When Rin aced the Keju — the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies — it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard — the most elite military school in Nikan — was even more surprising. But surprises aren’t always good. Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power — an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive — and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away. Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity ... and that it may already be too late.

After a holiday accident that nearly kills her, 32-year old Emily and her husband Freddie move from London into Larkin Lodge, a beautiful country house on remote Dartmoor, far away from their lives and friends in London. It should help heal her and be a wonderful fresh start but soon after moving in, Emily starts to feel that there's something wrong. There's a terrible presence emanating from the room on the third floor. While Freddie doesn't sense anything wrong, Emily can't bear to even step across the threshold, and as the darkness she feels in the room upstairs spreads like mould further into the building, and strange occurrences start happening, Emily becomes convinced that someone was murdered in the house and is now haunting it.But there are no records of any one ever dying in the property, not even old in their beds. In fact, it's been a happy home for all who've lived here. Except, it seems, for them. Ever since they moved into the house, their marriage has started to crumble. There's a sense of distrust. With Freddie growing distant and irritable and dismissing her concerns about the house as part of her post-sepsis syndrome, and with cracks in their relationship building with each day, Emily starts doing some digging into the secrets of Larkin Lodge and the locals who've lived there.But how can she solve a murder that never happened? And can she solve it in time to prevent another?What if you could have the best of the person you once fell in love with, and all it took was one little murder - a murder no one could ever know took place?Would you do it?If so, then Larkin Lodge will be happy to help.

After a holiday accident that nearly kills her, 32-year old Emily and her husband Freddie move from London into Larkin Lodge, a beautiful country house on remote Dartmoor, far away from their lives and friends in London. It should help heal her and be a wonderful fresh start but soon after moving in, Emily starts to feel that there's something wrong. There's a terrible presence emanating from the room on the third floor. While Freddie doesn't sense anything wrong, Emily can't bear to even step across the threshold, and as the darkness she feels in the room upstairs spreads like mould further into the building, and strange occurrences start happening, Emily becomes convinced that someone was murdered in the house and is now haunting it.But there are no records of any one ever dying in the property, not even old in their beds. In fact, it's been a happy home for all who've lived here. Except, it seems, for them. Ever since they moved into the house, their marriage has started to crumble. There's a sense of distrust. With Freddie growing distant and irritable and dismissing her concerns about the house as part of her post-sepsis syndrome, and with cracks in their relationship building with each day, Emily starts doing some digging into the secrets of Larkin Lodge and the locals who've lived there.But how can she solve a murder that never happened? And can she solve it in time to prevent another?What if you could have the best of the person you once fell in love with, and all it took was one little murder - a murder no one could ever know took place?Would you do it?If so, then Larkin Lodge will be happy to help.

A new marriage. A perfect home. A machine that says it’s all a lie. Welcome to Silicon Valley, where the weather is perfect, the income is high … and Rowena Snyder is miserable. A transplant from New York, Rowena moved into her husband Jacob’s idyllic childhood home with their new baby. But suburbia isn’t Rowena’s cup of Starbucks. And she’s got serious anxiety and depression to boot. Jacob, worried about their marriage, scores a new product currently in beta testing from his tech job: Maxine, a “digital friend” that bonds with an individual by continually gathering their personal data. Along with functioning like an upscale digital assistant, Maxine has “advice” and “prediction” modes that have shown promise for patients with mental health issues. To Rowena’s shock, the device turns out to be not just helpful, but eerily accurate, predicting events before they occur. It’s a godsend until Maxine offers a series of increasingly bone-chilling predictions that will change Rowena’s life forever. This domestic suspense novel set in a near-future dystopia asks, who do you trust more—your mind, your man, or your machine?

A new marriage. A perfect home. A machine that says it’s all a lie. Welcome to Silicon Valley, where the weather is perfect, the income is high … and Rowena Snyder is miserable. A transplant from New York, Rowena moved into her husband Jacob’s idyllic childhood home with their new baby. But suburbia isn’t Rowena’s cup of Starbucks. And she’s got serious anxiety and depression to boot. Jacob, worried about their marriage, scores a new product currently in beta testing from his tech job: Maxine, a “digital friend” that bonds with an individual by continually gathering their personal data. Along with functioning like an upscale digital assistant, Maxine has “advice” and “prediction” modes that have shown promise for patients with mental health issues. To Rowena’s shock, the device turns out to be not just helpful, but eerily accurate, predicting events before they occur. It’s a godsend until Maxine offers a series of increasingly bone-chilling predictions that will change Rowena’s life forever. This domestic suspense novel set in a near-future dystopia asks, who do you trust more—your mind, your man, or your machine?

She’d failed them. All of them. And now she was paying the price. Kiva thought she knew what she wanted—revenge. But feelings change, people change... everything has changed. After what happened at the palace, Kiva is desperate to know if her friends and family are safe, and whether those she wronged can ever forgive her. But with the kingdoms closer to the brink of war than they’ve ever been, and Kiva far away from the conflict, more is at stake than her own broken heart. A fresh start will mean a perilous quest, forcing mortal enemies and uneasy allies together in a race against the clock to save not just Evalon, but all of Wenderall. With her loyalties now set, Kiva can no longer just survive—she must fight for what she believes in. For who she believes in. But with danger coming from every side, and the lives of everyone she loves at risk, does she have what it takes to stand, or will she fall?