The Blessed

From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy — a boy who believes he is a saint.

What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?

Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.

"Hurley, creator of the ghostgirl series, launches a trilogy with a slow and muddled story based on the legends of martyred young saints. On Halloween, three very different girls end up in the same emergency room in Brooklyn: 16-year-old Agnes, who tried to kill herself after yet another failed romance; Cecelia, a rock musician who is struggling to hold her life together; and 17-year-old tabloid favorite Lucy, who overdosed in a club. Each is given a bracelet with a decorative charm that draws her to a decommissioned church and a boy named Sebastian who believes it is their destiny to join in a battle between good and evil. Hurley spends a significant amount of time on character development before letting the story get underway more than halfway through, yet her characters remain flat and unsympathetic. Despite an intriguing premise, fiery dialogue, and digs about celebrity-obsessed culture that moves at the speed of Twitter, the plot lacks clear direction, the pacing lags, and the verbose writing, while stylish, saps the story's energy. Ages 14 — up. Agent: Andy McNichol, William Morris Endeavor. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"A good story that uses faith as a powerful narrative device. Combine that with first-rate characters, scheming powers that be, and a harrowing plot you have a book that has bestseller written all over it, in big gothic letters." The Book Passage

“Brooklyn is the perfect setting for this dark, gritty thriller....Readers can rest assured that while these young women may be saints, they are definitely not angels." Kirkus

“Our new favorite dark, sexy rock-n-roll thriller.” SugarScape.com

"Hurley brings her deadpan wit and blackest humor to the first tale in this trilogy about spirituality, sacrifice and supernatural romance." MTV Hollywood Crush

"The Blessed is raw and gritty. It's keep you on the edge of your seat, trying to remember that you actually need to breathe." Beyond Books

"The Blessed is creepy-cool." Bust Magazine

Tonya Hurley is the author of the New York Times bestselling series ghostgirl and the Blessed trilogy. She has worked in nearly every aspect of teen entertainment: creating, writing, and producing two hit TV series; writing and directing several acclaimed independent films; and developing a groundbreaking collection of video games. Tonya lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, New York.