Today is the launch day for Arbiter, a YA dystopian fantasy by Jamie Foley. And let me start off by saying, hold everything and look at this cover.
This is probably going to get me into trouble with Cupcake, for perpetuating stereotypes about dangerous giant lizards, but I do think that’s a pretty awesome image.
Arbiter is a sequel to Sentinel, so let’s start there:
When a meteor storm knocks out the power grid, the supernaturally gifted become pawns in humanity’s struggle for survival.
The meteor storm wasn’t such a big deal until a comet landed in the middle of the road. Now Darien’s car is wrecked, his sister is bleeding out, and the only medical aid is at the reclusive Serran Academy.
Some say the Serrans have blood-bonds with angels. Some say they have surreal mental abilities. Some say the gods grant them elemental powers.
But when the Academy is targeted for harvesting, its secrets—and the collapse of modern civilization—are the least of Darien’s worries.
And then here’s what comes next in Arbiter:
Archangels return to Alani, creating a new generation of Serrans… for a price.
Jet Valinor can’t keep his secrets from Darien any longer. Sorvashti seeks revenge against her husband’s killer—a debt that can only be paid in blood.
The Lynx want their base back. The Serrans will fetch a good price for Zekk Sorrowsong, or make excellent slaves… if he can capture them before they’re betrayed from within.
Dystopian, YA, and romantic suspense fans, you can grab a copy here. (Or check out the excerpt below.)
Giveaway
Because who doesn’t love prizes? Winners will be selected on May 14, 2017.
Note: the giveaway form was acting a bit petulant, so I’m replacing it with this link. Good luck!
Excerpt (Because sneak peeks are fun!)
Jet’s knife dove into the wood, slicing an uneven divot into the spear’s tip.
The chunk flopped onto the pile between Jet’s boots, where the waterlogged earth softened the shavings into something that smelled like mildew and rain.
Great. Now do I just leave the divot, or should I carve the entire thing smaller to fix it?
Black hair fell into Jet’s eyes for the dozenth time, and he swatted it away. Can’t focus without food. When was the last time I ate? He was pretty sure the fruit Darien had found was inedible, but at this rate, he just might try it.
Hours had passed since he’d woken, but his head still throbbed—especially the swollen knot on the side that felt like he’d smashed it into a wall. Or a plane, apparently.
Jet glanced across the small campsite at Darien. The teen was cracking yet another coconut on a rock, peeking into the green flesh after every few impacts. He looked like Jet felt, with mosquito-gnawed skin, wild hair plastered to his neck with sweat, and mud splattered on the few pieces of sleek armor that hadn’t been discarded in the heat.
I swear I’ve never seen him before in my life. Jet squinted through the throbbing in his head. How could he possibly know everything he does about me? But he said I’m not in the Royal Guard anymore—obviously that can’t be right.
“What?” Darien paused the coconut torture to tilt his head at Jet. “Did you remember everything yet?”
Jet snapped his gaze back to his spear. “The sun’s setting. We’ll need more firewood to keep it going through the night.” After the hours they’d spent finally getting a flame going, losing it was a worst-case scenario. “Can you find some that isn’t wet this time?”
Darien snorted and dropped the coconut next to its plump brethren, across the camp from the ant-covered discard pile. “Is there anything dry on this swamp island?”
“Good question,” Jet muttered. “Why don’t you fly around with those fancy wings and check?” Apparently waking up in the middle of a jungle wasn’t insane enough, so the teen had sprouted wings like a sunburned pubescent angel to search for resources.
I’m definitely drugged. Creator, let me be drugged.
What do you think?
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