This reading guide presents the mass fantasy world of The Xiphis Saga, written by E. S. Elias, and offers readers a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes, as well as the best way to enjoy reading the series. ************************************************************************************************* The Xiphis Saga is a multi-generational epic fantasy series about legacy, sacrifice, and the ties that bind people across centuries. Long ago, three families fled a dying world and founded the continent of Xiphis. From their bloodlines came kings and queens, royal guardians, ancient Keepers, and powerful protectors tasked with preserving the balance of an ever-changing realm. As secrets buried for generations begin to resurface, forgotten promises, hidden ancestry, and old betrayals threaten the future of the kingdom they built. From a lost royal discovering her destiny, to a scarred prince seeking his place in the world, to Guardians who sacrifice everything for the people under their care, each story reveals another piece of Xiphis's history. Friends become family, enemies are not always what they seem, and choices made in one generation echo through the lives of the next. Filled with ancient magic, political intrigue, family secrets, slow-burn romance, devastating loss, and enduring hope, The Xiphis Saga is a sweeping fantasy universe where every life is connected-and every legacy leaves its mark.

This story is being entered in the Wattys 2026. The Xiphis Saga: Regina's Ascension, Book One What if discovering who you are led you into an entirely different world? Regina has spent her entire life wondering where she came from. When she discovers she has a half-sister she never knew existed, she seizes the chance to learn more about the parents she never had the opportunity to know. But the answers she uncovers lead to more unsolved family history. As long-buried secrets surrounding her mother's past come to light, Regina discovers a hidden world beyond Earth, a kingdom called Xiphis, and the forgotten royal bloodline that ties her to it. Drawn across the Bridge that connects all worlds, she finds herself at the center of a destiny she never imagined. With political unrest brewing and the Council of Five questioning her place among them, Regina must navigate a kingdom she barely understands while uncovering the truth about her heritage. As danger threatens her newfound home, Regina must decide whether she is ready to become the leader Xiphis needs. The Bridge Between Worlds is the first book in Regina's Ascension duet, part of the greater Xiphis Saga; this clean New Adult Fantasy Adventure is filled with family secrets, hidden legacies, magic, and the search for belonging. This book ends on a cliffhanger. The series must be read in order. Book cover: @DesignsbyEH

Sense and Sensibility is set in southwest England between 1792 and 1797, and portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. The novel follows the young ladies to their new home, a meagre cottage on a distant relative's property, where they experience love, romance and heartbreak.

More than eight years before the novel opens, Anne Elliot, then a lovely, thoughtful, warm-hearted 19 year old, accepted a proposal of marriage from the handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. He was clever, confident, and ambitious, but poor and with no particular family connections to recommend him. Sir Walter, Anne's fatuous, snobbish father and her equally self-involved older sister Elizabeth were dissatisfied with her choice, maintaining that he was no match for an Elliot of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Her older friend and mentor, Lady Russell, acting in place of Anne's late mother, persuaded her to break the engagement. Now 27 and still unmarried, Anne re-encounters her former love when his sister and brother-in-law, the Crofts, take out a lease on Kellynch. Wentworth is now a captain and wealthy from maritime victories in the Napoleonic wars. However, he has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him. While publicly declaring that he is ready to marry any suitable young woman who catches his fancy, he privately resolves that he is ready to become attached to any appealing young woman except for Anne Elliot.

The first of Charlotte Bronte's works. A story of William Crimsworth from his perspective on his maturation, career, and relationships.

Emma Woodhouse, aged 20 at the start of the novel, is a young, beautiful, witty, and privileged woman in Regency England. She lives on the fictional estate of Hartfield in Surrey in the village of Highbury with her elderly widowed father, a hypochondriac who is excessively concerned for the health and safety of his loved ones. Emma's friend and only critic is the gentlemanly George Knightley, her neighbour from the adjacent estate of Donwell, and the brother of her elder sister Isabella's husband, John. As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the wedding of Miss Taylor, her best friend and former governess. Having introduced Miss Taylor to her future husband, Mr. Weston, Emma takes credit for their marriage, and decides that she rather likes matchmaking.

"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" is about an eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.

"Jane Eyre" follows the emotions and experiences of its eponymous character, including her growth to adulthood, and her love for Mr. Rochester, the byronic master of fictitious Thornfield Hall.

Pride and Prejudice novel of manners byJane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of theBritish Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. Page 2 of a letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra (11 June 1799) in which she first mentions Pride and Prejudice, using its working title First Impressions. (NLA) Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.Though Austen set the story at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of "most loved books." It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, selling over 20 million copies, and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes.

*** FIRST PLACE WINNER UIC2023 *** 12 chapter contest based on specific weekly prompts. An assassin realizes something isn't right about the new target they've been given. They switch sides to save the person they were meant to kill.