The world as we know it ended 209 years ago. From a desert wasteland springs a single kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical King and trapped in an endless war against the shadowy desert warriors. As a desperate bid to save what remains of humanity, society has been split into two distinct classes, nicknamed the Court and the Commons. For an oppressed population on the brink of revolution, a common thief could be the last hope. Up until now, Kay has survived by her wits alone. Reckless and impulsive, wanted by the King's guard, Kay has become known as the Runner. Using the city's rooftops as her personal domain, she manages to keep one step ahead of the King with one hand buried in the purses of the courtiers. Driven by the plight of the commoners and the unjust death of her family, Kay seizes the chance to graduate from small-time thievery to full-scale rebellion. Her opportunity comes in the form of Will, a wealthy ex-soldier with a dark past. Plucked from the streets and thrown into the shimmering palace court, Kay must use her every strength to blend into a world where she doesn't belong, closer to the enemy than she ever thought she would be.

Bliss has always been different. Because of a condition called CIPA, she’s never felt pain–no headaches, no cramps, no charlie horses. She also can’t sweat, cry or even play sports without endangering her life. And the worst part? She knows she has an expiration date, and it is probably fairly soon -- most people like her don't live past the age of 18. So, what's a girl to do? Well, if you're Bliss, you give the world the finger and decide to live life on your own terms. For her, this means training with her top-secret government agent mom in the art of hand-to-hand combat, and convincing her mad scientist dad to invent a special suit that will let her seek out the world's dangers without overheating and biting the big one. She is determined to take the world on, fighting the “bad guys” and leaving her mark during the short time she has. But when an old friend from CIPA camp asks her to help track down others like them who've suddenly disappeared under mysterious circumstances, her reckless lifestyle is put to the ultimate test. Especially when the junior government agent-in-training her mom assigns to help them with the case turns out to be totally hot--and totally into her. Torn between her feelings of anger toward the life she's been dealt and the one she could have if she just let others in, Bliss takes off on a mission that might just be her last.

Delaney Escott lives in a world where popularity reigns supreme. If you want to be noticed, social status is everything. The government is run by the Superiors: a very exclusive group of individuals who are virtually flawless. They are smarter than us and stronger than us, and to join their ranks is the highest honor. The Superiors pay an annual visit to the top schools in the nation and evaluate the students, choosing one boy and one girl - the most Popular in the school - to go the Capitol and train for Superiority. Delaney thinks that she's the only one indifferent to (and perhaps even suspicious of) the Superiors, until Caleb Payne, the most popular boy in school, approaches her with a request. He has a task for her, one that he believes she is uniquely capable of completing. And as she helps him, Delaney discovers that the government is hiding many secrets - and that the truth of the Superiors is far from what people believe it to be. [Watty Awards 2012 Winner, Science-Fiction: On the Rise]