New Releases by Kristina Circelli

"Promise me, little elf." Evangeline Frost had a plan, once. Attend a prestigious art school, become a renowned painter. It was a dream she shared with her father, one that was ripped away in the car accident that claimed his life. At California's Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve, Evangeline thought she had finally grieved for her father and moved on. But now, halfway around the world in Zambia at a new sanctuary for animals, Evangeline finds herself haunted by old memories ... and a promise she has yet to fulfill. Nightmares plague her dreams. Caster's flirtations confuse her. And when poachers invade the preserve, they leave behind a devastation that threatens to break her apart. Now Evangeline lives for a different dream: to save the lives of every animal who calls the preserve home, no matter the cost. A crusade that strains her budding relationship with Caster, a mission taking her further away from dreams of the past ? and gives her an orphaned elephant calf to call her own. Evangeline Frost has a new plan. Protect the preserve and keep a promise that will finally heal her heart ...or put her very life at risk.

Five years ago, Ben Cates lost the woman he loved to the darkness. Now, he wants answers. A trip back to where it all began reveals the terrifying truth—everything Tessa claimed about demons was true. Lost in grief and alcohol, Ben casts his intuition aside and enters Savannah’s most haunted house seeking answers. Unbeknownst to Ben, there is still one demon left—and she specializes in vengeance. He is face-to-face with evil incarnate. He doesn’t think he believes in demons. But he can’t deny the voice inside his head and the dreams of a serpent-haired woman promising him unfathomable power. To resist would mean losing his soul and forsaking the lives of everyone he loves. To submit would mean avenging Tessa for the life stolen from her in exchange for his own. Now Ben must make a choice—deny a truth, threatening to tear his mind apart—or reunite the five flames, and watch the world burn.

"Thirteen-year-old Hayden Rogers doesn't have a problem. Her parents don't like how skinny she is, or the video games she plays, or her obsession with Tessa Taylor. But Hayden doesn't have a problem--it's her parents that have the problem. If they paid attention, maybe they'd know why their daughter refused to eat, and why she needed to lose herself in virtual worlds. Then maybe they would have stopped her from entering the most haunted house in Savannah. First, she hears the voice first. Perfection, he calls her. Then the demon comes to her in her sleep with visions of a life free of torment. Torn between insanity and acceptance, Hayden no longer knows what's real, what's inside her head, and what the truths are that her parents are trying to twist. But one thing she knows to be true. The demon understands her. He listens. He gives her power. And the demon is just one crumbling building away from stealing her soul forever."--Publisher's website.

The truth is just one lie away. Augustus Jones always dreamed of becoming a famous actor, but the closest he’s come is he once led the infamous Tessa Taylor on a ghost tour. But when he’s forced to enter the house that allegedly haunted Tessa, everything changes. Stories told in jest suddenly become real. Treasures previously lost manifest themselves before his eyes. Everything Augustus ever wanted is at his fingertips—but it’s being granted by a dark force that threatens to take over his soul. The life Augustus has always dreamed of is just one lie away—all he has to do is say it.

"Laboratory director Jason Waters managed to survive the brutal attack by Tessa Taylor that left him crippled. One year later, he wants answers--and revenge. But an ill-fated trip back to that haunted Savannah house leads Jason to a terrifying conclusion--that there is evil within those walls, waiting for the next victim--and he has just walked into its trap. Now Jason finds himself in a fight for his sanity, his soul, and his city. Terrifying visions seduce him into sickness and hospitals are overrun with victims of a new, horrifying plague. And the only person who can stop the outbreak from spreading like wildfire--is the one who may have caused it."--Publisher's website.

Tessa Taylor thought she left her past behind—until evil followed her home. It begins as whispers across her mind, and a voice reminding her of a painful past. Then come the nightmares, blinding visions of bloodlust and vengeance. Now Tessa is in a fight for her own sanity as she desperately seeks answers to the madness consuming her. A trip back to where it all began reveals the terrifying truth—Savannah’s most haunted house harbors a wicked secret, one that Tessa can’t accept. But the more she fights the temptations leading her back to that dark place of her childhood, the faster she loses herself to an ancient, evil influence. After her fiancé and best friend join the fight to save her soul, Tessa finds she must escape the most horrifying of realities. A demon followed her home from that haunted house, and it has entered into a bid for her soul.

