Half-Bloods Rising


Book Description

"Epic. Fast. Heroic. The Rogue Elf series is classic epic fantasy with none of the fluff. ★★★★★" War calls the elves of Urlas to battle. But Kealin, a young half-elf training to be a Sacred Blade, and his three siblings, are forbidden to go. They are not ready, or so they're told. But Kealin's lineage has a dark secret and the High Council of Urlas fears what he may become... Kealin is about to learn that secret and in the catacysm emerging, Urlas will wish they had embraced it. When the soothsayer of Urlas tells Kealin that doom comes for all that left for the war, he and his siblings set off on what may be a one way journey to the edge of the world. Darkness is upon them and a specter that dwells between the borders of the living realms has been waiting for them. The Rogue Elf awakens... but is it too late to save those he loves? A brave group of companions await you: Kealin- a defiant half-blood that has little care of the purist High Elves and their beliefs. Eager, skilled, and sometimes a bit cocky, he fights with furious zeal to protect those he cares about. Alri- The only female elf in the group. Her powers are far beyond her brothers. As a potent magic-user training under the best of the arcane masters, she knows much about her deadly art but necromancy is her natural gift. With her, a power unlike that taught in her homeland is just within her grasp yet she doesn't realize it yet. Taslun- A son after his father's image. Strong, loyal to Urlas, and at 800 years old nearly ready to go before the High Council and be christened as a Blade of Urlas. He is the last anyone expects to become defiant. As the oldest sibling, he naturally desires to look after the young ones. They'll need his skills if they are all to survive. Calak- The youngest of the males and with equal qualities of being cocky and honorable. While he is capable with a sword, his true gift is in his love of astrology, history, and ancient knowledge. Where he lacks in fighting ability he makes up for what his more 'violence-centric' brothers see as 'boring'. Valrin- Not an elf but also not a normal human. However, the greatest mystery to the half-elves is his level of knowledge of the vast Glacial Seas and what he seems to know but not say about their quest. A loyal companion that has known of the elven lands and the coming darkness on the seas far before the half-elves left their home, he is the key to much to come. He commands the Aela Sunrise, a not-so-simple sailing vessel crafted by the ancient Sea Peoples of the North.




Health Is Your Birthright


Book Description

Suffering scoliosis and chronic pain, fatigue, and depression due to a back injury, Ellen Tart-Jensen became determined to take charge of her life. She began researching natural health care and discovered that by listening to one's body and following nature's simple laws, health is attainable for everyone—herself included. Now a nutritional consultant and certified iridologist, she's at her absolute healthiest and travels the world coaching others in self-care. Filled with a wealth of tips on nutrition, therapeutic teas, exercise, cleanses, and more, HEALTH IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT is a roadmap for those looking to take charge of their ailments, or at least lead a more balanced, vibrant lifestyle.













Because It Is My Blood


Book Description

In this thrilling novel about a reluctant mobster, Anya tries to shatter the ties that bind--with deadly consequences. Because It Is My Blood is the second stunning novel in Gabrielle Zevin's Birthright series. "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in."- Michael Corleone, The Godfather Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship. But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It's a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.




Almost Brown


Book Description

An award-winning writer retraces her dysfunctional, biracial, globe-trotting family’s journey as she reckons with ethnicity and belonging, diversity and race, and the complexities of life within a multicultural household. “Almost Brown is that rarest of things: a memoir that is both deeply intimate and intellectually ambitious.”—Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book Charlotte Gill’s father is Indian. Her mother is English. They meet in 1960s London when the world is not quite ready for interracial love. Their union results in a total meltdown of familial relations, a lot of immigration paperwork, and three children, all in varying shades of tan. Together they set off on a journey from the United Kingdom to Canada to the United States in an elusive pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness—a dream that eventually tears them apart. Almost Brown is an exploration of diasporic intermingling involving two eccentric parents from worlds apart and their half-brown children as they experience the paradoxes and conundrums of life as it’s lived between race checkboxes. Their intercultural experiment features turbans and tube socks, chana masala and Cherry Coke. Over time, Gill’s parents drift apart because they just aren’t compatible. But as she too finds herself distancing from her father—Why is she embarrassed to walk down the street with him and not her mom?—she doesn’t know if it’s because of his personality or his race. Is this her own unconscious bias favoring one parent over the other in the racial tug-of-war that plagues our society? Almost Brown looks for answers to questions shared by many mixed-race people: What am I? What does it mean to be a person of color when the concept is a societal invention and really only applies halfway if you are half white? Eventually, after years of silence, Gill and her father reclaim a space for forgiveness and love. In a funny, turbulent, and ultimately heartwarming story, Gill examines the brilliant messiness of ancestry, “diversity,” and the idea of “race,” a historical concept that still informs our beliefs about ethnicity today.




Blood Torn


Book Description

Dying opened up a whole new world for Emma. A world of vampire gifts, cravings, and betrayal. Now a vital member of the team, Emma and her friends are hunting down the vampire responsible for the downfall of the Haven: her sister. Emma knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the challenges soon become too much. Determined to destroy her sister and end the war between the Immortals and the half-blood rogues, Emma seeks out the imposing Astley brothers, Henry and Charles, hoping to form an alliance with the Immortal family. As Emma is drawn deeper into the dark world of the Astley’s estate, she begins to question if the brothers are truly her allies or if they have a secret agenda—one that will put everything she loves at risk.




Birthright


Book Description

"In the British Columbia frontier in 1905, missionary Robert Maclean has an ever-increasing foothold of power and influence. Into the swirling melee of shifting allegiances steps Precious Conroy, Maclean's adopted daughter. She is unaware that she was sent away for schooling to avoid the shame and discrimination which would occur should the secret get out that she is part Native. The son of the local chief, himself a product of a mixed marriage, is in love with her but so too is the son of the house. What will happen when, as it must, the secret of her parentage gets out?"--Back cover.




Eighteen Rabbit


Book Description

Deep in the mysterious jungles of Central America, in a time when Arthur was long dead, yet before Charlemagne even stirred in the womb, the brilliant and powerful god-king, Eighteen Rabbit, ruled the city of Copan in renaissance splendor. This is his story – a tale of glorious temples and gory sacrifices, strange narcotics and brutal statecraft. It is a story of pride and humility, love and betrayal, devious intrigue and the triumph of the human will. It is a story told by Eighteen Rabbit himself, masterfully teased out of the stone inscriptions he commissioned, as if it happened only yesterday. Thank you,