Betrayal, Honor, and Found Family

The island of Ulong-Dan lies shrouded in mysterious mist. Here, an ancient witch queen rules the nine clans. But with a famine raging in the north, war may be immanent. Amidst the first rumors of an invasion, another unwelcome visitor arrives: Afya, an infamous thirsting known as the Shadow of Verdanis on her home continent.

An-Yin, a clan leader's son rides out to chase down a thief who has been scaring their villagers. When he finds a strange amulet deep in the forest, his life changes forever. Hunted by assassins, he never expected a thirsting to come to his rescue. Afya is nothing like he would have expected. Monstrous, yes, but also human. Not to mention: She proves herself a talented bodyguard. Now he is bound to her, both by the cursed amulet and a blood debt. There's just a tiny problem: The witch queen's laws state all thirsting must be killed on sight.

War, assassins, rival clans, vengeful deities, not to mention a witch queen with dark secrets of her own and a helpful dose of family drama: Divided, An-Yin and Afya will fall. Together, they may just stand a chance, both at survival and leading the lives they want.

Halfsoul is the first book in the Heart of the Desert series.

A great pick for readers who love Naomi Novik, T. Kingfisher, Lois McMaster Bujold, and other slow-burn dark fantasy stories about strong heroines making a new place for themselves in a hostile world. 

Halfsoul features a no-nonsense vampire heroine, a young war leader torn between the law and his sense of honor, a fantasy setting that's best described as Scotland-meets-East Asia, a war-torn, mist-shrouded island, overbearing witches and opinionated flying guinea pigs.

Enjoy diving deep into a new world? Crave a story that makes you feel like there are monsters lurking just beyond the hill? Then you will love Halfsoul!