In een wereld waar magie zo goed als verdwenen is, betekent de ontdekking van een meisje met magische talenten het begin van een oorlog die drie koninkrijken tot op de rand van de afgrond brengt. Als de strijd naar een onvermijdelijk hoogtepunt stijgt, besluiten vier jongeren, elk op hun eigen manier, op zoek te gaan naar een uitweg voor alle ellende.

Cleiona Bellos, prinses van Auranos, raakt gaandeweg betrokken bij de moord op de zoon van een arme wijnboer. Als ze vervolgens door haar vader aan de moordenaar wordt uitgehuwelijkt om de zaak te sussen, neemt ze een beslissing die haar leven voorgoed zal veranderen.

Intussen zint de broer van de vermoorde jongen, Jonas Agallon, op wraak. Jonas houdt Cleiona verantwoordelijk voor de dood van zijn broer en eist genoegdoening.

In het noordelijke koninkrijk Limeros ontdekt de koning dat zijn dochter, Lucia Damora, een vorm van magie bezit waarmee hij eindelijk zijn streven om alleenheerser te worden kan verwezenlijken. Zijn zoon Magnus worstelt ondertussen met de vraag aan wie hij trouw verplicht is.

Morgan Rhodes wilde altijd al prinses worden - maar dan wel het type dat kan zwaardvechten en prinsen redt van vuurspuwende draken en duistere tovenaars. Gelukkig koos ze voor een veiliger beroep: ze werd schrijver.
Naast haar werk is Morgan dol op fotograferen, reizen en reality-tv. Onder het pseudoniem Michelle Rowen schreef zij al enkele paranormale bestellers. Rhodes woont en werkt in Ontario, Canada. De Wraak van de Kroonprinses is haar eerste fantasyroman.

(source: Bol.com)

De duisternis is gevallen in Mytica, de Gouden Prinses is niet langer een prinses. Cleo’s gedwongen huwelijk met prins Magnus resulteerde in de bloedige uitroeiing van Jonas’ rebellenleger. Vastbesloten haar eigen lot in handen te nemen, besluit ze alles te doen wat in haar macht ligt om de begerige koning Gaius, de man die haar vaders troon afpakte, uit te schakelen. Zelfs als dat betekent dat ze net zo sluw en bedrieglijk moet worden als hij. Ondertussen nemen prinses Lucia’s krachten tot Gaius’ genoegen met de dag toe. De magie van het Verwantschap lijkt dichterbij dan ooit. Totdat uit het niets Alexius, de knappe vreemdeling uit Lucia’s dromen, opduikt. Hij beweert dat hij het geheim van haar krachten kent. Gaius is ervan overtuigd dat Alexius de sleutel vormt tot deze bijna goddelijke krachten, maar Magnus vertrouwt de indringer voor geen moment. De Bloedkoning is echter niet de enige die uit is op alleenheerschappij. Twee beeldschone en uiterst geslepen leden van de koninklijke familie voorbij de Zilveren Zee zijn naar Mytica gekomen met een geheel eigen plan voor het koninkrijk. Het is een race op leven en dood om het Verwantschap te vinden. Diegene die de kristallen vindt, heeft het lot van heel Mytica in handen... maar het lot kan wispelturig zijn als er magie in het spel is.

About the Author

AMELIA ATWATER-RHODES wrote her first novel, In the Forests of the Night, when she was 13 years old. Other books in the Den of Shadows series are Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator, all ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults. She has also published the five-volume series The Kiesha'ra: Hawksong, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror List Selection;_ Snakecharm; Falcondance; Wolfcry,_ an IRA-CBC Young Adults' Choice; and Wyvernhail. She is also the author of Persistence of Memory. Visit her online at AmeliaAtwaterRhodes.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Saturday, 5:52 a.m.

The ringing in her ears surely was the sound of the world shattering. It was louder than the November air whistling outside as it tore leaves the color of fire and blood from the trees, and louder than the hum of the Chevy's engine as Adianna Vida pressed the gas pedal down further, accelerating past sixty . . . seventy . . .

Pushing eighty miles per hour, she twisted the dial on her satellite radio, turning the music up in the hope that it would drown out every other sound and thought. She wasn't even sure what she was listening to. It didn't matter.

She wondered if this was why Sarah had always been drawn to fast, flashy cars. Adia went for vehicles that drew no particular attention, cars she could get on short lease terms and trade in frequently, and she had always thought it was a little silly when Sarah picked out something that turned heads whenever she drove up.

But that was the way Sarah was.

Adia glanced at her instrument panel and realized the needle had just passed ninety. Where were the cops who were supposed to be patrolling this highway, anyway? Wasn't there anyone out here still serving and protecting?

She flexed her left hand, clenching her jaw to control a wince as she did so. Two of the fingers were broken. They wouldn't wrap around the steering wheel. The arm was still sore from a minor fracture she had received half a week earlier. She would have double-checked that the hastily tied bandage on her arm was still in place, but she didn't think it was a good idea to take her one good hand off the wheel, even to make sure she wasn't bleeding again.

