In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever....

    Medical science and governments around the world scramble in an effort to solve the problem, but twenty-five years later there is no cure, and an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women.Zoey and some of the surviving young women are housed in a scientific research compound dedicated to determining the cause. For two decades, she’s been isolated from her family, treated as a test subject, and locked away—told only that the virus has wiped out the rest of the world’s population.Captivity is the only life Zoey has ever known, and escaping her heavily armed captors is no easy task, but she’s determined to leave before she is subjected to the next round of tests…a program that no other woman has ever returned from. Even if she’s successful, Zoey has no idea what she’ll encounter in the strange new world beyond the facility’s walls. Winning her freedom will take brutality she never imagined she possessed, as well as all her strength and cunning—but Zoey is ready for war.

    Theirs is a world of children; before reaching the age of twenty, they all die of a strange disease they call Posies--a plague that has killed for generations. There is no medicine, no treatment; only the mysterious rumor of a cure.When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find this cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Traveling hundreds of miles across treacherous, unfamiliar territory, she will experience love, heartbreak, cruelty, terror, and betrayal, fighting to protect the only world she has ever known.A postapocalyptic literary epic as imaginative as The Passage and as linguistically ambitious as Cloud Atlas, The Country of Ice Cream Star is a breathtaking work from a writer of rare and unconventional talent.

    Determined to break out of my reclusive shell and move past the trauma of my father’s unexpected death, I take a job at Camp Shadow Lake, a place where nothing is what it seems.Every counselor is beautiful and aloof, including Levi Kass—who is as hot as he is hostile. I don’t know what I did to make him hate me, but he seems to want to eat me alive. How can someone so gorgeous be so menacing?But hot-as-hell Levi, with his dark stares and spine-tingling glances, is the least of my worries. A year ago, someone or something killed my father, and the more time I spend at Camp Shadow Lake, the more clues I find.They say it was a bear attack. Bear attack, my ass. Something much more insidious killed my father, and it might be hiding out near Shadow Lake.When I go looking for answers, I experience a shocking vision—one that shows me my days are numbered.Someone is going to kill me, and I need to figure out who before it’s too late. Will Levi save me or will I have to save myself… from him?If you love The Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries, you’re going to have a great time at Camp Shadow Lake. Don’t piss off the counselors—they’ll eat you for breakfast.Shadow Lake Vampire Society contains scenes with violence and some mild language.

    Whether it is Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson playing an oversized scorpion man in The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King, or the character of Anansi in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods; these magical creatures have a deep connection to the mythologies and folktales of ancient cultures.Where did they come from? What relevance do they serve in mythology? Why are some so obscure, while others become pop-culture enigmas? Get the answer to these questions, and learn about beasts from different world cultures.Folklorist Zayden Stone dives deep into the stories of these magical beasts and providesa fictional anecdote,a retelling of the original myths,an analysis of the symbolism and relevance of the creatures,and then pairs it with some beautiful black and white illustrations reimagined by artist Herdhian.In the second volume of the Mythical Creatures and Mythological Beasts book, the illustrated guide takes you through six themes that have been specifically chosen since they are consistent across cultures. The categories include:arthropods for insects, crustaceans, and arachnids;avian for birds;canines for wolves and dogs;serpents for snakes and dragons;ungulates for hooved animals like horses and cows; andaquatic for water dwelling beasts.Presenting the creatures in categories makes it easier to see what the beasts have in common. You will find some overlapping themes across ancient cultures that point to universal ideas in how humans perceive the world.If you have a love for the myths and want to learn about the unique beasts that dwell within them, this book is a great way to do it. Not only will you learn about ones you may have never heard of, but you will also be able to draw parallels between cultures and see how they interpreted their surroundings through stories of mythical creatures and magical beasts.If you haven’t already, then don’t forget to check out the first volume of Mythical Creatures and Mythological Beasts by Zayden Stone.

    Contemptuous of their parents, the children decide to run away when a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, embarking on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside. Lydia Millet’s prophetic and heartbreaking story of generational divide offers a haunting vision of what awaits us on the far side of Revelation.

    The Fighter Queen saga starts here. A military science fiction action adventure. Rated "R" 139,000 words. Roughly equivalent to 521 pages in a mass market paperback. This book is the first of the Fighter Queen saga. The books in the series may be read in any order (each is complete within itself), but if you wish to read them in chronological order for the best experience, we suggest: 1. The Fighter King 2. The Sword of Sophia 3. A Vow to Sophia 4. Star Marine 5. The Fighter Queen

    Drawn into their battle to stay free of the cure which threatens to strip them of their powers, he searches for the person who stole his past. As the tension between perceivers and norms erupts into violence, Michael pieces together the shocking truth behind the origin of their power. To save his friends from destruction, he must face Cooper and confront the painful revelations of his forgotten secrets. A gripping science fiction thriller set on the streets of London, Mind Secrets takes an exciting and dangerous journey into intrigue, friendship and deception.Previously published under the author name Chris Reynolds and the title Perceivers.

    Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistake.But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the "Wilds" who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

    Women have almost no rights and men hold all the power. The insidious influence of the oppressive Vanguard Group is spreading around the world and beyond. But while they can try to roll back the clock on social progress, they can’t control the human heart. Or the will to rebel. Emily Bryce was the quintessential self-made woman before the Vanguard Group imposed their archaic views on the country. First, the regime made it illegal for women to own businesses. Then, it forced them out of the working world. The latest blow saw Emily on the auction block, waiting to be sold into marriage to one of her former colleagues. Her humiliation was near complete. Cybernetically enhanced CEO Alek Westmore poured everything he was into building his multinational corporation, with not an ounce of help from his overambitious father. Then a business acquisition brought him a beautiful and brilliant female executive who made him think of much more than the bottom line. A million dollars was a very small price to pay to make her his bride. Alek is determined to be Emily’s hero. But can she ever love a secretive man who will stop at nothing to make her his own?

    Qualify for the Culling. Find a woman. Win the presidency.It was a carefully cultivated plan that dictated all his life’s decisions . . . until two women upend everything.Twenty-one years after his parents won the presidency, a Culling is called. James has waited his entire life for this moment, a chance to carry on his parents’ legacy. Meanwhile, whispers in Denver of an “Heir’s Curse” make a Reed winning the presidency seem impossible. A presidential heir has never won a Culling before, but there has also never been a Culling where three heirs could qualify. James and his siblings are determined to break the so-called curse and prove them all wrong.But when forced to choose between the easy love that could secure the presidency and a difficult one, what will James do?*This is book 1 of 4 in the spinoff for The Culling series.