Choose or lose! After suffering abusive bullying in high school, Viola values family and friends above anything else. A sophomore at Arden College, she plays the oboe, studies psychology, and rejoices in a tight-knit group of friends. Until the night she witnesses them meeting without her. The same night her younger sister calls with news their parents' marriage further disintegrated. Running off into the forest, Viola witnesses sorcery and winds up tangled in a decades-old curse. Lovely and poignant, Swan and Shadow mixes Swan Lake and The Magic Flute into to a gripping, emotional page-turner.

History was central in a variety of ways to Yeats's poetic development and to the meaning of his work. In this study, Whitaker suggests that history was for the poet a mysterious interlocutor, which Yeats saw at times as a bright reflection of himself and again as a dark force opposed to that self. The poet's internal dialogue is viewed as projection into historical symbolism. Originally published in 1964. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Growing up in a tranquil wilderness, Teal Swan had a childhood that was anything but serene. Horrors lurked behind the façade of the perfect houses and pious community of the surrounding towns, and Teal attracted undue attention because of her unusually powerful extrasensory abilities. At the hands of a local cult member, she barely survived 13 years of horrendous abuse – and even after her escape, she was left powerless, lost, hurting, and with no way to cope. Gradually, and incredibly, Teal forged her way from the edge of despair to a sliver of light . . .and eventually emerged from the darkness into the full dawn of self-love. Here, she shows how you, too, can achieve the feelings of worthiness that may be long missing from your life. Now a recognized spiritual luminary, Teal documents how she dug herself out of self-hate, and details the remarkable trail for others to get to the same place. Shadows Before Dawn encompasses both Teal’s compelling story, told with raw intensity, and her resolute, no-nonsense how-to guide to healing from even the deepest levels of suffering. Offering a comprehensive self-love tool kit, Teal shares powerful exercises, insights, and perspective grounded in spirituality, and lets you choose which techniques are right for you. Teal’s resonating words will sit with your soul long after you put this book down and will serve as guideposts on the way to complete self-love – no matter who you are or where you are in life.

Aislin wakes up alone and injured in a foreign country. When Maeve receives a phone call that her identical twin is being held in a Canadian hospital and investigated by officials as to what she is doing over the border without identification, she and her parents rush to pick her up before the sun rises and Aislin's secret is revealed. Because of a centuries old curse, Aislin transforms into a swan when the sun rises. Maeve has her work cut out for her performing her sister's community service hours during the day, taking Aislin's SATs, maintaining her own social life, and trying to find Aislin's true love-the only way to break the curse. When Aislin begins college early and meets Nate, she starts to live less daylight hours as a swan and realizes that she is falling in love with him. Maeve and Aislin are overjoyed that the curse has been broken, and Aislin finally starts participating in everything she has missed out on over the years. When Maeve finds a swan in her sister's bed one morning, she realizes the prince might not be the hero of this fairytale.

#1 New York Times-Bestselling Author: The fate of a mystic land inextricably linked to our own is balanced precariously on one woman’s courage… Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld. . . The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice. . . Praise for Richelle Mead's Storm Born. . . "My kind of book--great characters, dark worlds, and just the right touch of humor. A great read." --Patricia Briggs, New York Times Bestselling Author

The author of Sword of the Lamb continues the Phoenix Legacy trilogy, in which a proud galactic empire struggles for supremacy. After forfeiting his identity as heir to the House of DeKoven Woolf, Lord Alexand morphs into Alex Ransom, leader of the Society of the Phoenix, sworn to bring about the evolution of the Concord in order to prevent its threatened collapse. But his birthright isn’t all Alex lost when Lord Alexand died. He gave up the extraordinary Lady Adrien Eliseer, and it was like tearing out his own heart. He realizes ultimately that as desperate as he is to bring peace to the Concord, he is equally desperate to be reunited with Adrien, especially when he learns that she is about to pay a terrible price for Lord Alexand’s death. “A new classic! Has the sweep and power of Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy.” —Jean M. Auel, author of the Earth’s Children series

A spirit hunter is the target of deadly danger and Otherworldly lust in a paranormal thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of Vampire Academy. Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Call her a mercenary if you want, but it’s just business to her. Until now. Hired to find a teenager who’s been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie encounters a startling prophecy—one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that her first-born will threaten the future of the world. Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon in the Otherworld, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within Eugenie herself. "Storm Born is my kind of book -- great characters, dark worlds, and just the right touch of humor. A great read." --Patricia Briggs

In this sexy paranormal thriller, a powerful shaman queen takes the ultimate risk to stop a war that threatens to destroy her Otherworldly kingdom. Back in the mortal realm, shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham was skilled at banishing beings that didn't belong. But as the Thorn Land's new queen, she's desperately searching for a way to end the war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope is the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear . . . Knowing who to trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown's ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation—one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril . . .

Action, intrigue, and magic collide in this epic fantasy following Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor's Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one—but with rebellion and unrest building, these are dangerous times to be a Justice . . . The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne. Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire. When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they’ve sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire? "Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." – Sebastien de Castell, author of Spellslinger “A fantastic debut.” – Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

From the #1 bestselling author of The Historian comes a mesmerizing novel that spans the past and the present—and unearths the troubled history of a gorgeous but haunted country. A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi—and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes. As Alexandra sets out to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by political oppression—and she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger. Elizabeth Kostova’s new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss. Praise for The Shadow Land “A compelling and complex mystery, strong storytelling, and lyrical writing combine for an engrossing read.”—Publishers Weekly “In The Shadow Land, Elizabeth Kostova, a master storyteller, brings vividly to life an unfamiliar country—Bulgaria—and a painful history that feels particularly relevant now. You won’t want to put down this remarkable book.”—Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs “In this brilliant work, what appears at first a minor mystery quickly becomes emblematic of a whole country’s hidden history. Lyrical and compelling, The Shadow Land proves a profound meditation on how evil is inflicted, endured, and, through courage and compassion, defeated. Elizabeth Kostova’s third novel clearly establishes her as one of America’s finest writers.”—Ron Rash, author of The Risen