At least the other guy looked worse . . . though that would have been more comforting if the "other guy" hadn't been a large bay window and some kind of ugly garden statue she had hit on her way down.

But it wasn't a complete loss. She had learned what she had needed to learn.

She had learned the last thing she had wanted to learn.

Adianna Vida, now the only child of Dominique Vida, matriarch of the ancient line of witches, wished she were still ignorant. It had taken a hell of a fight, but she had finally, unfortunately, throttled the information out of someone.

"Looks like she's decided to live, witch," a bloodbond had told her, the last word like a curse. "She's staying with Nikolas and Kristopher. Not that you'll find them. They've been hunted for more than a century. They know how to take care of themselves."

Sarah was still alive.

No, not Sarah. The creature who existed now looked like Adia's little sister, but she wasn't a witch anymore; she was a vampire. She had woken at sundown and had hunted. No one had been able to tell Adia who the victim had been, but Sarah's change had been traumatic, which meant the first hunt would have been fierce. She had probably killed.

And then she had decided to live as a vampire.

To continue as a vampire, at least.

Which proved it really wasn't Sarah, right? A daughter of Vida waking to find herself a monster should have ended it at that moment. She should have known that stopping herself then, before the vampiric power twisted her too badly, was the only way she could protect the helpless victims she would inevitably end up hurting in the future. But she hadn't.

Before Adia could learn any more, another bloodbond had leapt forward and sent them both through the window. Adia had wanted to fight at that point but had already found the information she needed, and knew that Dominique would disapprove of her lingering.

Realizing she was approaching her exit, she slowed--probably more abruptly than she should have, but who cared? It was six in the morning on a Saturday, and she hadn't seen another car in nearly half an hour. She was almost home, and when she pulled into the driveway, she would have to be fully under control.

She turned the radio down to barely a whisper, until she could hear the mournful wind again. In front of her mother's house, the trees were already nearly bare, except for a few golden leaves they still managed to cling desperately to. She sympathized; some part of her had been ripped away, as well, when she had let her sister die.

It took her two tries to get the car door open with the damage to her arms. The frigid air that rushed in to replace the warmth in the car was bracing and helped her calm her thoughts. She managed not to limp as she approached the front door.

Her mother was waiting for her in the kitchen, at the antique oak table where Adia had spent countless hours as a child studying ancient Vida laws.

Forty years old, Dominique had been the only child of her father's second wife. She had survived the deaths of her parents, her sister, a niece and a nephew closer to her age than her sister had been, and Sarah and Adia's father, and all Adia had ever seen from her was stoicism and the grim acceptance that a hunter's life was dangerous. Her practical short blond hair had occasional bits of gray and her Vida-blue eyes were perhaps a little more tired, but she still stood as if carrying the weight of the world were simply a task she had to accept.

And at that moment, she wasn't alone.

Product Description

FOUR COMPLETE NOVELS—ONE CAPTIVATING WORLD
In the Forests of the Night
Three hundred years ago Risika had a family—a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.
Demon in My View
Jessica isn’t your average high school student—she’s an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination—right?
Shattered Mirror
Christopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he’s actually a vampire who’s sworn off human blood and she’s an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren’t enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.
Midnight Predator
Once a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she’ll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .

From the Trade Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Cooper Blake's life is in ruins. A summer car accident shattered his body and ruined his football career. He can't—or won't—talk to anyone about the pain, the nightmares, or his inability to sleep, and he is feeling disconnected from his family and friends. And then there is Samantha, the attractive, sassy girl who has stayed by his side since the accident. She has been his confidant and cheerleader, urging him to fight through the pain of physical therapy. There is only one small problem—Cooper is the only one who can see her. Samantha has no memories before he woke up in the hospital. She just knows that she wants a physical body. Cooper also sees dark shadows that seem to feed on the living. Samantha's desire for a body sends him to the occult section of the public library and a chance encounter with Brent. Brent takes Cooper to a sorcerer who may be able to help him deal with the shadows and discover Samantha's true nature. Cooper also runs into Delilah, the captain of his school's cheerleading squad and a budding sorceress in her own right. Together they seek answers to Cooper's visions and Samantha's origins, and in the process expose themselves to dangerous forces beyond their understanding. Atwater-Rhodes has crafted another chilling tale with enough plot twists to keep readers guessing. Some may find the ending a little too neat, but most readers will burn through this slim novel in one or two sittings.—_Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After waking from a damaging car accident, Cooper finds himself haunted by a mysterious girl he can only assume is a ghost. Samantha doesn’t remember what happened, and Cooper doesn’t know why she is with him, but both are pursued by malevolent shadows that others cannot see. Estranged from his football friends because of his injuries and this new strangeness, Cooper relies on two acquaintances—Delilah, a witch; and Brent, a telepath—to help him figure out where Samantha came from. Helping Samantha, however, may be more dangerous than any of them realizes. Cooper’s appeal as the clueless, traumatized do-gooder and the mystery regarding Samantha’s origin keep the pages turning. There’s an unexpected twist to Samantha’s true nature and the reason for her link with Cooper, but the explanation is rushed and the resolution not particularly convincing. Fans of Atwater-Rhodes’ paranormal teens will enjoy this tale of elemental powers and body swapping, but others may wish for more follow-through. Grades 6-10. --Krista Hutley

By day, Risika sleeps in shaded room in Concord, Massachusetts. By night, she hunts the streets of New York City. She is used to being alone.

