Showing results by narrator "Natalie Naudus" in All Categories

The conclusion of the Floating World segment of Scions of the Black Lotus. The ringleader of a rebellion has holed up with his allies in an unassailable castle, and it is up to Jie, Tian, and other members of the Black Lotus clan's Floating World cell to assassinate him.

Two years have passed since Kaiya rediscovered the lost magic of Dragon Songs, yet the power of her voice is untrained. Potential suitors see her as a stepping stone. One ruthless cousin would rather step on her gravestone. Not one to get walked over or buried, Kaiya is holding out for the exiled foreign prince who inspired her to sing. The only one who appreciates her abilities more is the world’s last dragon, Avarax, and it’s not because he enjoys a good song.

Ses is the daughter of a business mogul and a terrorist, each trying their best to kill the other while pretending she doesn't exist. An apprentice jailer of the gods, Ses spends her days learning to forge the tools needed to maintain the gods' prison. When the prison is mysteriously attacked on her sixteenth birthday, Ses is forced to flee after the secret of her parentage is revealed.

Prince Haille’s world is shattered by loss while the realm of Anthor descends into chaos, a single enigmatic mastermind - the Magus - behind it all. Haille’s friends rally to help him put together the pieces of the mystery, the fragmented realm, and his own fractured life, before it is too late.

I'm an Eagle, Not a Field Chick features a "family" of farm characters. Nissi, The Dove (represents G-d). Raised by a hen and rooster (denoting parents). The snake symbolizes Satan, the accuser and ridiculer. The characters symbolize "people" we all encounter in life. You know, those ol' turkeys, jackasses, or wolves in sheep clothing. The barnyard signifies a "cosmopolitan and diverse" suburb. Goldie heads up the mountain on foot, demonstrating how we often take the long, hard way to get to where we need to go. Her "baggage" denotes just that - baggage we all carry around.

It’s known as the Cataclysm - an event responsible for arresting most electronic technology. Its impact was global, and few countermeasures existed. Civilization was nearly brought to its knees. At least for a while. We found ways of getting by. Humanity connected with its past while auguring new solutions. Even for college students like Joanna Westenra, a world without smartphones or the Internet was survivable - albeit just barely. We were down but not out. Life could go on. Then, the Cataclysm unveiled something new. Monsters arose in the night. They are known as the Turned.

Amelia Rothman, a foreign-rights editor from New York, has a turbulent personal life. She juggles a divorce and two teenage kids, and decides to seek hypnotherapy to help her deal with insomnia and anxieties. But when during the session an unexpected event emerges, she tries to understand how it is relevant to her current life and why it suddenly triggers a series of synchronicities that take her on an unexpected personal journey to the depth of her subconscious.

Eighteen-year-old Maya dumped her cheating ex-boyfriend Jordy two years ago. So, when she receives a call to participate in Second Chance Romance - a reality show in which the now-famous Jordy re-dates his ex-girlfriends - she isn't interested...until she realizes she can use this opportunity to exact her revenge. If she can make it to the final spot on the show, she can reject Jordy in front of the nation, and publicly break his heart. Maya's fellow contestants include Skye, the beautiful, charismatic girl Jordy cheated on Maya with.

Jun Ironway, hacker, con artist, and only occasional thief, has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for life: a video that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous.

Tessa, a young girl with a shattered dream, must unite with Galen, a young man with a shattered emotional shell...When a blood-and-death magician releases an ancient alien imprisoned for centuries, its horrific creatures rise to kill everyone who threatens to block its returning powers and its invasion of the planet. Together Tessa the Hunter and Galen the Kern must fight this alien evil that threatens to enslave their planet.

After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck's Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn't be too much to ask, right? But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods' attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it's Arlo they're going to use to do it.

Olivia Sutton has every reason to be happy - she’s met the love of her life, her Nana has recovered from her stroke, and she’s painting again. And yet...her best friend is leaving her cryptic messages, a rebellion is forming at the church luncheon committee, and her recently deceased friend, Eddie Spaghetti, has started talking to her. But even bigger problems are brewing in the idyllic town of Stafford Falls. For one thing, Angie’s business is struggling, and for another, Olivia can’t seem to bring herself to actually work on the heartbreaking portrait of Eddie Spaghetti.

A mail order bride from Taiwan is packed up in a cardboard box and sent via express shipping to California, where her much older husband awaits her. Two teenage girls meticulously plan how to kill and cook their downstairs neighbor. An American au pair moves to Paris to find herself, only to find her actual French doppelgänger. A father reunites with his estranged daughter in unusual circumstances: as a background actor on the set of her film.

From the vulnerable and disenfranchised to the educated and privileged, the characters in this extraordinary collection embody the diversity of the Chinese diaspora past and present. In these deeply affecting stories, Jack Wang subverts expectations as he captures the hope, pain, and sacrifices of the millions who journey into the unknown to create better lives, and he explores the shifting boundaries of morality, the intimacies and failings of love, and the choices circumstances force us to make.

Holly-Mei Jones has finally settled into her new friend group in Hong Kong—that is until suddenly everyone starts talking about dating. Which Holly-Mei is not ready for. At least she has her school’s Experience Week to look forward to. Holly-Mei can’t wait to show off Taiwan, where her beloved Ah-Ma is from, to her friends. The trip is going to be perfect…right? Maybe not. On top of the pressure to date, Holly-Mei starts to wonder if maybe being half-Taiwanese isn’t enough. In the face of these big questions, will Holly-Mei be able to finally feel like she belongs?

But while some days can feel more sad than happy, there's always a bright spot on the horizon. Anna Dewdney and Judy Schachner perfectly blend rhyme, humor, and comfort to show readers the way out of a tough spot--no matter if it's big or small.

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom collects nine spellbinding stories – two previously published, seven original, including the epilogue to the duology – set in the enchanting world of Sue Lynn Tan’s stunning debut. Filled with magic and mythology, friendship and love, these stories intertwine through the past, present, and future of the two novels, told from the perspectives of multiple characters, including Chang’e, Shuxiao, Liwei, and Wenzhi.

Pirate life aside, all I have ever wanted was a safe place for the Lost Boys I rescued. Ambition may have led me to overstep my bounds. When my theft was discovered, the dwarves launch a devastating sneak attack against my island nation home.

Amelia Rothman, a foreign rights editor from New York, has a turbulent personal life. Adele Durand, a young French woman, marries the wrong man in 18th century revolutionary France. What do these two women have in common? Is it possible that an apprentice medicine man in 15th century Africa and an ancient sword hold the answers to a question that transcends time itself?

In The Healing Journey, Sue Maisano tells her heartfelt story of her rise from poverty and obscurity in a Chinese village to fulfillment and success in America, reaching all her goals of education, marriage, family, and a thriving healing practice. Now she shares her secrets of how she realized her dreams by following her intuition and spiritual guidance, as well as spiritual laws that work for everyone.