She had been in the palace for a year and hadn't even seen the emperor's face before she mysteriously jumped several levels and became the imperial concubine.After the ceremony, she thought that she would finally be able to experience the pleasures of water and fish, but she didn't think that the one inside the palace wouldn't be the emperor, but the empress.Legend has it that the Empress prefers martial arts, and likes to show off her manhood, giving off an extraordinary heroic air.Under her pressure, she knew that the queen, who was loved by her subjects, was a complete man.The corners of his mouth curled up into an evil smile. "You're the woman that the Emperor specially selected for me.""The Emperor has granted me ten years of life, and I will hold this country for him for ten years."However, when his front legs left, the Emperor forced her onto the dragon bed. "You are my concubine, so you must accept my fortune."

Red Sparrow is now a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton! The thrilling sequel to Red Sparrow—CIA insider Jason Matthews’s compulsively readable New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award winner—featuring Russian spy Dominika Egorova and CIA agent Nate Nash “shimmers with authenticity. The villains are richly drawn...the scenes of them on the job are beyond chilling” (The New York Times Book Review). Captain Dominika Egorova of the Russian Intelligence Service despises the oligarchs, crooks, and thugs of Putin’s Russia—but what no one knows is that she is also working for the CIA. Her “sparrow” training in the art of sexual espionage further complicates the mortal risks she must take, as does her love for her handler Nate Nash—a shared lust that is as dangerous as treason. As Dominika expertly dodges exposure, she deals with a murderously psychotic boss, survives an Iranian assassination attempt and attempts to rescue an arrested double agent—and thwart Putin’s threatening flirtations. A grand, wildly entertaining ride through the steel-trap mind of a CIA insider, Palace of Treason is a story “as suspenseful and cinematic as the best spy movies” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)—one that feels fresh and so possible, in fact, that it’s doubtful this novel can ever be published in Russia.

This second edition is fully updated and addresses ways in which we can apply stories and storytelling with children who are troubled. Stories can empower children to take action and ask for help, including help with changes and life-plans. Stories provide a secure structure with endings and closure. The book develops the following topics: Stories for assessment Stories for understanding emotions Stories for exploring the senses Stories for managing loss Stories for ritual and drama There are new and revised stories, in particular addressing trauma and abuse. This book is written for all those people with the welfare of children as their priority.