[Best Fantasy Story Winner at Fiction Awards 2016] In a world where everyone can use magic, Kiel is a non-mage - until he makes a deal that would change his life forever. A deal that ultimately pulls him into a web of lies, ancient riddles, and fatal secrets, where one wrong step could bring his untimely demise. Blurb In a world where everyone can use magic, where treasure hunters, alchemists, and warlocks are common professions, and where mage duels are the most popular form of entertainment, Kiel is a non-mage-a person who doesn't have the aptitude to use magic on regular basis - until he meets Elaru-a spell breaker of mysterious origin, wielder of the fabled 'Aethernea of Sight' - eyes that can see magic, who claims she can give him the power to become the greatest mage world of Halnea has ever seen. Coerced into binding his soul to hers, Kiel finds himself pulled into a web of secrets, where one wrong step could end in his untimely demise. Who, or what is Elaru Wayvin really? What is her relation to the ruling 15 noble mage families? What is the source of The Ink - a mysterious plague spreading through the continent? What is the Aetherneal bond between them and what has it turned them into? What is the truth behind gods and divine magic? Why has the third race of Halnea-the Ascended, mysteriously disappeared, and what is the connection between the remaining two races? In the search for truth, Kiel and Elaru enroll at the most prestigious University of Magic. Yet, between awkward social events, falling in love, thrilling competitions, blood curling battles, irritating peers, and damnable love rivals, there is little time for studying. And as if avoiding sinister plots from all sides wasn't difficult enough, their new detestable mentor takes them on a voyage into the uncharted forbidden zone filled with unspeakable secrets, ancient riddles, man-eating monsters, and deadly traps. A quest that just might end up changing the fate of the entire world.

Heroes. Ever since they showed up, people have gone soft. They're adored, worshipped. Devotion is showered upon them like rain. It's about time someone knocks them off that pedestal they stand on, someone to crush their pillars of faith. Someone like me. A villain. It's perfect. I'll be the undoing of heroes. ≠ disclaimer: very much needs to be edited, very much needs to be less corny and very much needs to be entirely rewritten by me. if you approach it as a goofy, corny, old 2015-esque superhero book then it'll be a great time. i'll be honest and say there are no pulitzers here. completed ✓ highest rank in sf: #9 cover: @narwhelly

Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.