A silent call for help began the friendship between two children. A bond unlike any other kept them together. Finn was just a kid when he first heard Snow's voice inside his head, two children in need of a friend and finding one in mysterious strangers. Never meeting in person, the pair grows up as opposites - Finn the boy who loves to get in trouble and works for the toughest drug lord in town, Snow the good, sheltered girl who wants to be a doctor. The bond built upon a strange ability to hear each other's thoughts is threatened when Snow is abducted, her screams for help consuming Finn's mind until they disappear completely, submerging him in a terrifying silence he's never known before. Now it's up to Finn to save her, led only by Snow's sporadic thoughts as she floats in and out of consciousness. But the search for Snow leads him to a truth he isn't prepared to face, a truth that has the power to unravel his entire world. The people he thought he knew, the life he thought he'd made, the best friend he thought he could protect - all point toward a brutal reality should he fail. And as Finn struggles to find Snow before she slips away, he must fight to keep that reality out, lest he let the chaos in.

On August 13th, 2011, sixteen-year-old Courtney Nash passed away after contracting Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba that lurks in warm waters. This is her story. A Single Swim follows Courtney's life and death, while taking a closer look into an amoebic infection very few people ever hear about - until it's too late. Tracing as far back as 1960s, Naegleria fowleri and the resulting infection of this parasite have taken more than a dozen lives, with a fatality rate of nearly 100%. Through an examination of Courtney's case along with stories of other victims across the United States, A Single Swim offers a glimpse into our waters' rare silent killer. From ecology to symptoms, hospital care to awareness, find out what can happen ... after a single swim.

Seventeen-year-old Evangeline Frost had a great life, until the car accident that killed her father and turned her mother into a bitter alcoholic. Unable to bear the guilt, Evangeline attempts to take her own life, saved only by the memory of her beloved father. Left with no other options, Evangeline is enrolled in a program for troubled teens at Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve. There she meets Caster, a keeper as annoying as he is caring; Jett and Lettie, who treat her more like a daughter than troubled teen; and Ruke, a prized giraffe in mourning for his lost mate. Immersed in the preserve with her new friends, Evangeline finally begins to heal. But the haunting memories of the accident and her mother's unforgiving words threaten to destroy her progress. Only her new friends and their unconditional support, along with her own special connection with Ruke, can save her. Evangeline must learn that there is redemption for her father's death, and that the bonds between human, animal, and life are not as fragile as she once thought.

Abducted in broad daylight, locked away in a basement cage, starved for food and light - how would you escape your prison? Valentina Murdoch finds herself asking that same question after she is attacked and kidnapped one ordinary morning. Brought to a secluded hideaway in the middle of the woods to await her fate at the hands of "the boss," she has but days to survive. Utilizing her love of action movies to create a plan, Valentina plots her escape while battling a crippling fear of the dark - for the dark is where her childhood nightmare lurks, waiting for her one moment of weakness. But as the clock winds down and her husband's search for her threatens his own life, Valentina realizes that her true fight lies within herself. Will she have the strength to survive, or will the dark - and all the figures that haunt it - finally win?

Destiny. Adventure. Redemption. Legend.She destroyed the Raven-Eater and declared war on the Great Spirit. Now, Whisper must embrace her dark destiny yet again, traveling deep into the shadow world to right the wrongs committed by her own hand. In a place where strength and hope do not exist, her every power and belief will be tested, reminding her of the lover she left behind – and the child she abandoned.In her absence, her enemies thrive. Sun Woman seeks revenge on the living realm. Creator's servant seeks to destroy the heir to the Land of the Dead. And the third rises from the dead while luring Whisper closer to her own destruction.Into the Shadow Realm takes readers on Whisper's final quest through the shadows to reveal her path – and the sacrifices she must make to save the ones she loves. In Book Three of The Whisper Legacy, author Kristina Circelli weaves figures of Whisper's past into stories that tell her future, completing her journey of warfare, power, and self-discovery.

“Out of nothing, we create something.” Arianna has spent her entire life being called a dreamer, an artist who created a world no one else can see. And for her entire life, she has taken the medication that keeps that world – and the one who brought her there – at bay. Now an adult, Arianna reawakens that part of herself kept locked away in the darkest corners of her mind. When she hides her medicine from her fiance’s ever-watchful eye, he returns – the shadow in the night who collects her for an adventure known only in her fantasies. But something is different about this world called The Never. It is no longer the cheerful place filled with light and laughter that she knew as a child. Now, the sea creatures drag their visitors into the depths of murky waters. The natives battle to the death against the tribe of children. And the pirates, led by the feared captain called The Hunter, seek out Arianna for their own sinister plans. As Arianna goes deeper into The Never, she discovers just what her connection to the land means – and must choose between her life rooted in reality, and the world where anything is possible.

