"The Quest For Hope" is the exciting new novel that thrills as it inspires. This book is the highly acclaimed first installment in the Invisible Battles series. Readers are calling this a major literary success. The Quest For Hope kicks off the series in style with strong characters and an exciting plot filled with unexpected twists and turns. Humor is always present, and there are many hard to miss references to well-known Biblical lessons and stories. In total, this book entertains while it teaches and inspires. The book starts with the major characters in the new land of NOVUS. This is a mysterious kingdom packed with adventure and twists that keep the plot churning. There is never a risk of it becoming dull. Unfortunately, NOVUS has been taken over by The Dark One, who uses his power to rule over the people. Their lives are steeped in forced ignorance and misery, unable to change their lives out of fear for The Dark One. However, things were once quite different in NOVUS. Many people remember the benevolent and wise High King, who sees all that happens in the land. The truth of who he is affects everything. The King is now presumed dead by many. The Dark One knows this memory is a threat to his power, so he works tirelessly to propagandize people into believing the High King was evil and cruel. The Dark One is rather successful at convincing his subjects that HE is the better of the two. However, there is hope. It turns out the High King is alive and well and stirring up trouble. Servants are sent out through the land to recruit rebels who will fight The Dark One. Meanwhile, The Dark One believes he has solidified his rule of the land. He needs just one more element to finalize his control. That is Lady Aliatta. Thus enters one of the book's most fascinating characters. Lady Aliatta is a spoiled young aristocrat whose life becomes entangled with the fate of Novus. Her quest brings her face to face with a shape-shifting apprentice and a master Knight. She is also drawn into an ever-increasing awareness of both the visible and invisible elements of her world "The Quest For Hope" is a compelling, well-written story of guiding values and the struggle for freedom and happiness. You will find the always evolving plot and rich characters to be thrilling while inspirational. Get "The Quest For Hope" now and experience an adventure you will never forget **Review "Amazing Start to a Series" ~ Veronica "An enjoyable and thought-provoking read." ~ June "Great read." ~ ozcrete From the Author May His Light Never Be Extinguished. Prologue Into the company of the crowded hall entered an Erela: a warrior, seemingly sculpted of diamonds--the many facets of his form catching the light and releasing it in dazzling patterns. He paused for a moment, facing the King and Queen of Novus who were seated on the raised dais at the far end of the room. Then, he began to move slowly and purposefully toward them. His dark eyes pierced deeply into their souls. Once he arrived at the foot of the thrones, he spoke. It was a strong and powerful voice--a voice not easily ignored. "I, Zohar, Chief Commander of the High King, have come to you on his behalf. He knows of your worries and has sent me to ease your concerns." His tone became soothing, melodic. "The High King is concerned that this task He assigned you is simply too much for you to bear. I have requested, on your behalf, to be allowed to relieve you of some of that burden, so that your lives might be easier.  In time, you will be better equipped for your new responsibilities. Until then, I have been tasked to share with you my wisdom and strength until you are ready to rule on your own. The High King did not mean to leave you so unprepared." Reaching into unseen folds of iridescent cloth, Zohar withdrew a small object. "As a token of my solidarity, I bring you this, the Gem of all Knowledge. With this in your possession, you will be able to serve and protect your people, especially, your daughter--" The Queen let out a sharp breath and her eyes widened with longing. Zohar gave her a kind, understanding smile, and focused the full force of his spirit on her alone. Very slowly, he held up his hand. The jewel sparkled, taunting her with its untapped beauty and power. Colors soared through the room in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of light and shadow. "Come now," he whispered, offering the Gem up to her. Malka, Queen of Novus, rose carefully and took a small step forward, scarcely aware of her action. The beauty of the Gem was hypnotizing and she found that she could not look away. Wisdom, he had promised. She would be able to better know how to serve those around her. Queen Malka moved to the end of the dias, stopping within reach of the gift. A hint of doubt crept in and she tore her gaze away long enough to look back for her husband's approval. King Lev sat frozen, as though in a trance. Something did not ring true. He had heard of this--the Gem of all Knowledge--there was something he should know ... no.  He fought to remember. What was it about this Gem? The High King had said to ... or not to ... not to what?  King Lev shook his head. Something did not ring true--and yet his wife looked so hopeful. He should do something.  He should-- Zohar's hand shot out and seized Malka's outstretched palm. The queen's eyes snapped back to connect with His. She was almost completely in his power, and yet, the choice had to be hers. Ever so slowly, he moved the Gem closer. Glancing back once more, Queen Malka beheld no movement from her husband, no indication that he was even aware of the situation. Very carefully, very consciously, she reached out with her free hand, and took hold of the Gem of All Knowledge. Buy Now and Continue Reading Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A heartbreaking story of a talented teenage artist's surreal awakening to the horrifically unoriginal brokenness of her family from critically acclaimed award-winner A.S. King. Sarah can't draw. This is a problem, because as long as she can remember, she has "done the art." She thinks she's having an existential crisis. And she might be right; she does keep running into past and future versions of herself as she explores the urban ruins of Philadelphia. Or maybe she's finally waking up to the tornado that is her family, the tornado that six years ago sent her once-beloved older brother flying across the country for a reason she can't quite recall. After decades of staying together "for the kids" and building a family on a foundation of lies and violence, Sarah's parents have reached the end. Now Sarah must come to grips with years spent sleepwalking in the ruins of their toxic marriage. As Sarah herself often observes, nothing about her pain is remotely original...

