Lady Carolina Sanchez has spent her entire life believing she is the “Sanchez family disgrace,” a notion constantly reinforced by her elder sister, Flora. In public, Flora is a model of kindness and gentility, always coming to her baby sister’s defense...but behind closed doors, she heaps abuse on Carolina, leveraging Carolina’s perceived shortcomings to suit her own ends. When Carolina is sent to the neighboring Malcosian Empire for a political marriage to Prince Edward Ruby Martinez, she...

In the grand empire of Malcosias, Lady Carolina Sanchez has found herself living a life far from what she imagined. Her new husband is unexpectedly tender, her in-laws surprisingly warm, and her enemies...closer than she ever anticipated. With the Founder’s Day Fete—a glittering event where she and Edward will proclaim their marriage—fast approaching, Carolina must navigate palace politics, masked threats, and an assassination attempt that has left her shaken. Her only shield is her impuls...

A soirée gone horribly wrong. At the behest of a sinister alliance between the disdainful noble Lady Monica Arendt and Archbishop Mills, Carolina is abducted before the eyes of the man she loves—bound, silenced, and dragged toward unknown lands. She awakens mid-journey to find herself among a group of children: orphans from Celestia, all told they are on their way to new families. The truth is far darker: they are being trafficked and sold into slavery. With time running out, Edward and Te...

Following an eventful honeymoon, Carolina returns to the capital with Teodore and Edward. Her aim now is clear: restore Prince Gilbert’s health and resolve the brewing Malcosian succession crisis. As a newly revealed bearer of Divinity, only Carolina can cure the ailing prince and restore balance to a fractured empire. But to protect her, that gift must remain secret—and secrecy within the court breeds suspicion. As Carolina grows closer to Gilbert, whispers of scandal begin to circulate, ...

" Almond draws on everything from The Grapes of Wrath to the voting practices of his babysitter to dismantle the false narratives about American democracy ." —Cheryl Strayed, international-bestselling author of WildLike a lot of Americans, Steve Almond spent the weeks after the 2016 election lying awake, in a state of dread and bewilderment. The problem wasn't just the election, ...

After surviving several assassination attempts, Carolina finally makes it to her wedding day. Being the first royal marriage in decades, the ceremony is a grand and beautiful affair set to be broadcast across the empire. But when Prince Edward refuses to consummate their marriage and leaves on a months-long quest to exterminate mana-beasts, old insecurities rear their ugly heads. Though Flora is worlds away, her dark shadow continues to loom over Carolina’s consciousness.But then, ...

The Dark Side Of The Moon. A war brews over the horizon, threatening Humanity in the crossfire.Read more in this Short Science Fiction Novel by Sean Almond

Divinity. To Carolina, it is her chance to finally matter, but to others, it’s a means to seize power. Archbishop Mills, the corrupt leader of the Celestian Church, devises a plot to abduct Carolina and harness her gift for his own sinister ends. His goal is to become the next high pontiff and claim absolute dominion over the land. A swift warning from Carolina’s father, Duke Sanchez of Celestia, alerts the imperial family—and in a bid to protect her, they propose a bold plan: introduce a ...

From the New York Times–bestselling author and Dear Sugars columnist, an arousing story collection exploring modern love in the age of hook-up culture.Steve Almond's My Life in Heavy Metal presents twelve passion-fueled stories—including his Pushcart Prize-winning story "The Pass"—that take a clear-eyed view of relationships between young men and women who have come of age in an era without innocence. These are powerful and resonant stori...

Lady Carolina, the overlooked daughter of a powerful duke, has always believed herself to be the black sheep amid her illustrious kin. Her father is the distinguished prime minister; her elder sister, a prodigious mage destined to become their nation’s next Saint. In comparison, Carolina resigns herself to a quiet existence in their shadows until a sudden and unexpected royal decree alters her destiny, thrusting her into a political marriage with the formidable “Bloodthirsty Prince” of the...

Lady Marisa Kissinger is said to be the most beautiful woman in all of the Malcosian Empire. Yet, instead of living as the pampered wife of a powerful aristocrat, she serves as a personal handmaiden to the royal family. It’s a mystery that has long plagued Princess Carolina Sanchez’s mind, and on her honeymoon, she may finally uncover the truth. How did Marisa's greatest fears lead her to where she is now?Though Carolina is always concerned with others, she might do well to turn so...

What is Life? What is Death?An unsuspecting young man soon finds out and has his entire world turned upside down in this short fantasy novel by Sean Almond.