Synopses & Reviews
Abby is haunted by dreams of an ivory castle, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking stranger. Working as the babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the doppelgänger of the mysterious young man in her dreams, Abby's life changes forever.
Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, Abby learns of a magical realm on the edge of anarchy. She's told of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the assassination of the king, and the kidnapping of the infant prince. Now, as the kingdom struggles to survive, Abby must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir.
While braving attacks from the dark lord's sadistic minions, Abby must help David discover his true identity. Only then may he return to claim his throne before time runs out. Should Abby and David fail, a long-imprisoned evil will escape, destroying Cai Terenmare and all of humanity.
Review
"From the first few pages of Sign of the Throne, readers will be pulled into Eskue Ousley's carefully crafted world and characters. The complex world of Cai Terenmare sets the stage for this rich fantasy and introduces readers to a new breed of magic."
DelSheree Gladden, author of The Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy, and the Someone Wicked This Way Comes series
Review
"Sign of the Throne is Melissa Eskue Ousley's debut novel and she is off to a brilliant start...and is an extremely well written story that is remarkable in its clarity of concept and execution. This reviewer firmly believes that it should serve as a landmark — both to aspiring authors of young adult fiction and to young adults, themselves. This is what outstanding writing both looks and reads like. Kudos must also go to the editorial team at Castle Gardens Publications for providing an extremely clean read. While copious typos are the hallmark — and bane — of both self and much of commercial publishing, Gazebo Gardens Publishing — the parent of Castle Gardens — has demonstrated the distinct advantage that a good publishing house can give to a novel. In the final analysis, Sign of the Throne is a book which stands head and shoulders above a considerable amount of current Young Adult fiction. Even if Young Adult fantasy novels do not number amongst one's favorite genres, this story is still well worth consideration. Given the intense reading experience provided by Sign of the Throne, this reviewer can hardly wait for the next installment in this series."
Howard Parsons, The Parsons' Rant
Review
"Abby is an ordinary girl — or so she thought; her dreams are consumed with wretched monsters and visions of a mysterious boy. The mysterious boy is David, the son of a wealthy couple in New Castle Beach and the heir to the throne of Cai Terenmare. Unfortunately, David does not remember who he really is, and it is up to Abby to return him to his people and save the kingdom from an evil lord. Melissa Eskue Ousley's Sign of the Throne is a beautifully written tale that will captivate readers from the first page until the very last page. Ousley has created a fantastic new world that is full of magic and peril with complex characters that the reader can relate to. Sign of the Throne is a perfect combination of contemporary fiction, fantasy, and folklore. Readers will find themselves getting lost in Ousley's fantastic tale of magic, danger, and adventure as Abby attempts to fulfill her destiny and save Cai Terenmare."
Kira Watson, My Dear Bibliophage
Review
"I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a parallel world connected to ours by magic portals. The characters are rich and relatable to 'tweens on up. The story is beautifully told and kept me enthralled from the first chapter to the last and looking forward to more. Stiff competition for the Twilight series in the romance department and fantasy genre of the Percy Jackson books. Great read for any age!"
Signe, Goodreads
Review
"This is a very clean read that any school library would want on their shelves. I love the cover of this book — it really is true to the story line. The story is told from two worlds, the human world and Cai Terenmare. Melissa has a wonderful imagination that kept the pages turning. I loved all the characters names and I loved the back of the book contains, 'Places and Terms'. There were some great scenes that visually looked awesome in my head when reading. A nicely woven together fantasy where two people from two different worlds find each other. A beautifully descriptive book filled with imagination, brave gorgeous lads, ravens, black cats, shadows, nightmares, dreams, a Nixie, a Queen who won't give up on her son, and a love that was inevitable, making for a great start to Melissa's trilogy."
Michelle Auricht, Novels On The Run, Australia
Review
"My first thought on seeing this book was how beautiful the cover was. It has that spooky supernatural look, and with the raven and cat, it fits the book perfectly. The plot just keeps you interested the whole time. Each sequence seems to fit perfectly where it is, and each injection of mythology is just the right amount, which takes a lot of skill by the author. She builds the tension in the book with the demon creatures, and especially in the portal scene, beautifully. The storytelling and world building were excellent on both sides of the portal. This book has no sexual content or swearing and is suitable for YA, NA, and adult fans of paranormal and fantasy. Very much recommended!"
ChucklesBookCave
Review
"I love the cover, I love the synopsis, and I especially love the 'lost heir, doomed world, random girl in the middle of it all' theme. Melissa Eskue Ousley is a master when it comes down to fabricating magical worlds and creatures. Her writing style is smooth and that's why the book is so fast-paced..."
Daniella, YA Book Season
Synopsis
Book One in the young adult fantasy fiction series, "The Solas Beir Trilogy," this epic story about an alternate world, is filled with magic, monsters, and adventure.
Abby is an ordinary girl haunted by dreams of ivory castles, blood-thirsty monsters, and a striking young man. Working as a babysitter for a family of mythology lovers in wealthy Newcastle Beach, California, she struggles to define herself among the elite class while trying to make sense of her strange visions. Upon meeting David, the d ppelganger of the mysterious man in her dreams, Abby's life is changed forever. Encountering the queen of Cai Terenmare, a magical kingdom in a parallel world, Abby learns of an evil lord hell-bent on usurping the throne, the murder of Cai Terenmare's king, the Solas Beir, and the kidnapping of the Solas Beir's infant son. As the kingdom struggles to endure, the queen shows Abby the full extent of her destiny. She must convince her mysterious crush, David, that he is the lost heir. While braving attacks from the dark lord's sadistic minions, David must realize his true identity and return to Cai Terenmare to claim his throne before time runs out, lest the evil that was temporarily locked away be unleashed, threatening to destroy both the kingdom and all of humanity.
About the Author
Melissa Eskue Ousley is an author of fiction and nonfiction who has published numerous academic articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of College and Character and The College Student Affairs Journal. Having received her Ph.D. in Higher Education from The University of Arizona, she has taught psychology courses and worked within higher education on diversity issues, serving underrepresented students and conducting research. She is also a member of the American Psychological Association. Her expertise in psychology and interest in culture and mythology have heavily influenced the themes and character development in her first novel, The Sign of the Throne. This is the first book in a trilogy written for young adults. She is currently working on the second and third novels in the series, The Raven and the Rabbit and The Sower Comes. Melissa lives on the Oregon coast with her family and their Kelpie, Gryphon. When she's not writing, Melissa can be found hiking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, or walking along the beach, poking dead things with a stick.