"Songs of Seraphina"
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy. 384 pages.
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy. 384 pages.
Price: $2.99 ebook (at time of post)
Book Link: Click Here
Some battles bleed so much, and for so long, that the earth never truly forgets their dead. Some battles are born of oppression, and some of greed, and some simply because it was written in the stars.
Three sisters—Charlemagne, Cairo and Pendragon Agonistes—are sent from America to England to live with their eccentric grandparents after their mother disappears and their father falls to pieces. But before the girls have time to find their feet, Charlemagne is married off to a dead man, Penny takes a nap and wakes up as a boy, and Cairo is swept into a dangerous romance with a man who wants her for more than her considerable charm. With the girls wrapped up in a conflict they barely understand, they don’t notice that their grandmother is transforming, or that the two demigod assassins who took their mother are now coming for them—if one of them can get over his crisis of conscience.
In this richly painted tale, at whose heart is the unbreakable bond of family and blood, the world of Seraphina collides with our own as three unique girls are dragged into twilight lives past, fighting for vengeance, retribution, and the survival of their exiled people.
Three sisters—Charlemagne, Cairo and Pendragon Agonistes—are sent from America to England to live with their eccentric grandparents after their mother disappears and their father falls to pieces. But before the girls have time to find their feet, Charlemagne is married off to a dead man, Penny takes a nap and wakes up as a boy, and Cairo is swept into a dangerous romance with a man who wants her for more than her considerable charm. With the girls wrapped up in a conflict they barely understand, they don’t notice that their grandmother is transforming, or that the two demigod assassins who took their mother are now coming for them—if one of them can get over his crisis of conscience.
In this richly painted tale, at whose heart is the unbreakable bond of family and blood, the world of Seraphina collides with our own as three unique girls are dragged into twilight lives past, fighting for vengeance, retribution, and the survival of their exiled people.
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EXCERPT
Chapter 2 (Charlemagne):
The train slowed, pulling into the station.
"Come on, Cairo," Charlemagne said, "We're going to be getting out in a minute."
Cairo turned form the window, blinking. "I can't wait."
"I wonder what they'll look like," Penny said. 'I hope we'll recognise them."
"Of course we will" Charlemagne said, trying to sound cheerful. " They'll look like Dad."
As it turned out, they didn't have to recognise anybody. As they made their way through the barrier at the end of the platform, a small, slightly rounded man with a huge white beard and white curly hair called out to them waiving.
"Ladies! Laidies fo the Americas!"
Twenty heads turned to stare at him.
"Please, no . . ." Cairo shrank into her jacket.
Despite his short stature, the man's head bobbed above the crowd and for a moment it looked as though he were somehow levitating in mid-air. Then Charlemagne realised he was standing on of a large plant pot so he could see over everyone. He grinned a huge grin and hopped from one foot to the next.
"Our grandfather is a hobbit," Cairo said.
"Shh!"
In one hand her held and umbrella, straight above his head like some sort of tour guide. With the other he casually flicked a coin up and down, catching it on his wrist.
"Yes, that's right, over here, ladies," he called again, motioning with the umbrella. He must have accidentally pressed something because the umbrella suddenly opened, engulfing his entire body, 'oh dear, oh dear,' as he wrestled to pull it down, but instead he lost his balance and fell off the pot with a crash. He Landed on his back, the umbrella beneath them, people were laughing. The three sisters hurried towards him.
“Are you okay?.” Charlemagne asked , helping him to his feet.
"Of course, of course, just err . . . a costume malfunction." He brushed himself down.
"But are you hurt?" Penny said, picking up his coin and handing it to him.
"Grrr . . . no, Just my pride, my dear."
As if to dispel any doubts, he laughed and then, with a flourish, tossed the coin high in the air and caught it on the back of his wrist.
"How did you know it was us when we came through?" Penny said.
"Oh, that was easy," he said. "One, I could smell that you were form across the great sea. Two, you were the only girls who looked the part, with your fair, dark, and read hair. And three-and the most important, I find-I made a lucky guess." He looked at the coin, grimaced slightly, and slipped it into hi pocket.
Cairo stared at him as though he was completely mad.
"Anyway, come over here and give your grandfather a hug! Grrr!"
The train slowed, pulling into the station.
"Come on, Cairo," Charlemagne said, "We're going to be getting out in a minute."
Cairo turned form the window, blinking. "I can't wait."
"I wonder what they'll look like," Penny said. 'I hope we'll recognise them."
"Of course we will" Charlemagne said, trying to sound cheerful. " They'll look like Dad."
As it turned out, they didn't have to recognise anybody. As they made their way through the barrier at the end of the platform, a small, slightly rounded man with a huge white beard and white curly hair called out to them waiving.
"Ladies! Laidies fo the Americas!"
Twenty heads turned to stare at him.
"Please, no . . ." Cairo shrank into her jacket.
Despite his short stature, the man's head bobbed above the crowd and for a moment it looked as though he were somehow levitating in mid-air. Then Charlemagne realised he was standing on of a large plant pot so he could see over everyone. He grinned a huge grin and hopped from one foot to the next.
"Our grandfather is a hobbit," Cairo said.
"Shh!"
In one hand her held and umbrella, straight above his head like some sort of tour guide. With the other he casually flicked a coin up and down, catching it on his wrist.
"Yes, that's right, over here, ladies," he called again, motioning with the umbrella. He must have accidentally pressed something because the umbrella suddenly opened, engulfing his entire body, 'oh dear, oh dear,' as he wrestled to pull it down, but instead he lost his balance and fell off the pot with a crash. He Landed on his back, the umbrella beneath them, people were laughing. The three sisters hurried towards him.
“Are you okay?.” Charlemagne asked , helping him to his feet.
"Of course, of course, just err . . . a costume malfunction." He brushed himself down.
"But are you hurt?" Penny said, picking up his coin and handing it to him.
"Grrr . . . no, Just my pride, my dear."
As if to dispel any doubts, he laughed and then, with a flourish, tossed the coin high in the air and caught it on the back of his wrist.
"How did you know it was us when we came through?" Penny said.
"Oh, that was easy," he said. "One, I could smell that you were form across the great sea. Two, you were the only girls who looked the part, with your fair, dark, and read hair. And three-and the most important, I find-I made a lucky guess." He looked at the coin, grimaced slightly, and slipped it into hi pocket.
Cairo stared at him as though he was completely mad.
"Anyway, come over here and give your grandfather a hug! Grrr!"
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GIVEAWAY
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Jude Houghton
Jude developed a love of fantasy from a relatively early age after realising an innate talent for making stuff up could result in something other than detention. Working across the globe in fields as diverse as journalism, data entry, sales, management consultancy and babysitting, Jude has partially succeeded in putting an English and History degree from Oxford University to good use. A somnambulist, insomniac, lover of letters, Jude writes late into the night, most nights, tumbling down the rabbit hole to dream of other lives. Jude currently lives in Pennsylvania with an over-enthusiastic family and absurdly entitled dog.
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