"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.

"As soon as you believe you are a monster is when you become one." After many years of war, the kingdom of Edria is finally in an era of peace--peace obtained by one thing and one thing only. A deal. King Regol has made a deal with the devil, or rather, a beast. A monster. Or so he claims. When he uses the deal for his own advantage, he threatens a girl named Zara, who has had everything but her family taken away. Zara is ordered to kill the beast Regol made a deal with, unbenownst to her that the deal even exists. When her attempt fails, she is left with two choices: to never go back home, or to learn from the beast so she can take back what is hers. She faces dangers on the castle grounds she thought were only stories; magic, creatures that kill a person in a single puff of air, and lastly, the beast, who can barely control the darkness that has buried itself in him for years. The longer she is on the castle grounds, however, the more she realizes everything is more than it seems... ...and that she has a power she could only dream about. **** A retelling of Beauty and the Beast Wonderful cover by @nicegirlsreadbooks Highest rank: #1 in Fantasy #4 in Adventure

A MODERN MEDIEVAL FANTASY #3 in Fantasy |Book 1 of the Fifth Daughter Trilogy| When darkness arises and the world of Fantasy is in danger of being destroyed, the Dragon Riders are the first to show up. Fire and fang, sword and shaft, meet the enemy head on and the wars don't end until the enemy is disbanded. It's not a pretty business, but it must be done to secure the lives of every creature within Fantasy. There are two Rider schools - over thousands of Riders and dragons - and Smoke Green is one of them, no matter how much she dislikes the idea and the heights. Her fate has been chosen, even if she doesn't want it. With a vacant father, a mother who has too many secrets, four older sisters, an older brother, and a three minute older, annoying twin brother, Smoke isn't expected to be much more than a hometown girl of Folklore; who will get a boring desk job and never leave home. But then the Sage of the Burrows proclaims her a Dragon Rider and a Fifth Daughter and Smoke's life changes stories - literally. Moving from Folklore to Legend, Smoke is taught that fears can be conquered and villains do have a hunger for power. She also learns she might just have the power this villain is after. She makes friends: Something she didn't know she could do, she finds her dragon: Someone she didn't know even existed, and she learns her past: Something she didn't know was so complicated. But when rebellions begin to break out across the globe; the world of Fantasy is once again put in danger and the Dragon Riders might not be able to save their home this time around. Especially, when the enemy is from one of their own royal families; once thought incinerated, and his accomplice might just be Smoke's long thought dead father. In this first book of the Fifth Daughter Trilogy, J.J. wants you to forget everything you think you know of mythology and open your mind to a new kind of fantasy. Started: 03.25.15 Restarted: 11.29.16 Completed: 03.01.17

Aeons once ruled the world. Now, their empire lies in ruin, and the survivors hide on the fringes of society. Nahlia is a librarian's apprentice who's obsessed with Aeon lore, scavenging for hints of their legendary power. But others are searching too, including the Templars who seek to hunt down the Aeon survivors. When the Templars attack her family, Nahlia is forced to infiltrate a secret academy and rise beyond everything she's ever known. https://davidmusk.com/books/aeonica-the-lost-redeemer