"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

The kingdom Dulcia has fallen. Dark creatures have invaded the palace, inslaving all those who work there. The royal family--the only ones able to stop the creatures--have vanished into oblivion. No one has seen or heard from them since the fall. There are rumors. Rumors that they escaped the castle, rumors that they are assembling an army to fight the creatures known as Muraes. Only one thing is for certain. No one knows where they went, nor do they know if they will come back. ________________________________________ Every year, Clair's family goes to the king of Arium's palace for of the most lavish Christmas party imaginable. They meet family, old friends, new acquaininces--anyone they possibly can. Clair never enjoys the huge parties. She prefers to be by herself, drawing or dancing. Until, one year, everything changes. Presented with the most beautiful gift she could possibly imagine, Clair is filled with joy. She clings to her wooden doll with her life, never letting go. When she wakes up one night and it is gone, she panics, searching for it. Only to find a hideous creature. When she is rescued by the same doll she loved, Clair is suddenly swept up into a world of magic, lost kingdoms, and lost royalty. But she is also in the world ruled by darkness. ________________________________________ "When snow falls, the kingdom dies. Light will leave, Dark will rise. It can only be stopped by treasure as pure as gold, as light as air, but strong and bold. Only then will the leader rise, out from ashes and hidden from prying eyes." ***** 2018 Wattys Shortlist 2018 Wattys Longlist Featured story Awesome cover by @elphadora ***** Loosely based on The Nutcracker (both book and ballet)