Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders... Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die

Born ​in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world. Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him. As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

Service design is a rapidly growing area of interest in design and business management. There are a lot of books on how to get started, but this is the first book that describes what a ‘good’ service is and how to design one. This book lays out the essential principles for building services that work well for users. Demystifying what we mean by a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ service and describing the common elements within all services that mean they either work for users or don’t. A practical book for practitioners and non-practitioners alike interested in better service delivery, this book is the definitive new guide to designing services that work for users.

“When you play a video game, you’re in control. You design and decide everything. We're told this is how design careers unfold – that our ideas will be adored and we will influence big decisions. But this is not how the real world works. What we call designing is in reality mostly advising. We make things as suggestions for other powerful people—clients, executives, and project teams—and they often ignore our expertise. This is why design is hard.But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this potent, humorous, real-world–based book by design-industry veterans Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug, you’ll learn how to use the skills you already have to navigate, negotiate, and influence the people, power, and systems that currently hold you back in organizations.”

The missing manual for startup founders wanting to crack their GTM strategy, scale to $1M+, and find product–market fit If you're building a startup and struggling with early traction, you're not alone. Most early-stage startups fail not because they lack a great idea, but because they never find their growth levers—or they find them too late. As a VC, I’ve seen the same traps play out again and again. That’s why I wrote The Growth Equation. It’s the book I wish every founder had from day one. Inside, you’ll learn how Launch with a go-to-market strategy that drives traction and lands early adopters Unlock and double down on the growth levers that actually move the needle Scale from 10 to 1,000 users with a repeatable, compounding growth engine Use PLG when it fits—and combine it with sales or marketing when it doesn’t Turn signups into retained, paying customers by fixing activation and churn Price confidently—for traction now and growth later The Growth Equation distills the best thinking from across the startup world—on go-to-market strategy, growth hacking, founder-led sales, and product-led growth—into one clear, practical playbook. It helps you shortcut the learning curve, avoid costly mistakes, and scale with confidence. Whether you're chasing your first million in revenue or preparing to raise a round, this book gives you the frameworks, strategies, and mental models to get there—faster and smarter. It’s your tactical guide to finding product–market fit and building the kind of traction investors expect. What Founders and Experts Say “This book is the perfect encapsulation of everything there is to know about early-stage startup growth. Sure, you could sign up for a dozen newsletters, listen to a bunch of podcasts, and hire a head of growth. Or you could buy this book.”— Jake Knapp, Author of Sprint “Andy’s done a masterful job distilling a ton of industry knowledge into clear, practical, actionable steps to get your startup off the ground and to its first $1MM. A must-read for all founders.”— Jeff Gothelf, Author of Lean UX “Andy has written the essential guide to every major decision you’ll need to make as an early-stage founder—from finding your first customers to reaching product–market fit.”— Kate Aronowitz, Google Ventures“Andy offers a wealth of practical, actionable insights for anyone trying to build and grow a product or company. Filled with great examples that illustrate his points, this book is an entertaining and easy read that all founders and team members should have.”—Irene Au, Partner at Khosla Ventures“Practical advice on how to find your first customers, how to successfully onboard people, how to get them experiencing value as soon as possible, and how to keep them coming back for more.

Born ​in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world. Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him. As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

A high-born Nigerian goddess, who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover, longs to be truly seen. A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life. A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family’s politics or be true to her heart. In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places. With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres.