history of the medium--and provides a gateway for anyone new to the phenomenon.The creators, Steenz and Samuel Sattin, narrate the book, switching between personal stories about their RPG experiences and concrete information that reveals the fascinating and often little-known history of these games. (Did you know that H. G. Wells created an RPG in the early 1900s? You will soon, along with so much more!)This is an inviting introduction to what TTRPGs are, why they matter, and how readers can get involved. And like any popular guide to arcana, this book is geared toward an audience of gamers, non-gamers, and general readers alike. Equal parts enlightening, adventurous, and approachable, this appealing graphic nonfiction book is one that everyone can enjoy!

Sweeping adventure, breathtaking twists of fate, and immersive worlds based in Norse mythology are woven into this first volume of the Runestone Saga, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms and Shattered Realms series. Since Ragnarok?the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos?the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic.Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones?his family has remained prosperous. But he stands to lose everything when he's wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is Eiric's half-systir, Liv, who's under suspicion for her interest in seidr, or magic. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove?the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery.Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger.Eiric's, Liv's, and Reginn's journeys converge in New Jotunheim, a paradise fueled by magic and the site of the Temple. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.

"Stopped from jumping off a bridge by her guardian angel, a millennial woman learns she is a magical girl like the ones in manga and must wield her credit card as her magic wand to defeat monsters"--