But someone is following Risika. He has left her a black rose, the same sort of rose that sealed her fate three hundred years ago. Three hundred years ago Risika had a family- a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human.

Now she was a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.

Though nobody at her high school knows it, Jessica is a published author. Her vampire novel, has just come out under the pen name Ash Night. Now two new students have just arrived in Ramsa, and both want Jessica’s attention. She has no patience with overly friendly Caryn, but she’s instantly drawn to Alex, a self-assured, mysterious boy who seems surprisingly familiar. If Jessica didn’t know better, she’d think Aubrey, the alluring villain from her novel had just sprung to life. That’s impossible, of course; Aubrey is a figment of her imagination. Or is he?

Sarah Vida has given up everything for love. From a legendary family of vampire-hunting witches, Sarah was raised to never trust a vampire, to never let her guard down, and to avoid all tricky attachments of the heart. But now Sarah IS a vampire—changed by the boy she thought she loved. Her family has forsaken her, and Sarah herself is disgusted by her appetite for blood.

Aida Vida is Sarah's older sister, the good, reliable sibling who always does her family proud. But when Aida's mother insists that Sarah be found and killed, Aida is given the one assignment that she may not be able to carry out.

Taking place over just twenty-four hours, ALL JUST GLASS tells the story of a game-changing battle that will forever change the world of the Den of Shadows. And at its center is the story of two sisters who must choose between love and duty. Dark, fully-imagined, and hard to put down, ALL JUST GLASS will thrill Amelia's fans—old and new.

Though she was once a happy teenager with a wonderful family and a full life, Turquoise Draka is now a hunter. In a deadly world of vampires, shapeshifters, and mercenaries, she’ll track any prey if the price is right. Her current assignment: to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. Her employer: an unknown contact who wants the job done fast. Her major obstacle: she’ll have to hide her strength and enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . .

To the casual observer, Christopher Ravena and Sarah Vida look like normal high school students. But he’s a vampire who has sworn off human blood, and she’s a witch, a daughter of the most powerful vampire-hunting dynasty in history. Slowly, without meaning to, Sarah finds herself won over by his sensitivity, his gentleness, his kindness.

But his past and her future collide when they both get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.

The rich stew of the author's creations—SingleEarth, vampires, shapeshifters, Tristes, the Bruja Guilds—are at full boil here in the story of two 20-ish young women trying to out run their very different pasts, and figure out where they fit in and who they might become. Each has landed in a more "normal" place, and each wonders if, like a tattoo that can't be covered up, they can ever really fit into "normal."

Cooper Blake has everything going for him—until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn’t know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she’s a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

No one from Cooper’s old life would understand what he can barely grasp himself. . . . But Delilah, the captain of the cheerleading squad, has secrets of her own, like her ability to see beyond the physical world, and her tangled history with Brent, a loner from a neighboring school who can hear strangers’ most intimate thoughts. Delilah and Brent know that Cooper is in more trouble than he realizes, and that Samantha may not be as innocent as she has led Cooper to believe. But the only way to figure out where Samantha came from will put them all in more danger than they ever dreamed possible.

The compendium of creations (SingleEarth, the Bruja guilds, the Midnight empire) intertwine in an exciting, unsettling plot featuring happenings both accidental and deliberate that will forever change the alternate landscape inhabited by vampires, Tristes, shapeshifters et al. It all begins with a wrong turn and a crashed party, and from there it's an epic clash of elements and the promise of more chaos still to come. At the center of the storm is Jay, a young vampire hunter that no one would ever have predicted might be earth's best bet to thwart the rise of a vampire-controlled slave empire called Midnight. Teens will find themselves drawn to Jay, who struggles to prove his worth even while he has his own fears that those who have written him off may be right to do so.

A gripping tale about loyalty, power, and the quest for freedom

Vance Ehecatl was raised with every luxury he could imagine in a beautiful greenhouse within the powerful empire of Midnight. Vampires are the only guardians Vance has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family as a baby quetzal, and he is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs. When an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered home, he is startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.

Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn't know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can't believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust-the vampires he's always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS after its initial publication, remains the seminal and complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan.

Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly—or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity, there was a span of hardly more than twenty-five years. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project, and then into the bomb, with frightening rapidity, while scientists known only to their peers—Szilard, Teller, Oppenheimer, Bohr, Meitner, Fermi, Lawrence, and von Neumann—stepped from their ivory towers into the limelight.

Richard Rhodes gives the definitive story of man’s most awesome discovery and invention. Told in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is a narrative and a document with literary power commensurate with its subject.