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child "star" struggling to break free of his anger.Gerald Faust started feeling angry even before his mother invited a reality TV crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he's still haunted by his rage-filled youth--which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle--and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school. No one cares that Gerald has tried to learn to control himself; they're all just waiting for him to snap. And he's starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that...until he chooses to create possibilities for himself that he never knew he deserved.From BooklistSeventeen-year-old Gerald became infamous at age five, when he took a dump on his family’s kitchen table for the whole reality-TV viewing public to see. A network TV nanny came in to help Gerald be less of a problem child, but the cameras didn’t catch what Tasha, his older sister and tormentor, was doing to him and his other sister, Lisi, or his mother’s constant defense of her eldest daughter at the expense of her youngest children. And so Gerald continued to rage on. Though years of anger-management training and a boxing-gym regimen have helped him gain better control, his future still feels limited to jail or death. The narrative, though striking and often heartbreaking, is disjointed in places, namely with Gerald’s grand plan to run away to the circus. However, this is still a King novel, and the hallmarks of her strong work are there: magical realism, heightened emotion, and the steady, torturous, beautiful transition into self-assured inner peace. Like Gerald, it’s wonderfully broken. Grades 9-12. --Courtney Jones Review''Timely, incisive, compassionate. All of A. S. King's novels are must-reads.'' -- Matthew Quick, New York Times bestselling author ''A story about healing, and although Gerald stumbles as he takes his first steps -- he frequently retreats to the fantasy world he calls Gersday and struggles to trust the girl he allows to get close -- his candor invites sympathy from the first page.'' --Publishers Weekly (starred review) ''Heart-pounding and heartbreaking . . . This is no fairy-tale romance, but a compulsively readable portrait of two imperfect teens learning to trust each other and themselves.'' --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ''We all know at least one teen who needs a book like this; I didn't know I needed it until I turned the last page.'' --SLJ Teen ''Reality Boy is a powerhouse of insight and empathy toward the people who cruise the fringes of acceptable behavior. A. S. King takes all kinds of risks and every single one pays off. Highly recommended.'' --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author

In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with "the dust of one hundred dogs," dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body-with her memories intact.Now she's a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.Exciting, fascinating, spellbinding. I'd follow Saffron into the briny deep.—Heather Brewer, author of The Chronicles of Vladimir TodA non-traditional pirate tale with a dangerously raw, mystical edge and a unique modern twist. Deliciously fresh and starkly unforgettable. —Lisa McMann, New York Times best-selling author of WakeSparkling, original, both swashbuckling and contemporary...This gripping adventure is sure to be devoured by both teens and adults. —Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Angel's Choice

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.From School Library JournalGr 10 Up-Astrid Jones is a high-school senior in a small, Pennsylvania town. She's a top student and loves philosophy. (She gives Socrates a first name-Frank.) Her favorite pastime is to lie on the picnic table she and her father built in the backyard and send her love to passengers in the airplanes as they pass overhead. The teen sends her love off to strangers, because she has no use for it at home. She has an agoraphobic, type-A mother who wears business suits and heels when she works from home. While emotionally unavailable to her first born, she regularly plans boozy "Mommy and Me" nights with Astrid's younger sister. Her mother also has a texting relationship with Astrid's best friend. Astrid's father is underemployed and smokes pot all the time. Her sister just wants to fit in with small-town life. And Astrid herself is ambivalent about her sexuality and is being pressured by her lesbian work friend to come out. Her school friends, members of the homecoming court, are pretending to be a couple but are actually gay. The townspeople are small-minded and gossipy. Astrid's overwhelming need to send messages of love to anonymous passengers sometimes appears to touch those passengers, who are also leading lives of quiet desperation. And, sometimes, maybe they can send love to Astrid. King's thoughtful, sad, funny, and frank book is finally about paradox and will appeal to any mature teen resisting the pressure to conform or rebel; anyone who wants to define herself on her own terms; and anyone whose family life belies the 1950s sitcom myth.-Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, MEα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From BooklistStarred Review Astrid has a lot of love to give, and she gives it freely to schoolmates, friends, and even her dysfunctional family. But most of all, she sends her love to the passengers in the planes whizzing high above her small, gossipy, intolerant town: “Because if I give it all away, no one can control it.” But she does love her coworker Dee and her best friend Christina, whose biggest secret she keeps. Printz Honor Book author King (Please Ignore Vera Dietz, 2010) continues to expertly plumb the lovely numbness of a young person struck by emotional paralysis. Afraid to come out, afraid to be boxed in, and afraid to fall under the scrutiny of her town, Astrid lives a rich inner life, which King depicts with deft magical realist conventions that recall Everybody Sees the Ants (2011). Astrid’s consciousness is exemplified by Socrates, an agent of truth and logic who silently judges her for not owning up to her personal truths. King also incorporates the first-person narrations of the passengers in the planes, whose stories unknowingly parallel and carry Astrid’s affections and desire for escape. Another thoughtful, and often breathtaking, achievement for King, whose star is ascending as quickly as one of Astrid’s planes. Grades 9-12. --Courtney Jones

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities—but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she's never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person's infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying: A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women's rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to...