Books

Creatures Most Vile 

YA fantasy Creatures Most Vile follows a girl marred by voracious monsters and hallucinations as palpable and menacing as a beast prowling the woods.    

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Surviving the hunting grounds of ravenous monsters comes down to three skills: running, hiding, and staying quiet.  Anora ingrained these traits into her very nature, but recurring illusions of a bloody demise petrify her and hallucinations of her father’s death derange her, threatening her safety when the beasts come hounding. 

Anora’s semblance of safety is destroyed when her storm-wielding powers unleash during a rigorous obstacle course meant to draw out dormant abilities.  She is branded as a Guardian, nature manipulators who track and kill monsters, and taken to training. The trainers expect Anora to be eager to fight beasts but she balks, sharing the torments of her post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes to be relieved of Guard duty.  Their leader, Commander Devlend, disregards her plea and her illness, claiming she will get over it with time.    

Refusing to downplay her mental health, Anora must find a way to escape training or be doomed to battle bloodthirsty beasts.  Success depends on overcoming trusted allies’ betrayal, unraveling the Guard’s secrets tucked away in a forgotten records room, and outsmarting Commander Devlend.  If Anora fails, she risks her mental health and possibly her life.   

Fans of A QUIET PLACE, SHADOW AND BONE, and THE STORM CROW will appreciate the suspenseful atmosphere, magic system, and mental health awareness found in this novel.