Release date: March 29, 2018
Subgenre: Epic fantasy, YA fantasy
About High Barrens:
Seeing into a soul is easy for Flint.
She can change a life or even the world with her words.
She should have kept her mouth shut.
Flint thought that having six older brothers and growing up in a dangerous frontier town would prepare her for anything. She soon discovers that the world is a lot more complex than she expected, and it’s going to take more than a strong back and good intentions to achieve her goals.
When it comes to magic, all the wishes in the world won’t change who you really are. And sometimes that’s okay.
She can change a life or even the world with her words.
She should have kept her mouth shut.
Flint thought that having six older brothers and growing up in a dangerous frontier town would prepare her for anything. She soon discovers that the world is a lot more complex than she expected, and it’s going to take more than a strong back and good intentions to achieve her goals.
When it comes to magic, all the wishes in the world won’t change who you really are. And sometimes that’s okay.
Excerpt:
Flint came home from the graveyard knowing that her life was
finally going to change. Her father’s death set things in motion
that had been stagnant for far too long. The house was somber with
the whispered condolences of her neighbors. She laid out a meal for
them taken from the winter stores that she had spent the summer
putting up. She could be generous because she knew she wouldn’t
need them. There was no reason to stay here anymore.
Only four of her six brothers were present. Steel, the oldest, was
a soldier for the King and too far away to return for something as
paltry as the death of a father who had disowned him. Flint had
sent Steel a warning as soon as she saw her father’s spirit fire
dim. Her brother understood what was about to happen. A few weeks
later, a bundle of sturdy woolen cloth arrived for her with a
handful of silvers hidden inside. She hadn’t seen Steel in years.
It was more than she’d expected and a kindness that lightened her
burdens.
Granite, the other missing brother, was in the lockup again,
probably for another bar fight. He’d been given that name in the
hopes that he would be persistent. Instead, he was stubborn and
blockheaded. She knew he cared even less than Steel about their
father, but she’d have to find him.
“I’m sorry to intrude at a time like this,” said a stocky man in
threadbare clothes.
Flint knew he wasn’t the least bit sorry and wondered if he’d had
to borrow those clothes to present such an impoverished aspect.
“Good day, Mortar,” she said civilly.
“I’m wondering about the bills.”
She knew this was coming. Her father owned money to a lot of
people. “I promised you’d be paid. It’ll take a bit of time to sort
it all out, but everyone will be paid.”
He scrutinized her with a sour look. She held her head high. There
was nothing for her to be ashamed of. The debts weren’t hers. But
she had promised everyone in town that they would be paid. Mortar
finally came to the conclusion that pestering wouldn’t advance his
cause and slunk away. She let out a soft breath of relief.
Her other brothers stood awkwardly by the hearth, heads hanging,
brows furrowed. Not a one of them mourned. Their father had been a
hard man, unfair and selfish. It was a relief that he had finally
passed, and yet it was still hard to lose a parent. He had been a
larger than life figure, ordering her about for her entire life.
She would miss him in a fashion, but she didn’t mourn him either.
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About Alice Sabo:
Alice Sabo is the author of science fiction, fantasy and mystery
novels. She lives in North Carolina, where she gardens with hopes of
outwitting the ravenous wildlife. You can find all her series, the
order in which to read them, along with maps and other extras on
her website.
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