When one of their own was murdered, everyone feared it would be the end to the Helping Hands. But as they are now learning, the real difficulty lies not in mourning the loss of a friend, but in protecting the project that took his life. Kelly Mitchell is dedicated to just one thing - protecting her little sister from their stepfather’s wrath. When her family moves to San Francisco, she struggles to keep her home life a secret, avoiding the charms of her neighbor, Robbie Anderson. But when her stepfather sets her up and sends her to a juvenile detention camp, Kelly will attain her own protection in the service of Melanie O’Conner. Forcing herself back into society as a reformed rebel, Melanie finds herself surrounded by a life filled with friends, security, and family. But the illusion of a life without disaster is shattered upon the discovery of a new, unplanned gang of Helping Hands, and two cops threatening to put her back in prison. When faced with the copycat gang that brings the FBI to her front door, when Kelly and her sister plead for an escape from the iron fist of their abusive stepfather, when Tyler lands in the hospital and faces death, Melanie must decide which is more important - having a normal life away from the burdens of her past, or protecting the project that granted her that life. Whatever choice she makes, someone must suffer the consequences.

Melanie O'Conner is being released back into society after her arrest seven years ago. Fighting to keep hold over new Helping Hand gangs across the country, she struggles to find the balance between her past and "normal" life. But transitioning into that new, normal life doesn't come easily. Her friends have gangs of their own, past acquaintances have moved on, and now someone is after her, vowing to kill those she loves so she can watch them die... Melanie is forced to watch the Helping Hands run into traps, thwarted by abusive parents and thugs wanting money, until they lose sight of what O'Connor has taught them. When Tyler turns away from her, a close friend is murdered, and the Helping Hands are threatened by shadows lurking in the night, Melanie must make a decision - give up her project and save her friends, or embrace her past, and fight to the death.

One lone tree is all that remains of the cherished Standridge family orange groves, a legacy that goes back as far as the Civil War. But for young Colly Standridge, that solitary tree is at the center of a magical world. Inspired by real people, The Sour Orange Derby follows the lives of Colly, who dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, and K.B. Standridge, an imaginative old man who spends his days creating stories for his grandchildren to enjoy while searching for a new family legacy - and finds it in his last beloved orange tree. A story about love and healing steeped in southern traditions, The Sour Orange Derby is a tale of one family joining together to celebrate life and history, and how their last remaining orange tree holds them all together when the young boy's fight with cancer threatens to tear them apart. Kristina Circelli, accomplished author of The Helping Hands and The Whisper Legacy series, is proud to take readers on a literary journey into her childhood, offering a glimpse of the magical worlds and imaginative stories created by her beloved grandfather.

A gripping journey into the heart of Native American legend, "Beyond the Western Sun" follows the epic struggle of Whisper, a young female Cherokee apprentice, on a harrowing adventure into the Land of the Dead to save the captive son of Ian Diavya. Together they face insurmountable odds, conquer terrible demons, and in the process, find a strength and courage within themselves neither knew possible. What they don't know is that these early adventures are only tests, for to save Ian's son, they must also stop the evil-minded Raven-Eater from unleashing his Army of the Dead to destroy the living world. As the Army of the Dead marches closer to the Western Sun, as Whisper leads them deeper into the Land of the Dead, and as the truth behind Cole's death is slowly revealed, Ian discovers that the fate of both worlds depends on his courage, his humility, and the life of his son. An epic saga of hope, redemption, and undying love, "Beyond the Western Sun" is what all fantasy adventures must strive to be: a complex, intricate examination of human emotion set within the context of worlds known only in our imagination. And in this regard, "Beyond the Western Sun" is a stunning achievement. Melding fantasy and legend in an epic quest, the third novel of her young career signals the arrival of Kristina Circelli as a master storyteller. Creating the indelible character of Whisper, vividly portraying the worlds that she and Ian must traverse to accomplish their goal, and capturing their human frailties, hopes and fears with depth and touching sincerity, Circelli reminds us with stunning precision the greatness we are all capable of, and the heavy price our actions can rend.

The kidnappings of seventy-one children began the legend, but five friends with troubled pasts and courageous futures created it. Melanie O'Conner was known as the seventeen-year-old bad-ass delinquent of Knoxport, California. A drug dealer, a junkie, and a criminal, she had earned her reputation through the leadership of the much-feared rebellious gang called the Hell Hounds. But there was more to her than met the eye, the side she kept hidden from others with her rough-and-tough exterior and relentless sharp green eyes. Her past, filled with the pains of foster homes and cold-hearted guardians, had created within her a deep, undying devotion to saving the lives of children who were victim to child abuse. Bringing them to a secluded island called the Treehouse, Melanie and her gang fed, schooled, and cared for them all, leaving to the parents nothing more than a message claiming that their child had been taken. Now, four years into the project that had been given the name The Helping Hands by the members of the cover-up gang the Hell Hounds, Melanie has to fight to keep the nosy, self-interested television reporter Stephanie Mathews from exposing the truth behind the Hell Hounds. And Melanie is willing to do anything to save the lives of the children from their abusive parents, even if that means risking her own.