Synopses & Reviews
It began in the graveyard
Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but thats all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathans death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others thereEric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death
.
Emma was not quite like others teenagers. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in a senseless accident. But though she hadnt known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. In fact, Emma could draw upon the essence of the dead to work magic. That was what Necromancers did. But Emma had no desire to be a Necromancer. She just wanted to help the ghosts who walked the streets of Toronto, unable to escape from the land of the living. And that was just as well, because had she chosen the path of the Necromancer, Eric would have had to kill her.
Instead, Eric and his fellow Necromancer hunter Chase found themselves violating every rule they were sworn to follow, becoming part of Emmas group, helping her to stand against those who preyed upon the dead. But whether Emma and her friends could survive such a battle was anyones guess. And whether Emma could learn to use the magic of the dead against her enemies without herself falling victim to the lure of such power remained to be seen. Eric seemed to think she could, and her living friends would never abandon her. But only time would tell what Emmas true destiny was
.
Review
"Brilliant storyteller Sagara heads in a new direction with her Queen of the Dead series. She does an excellent job of breathing life into not only her reluctant heroine, but also the supporting players in this dramatic and spellbinding series starter. There is a haunting beauty to this story of love, loss and a teenager’s determination to do the right thing. Do not miss out!" Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
Review
“It's rare to find a book as smart and sweet as this one.” Sarah Rees Brennan, author of THE DEMON'S LEXICON
Review
“The strength of SILENCE lies not only in the way Sagara seamlessly integrates the paranormal into the lives of her characters, but in how very real those lives are. Sagara captures the way teenagers feel everything more intensely—love, hate, fear, wonder—and uses that to capture the hearts of her readers.” Tanya Huff, author of THE WILD WAYS
Review
"I've been a fan of Michelle Sagara West's writing for years, so I was thrilled when I heard she was writing YA. An evocative and thoroughly compelling story." Janni Lee Simner, author of BONES OF FAERIE
Review
"Brilliant storyteller Sagara heads in a new direction with her Queen of the Dead series. She does an excellent job of breathing life into not only her reluctant heroine, but also the supporting players in this dramatic and spellbinding series starter. There is a haunting beauty to this story of love, loss and a teenagers determination to do the right thing. Do not miss out!" —
RT Book Reviews (top pick!)
"It's rare to find a book as smart and sweet as this one." —Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon
"The strength of Silence lies not only in the way Sagara seamlessly integrates the paranormal into the lives of her characters, but in how very real those lives are. Sagara captures the way teenagers feel everything more intensely—love, hate, fear, wonder—and uses that to capture the hearts of her readers." —Tanya Huff, author of The Silvered
"I've been a fan of Michelle Sagara West's writing for years, so I was thrilled when I heard she was writing YA. An evocative and thoroughly compelling story." —Janni Lee Simner, author of Bones of Faerie
"A spooky and emotionally moving urban fantasy.... Silence distinguishes itself in a glutted field of YA paranormal fiction. Sagara starts with some of the popular plot tropes, but doesnt take them in the directions you might expect, and the lovable characters and authentic emotion help set the book apart too. Its a story of loss, grief, and the way life goes on after tragedy, sad at times, but hopeful rather than depressing." —Fantasy Literature Review
"An interesting and original premise.... Promising." —Kirkus
“In Touch, Sagara paints an eerie and original picture of the afterlife as she continues the struggle of Emma and friends to free the dead from eternal imprisonment, while battling the necromancers of the Queen of the Dead. Beautifully written, with characters so real - even the dead ones - they could be any of us, Touch is an exceptional addition to a powerful series. Dont miss this.” —Julie E. Czerneda, author of A Turn of Light
Review
Praise for Michelle Sagaras the
Queen of the Dead series:
“It's rare to find a book as smart and sweet as this one.”
—Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon
“In Touch, Sagara paints an eerie and original picture of the afterlife as she continues the struggle of Emma and friends to free the dead from eternal imprisonment, while battling the necromancers of the Queen of the Dead. Beautifully written, with characters so real—even the dead ones—they could be any of us, Touch is an exceptional addition to a powerful series. Dont miss this.”
—Julie Czerneda, author of A Turn of Light
"Brilliant storyteller Sagara heads in a new direction with her Queen of the Dead series. She does an excellent job of breathing life into not only her reluctant heroine, but also the supporting players in this dramatic and spellbinding series starter. There is a haunting beauty to this story of love, loss, and a teenagers determination to do the right thing. Do not miss out!"
—RT Reviews (top pick!)
“For all that this is a novel deeply concerned with loyalty, with healthy friendships, and with human decency, it doesnt hesitate to wrap cold fingers around your spine and yank when the moment calls for it. Sagaras characters are believable, flawed, and very human, and make for compelling reading.” —Tor.com
Synopsis
The gripping beginning to Michelle Sagara's young adult paranormal trilogy, Queen of the Dead
It began in the graveyard
Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that s all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan s death.
But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death .
Emma was not quite like others teenagers. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in a senseless accident. But though she hadn t known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. In fact, Emma could draw upon the essence of the dead to work magic. That was what Necromancers did.
But Emma had no desire to be a Necromancer. She just wanted to help the ghosts who walked the streets of Toronto, unable to escape from the land of the living. And that was just as well, because had she chosen the path of the Necromancer, Eric would have had to kill her.
Instead, Eric and his fellow Necromancer hunter Chase found themselves violating every rule they were sworn to follow, becoming part of Emma s group, helping her to stand against those who preyed upon the dead. But whether Emma and her friends could survive such a battle was anyone s guess. And whether Emma could learn to use the magic of the dead against her enemies without herself falling victim to the lure of such power remained to be seen. Eric seemed to think she could, and her living friends would never abandon her. But only time would tell what Emma s true destiny was ."
Synopsis
Nathan died in the summer before his final year in high school, leaving behind a mother who was devoted to him and a girlfriend he loved. His mother and his girlfriend, Emma, are still alive; Nathan is not. But he wakes in his roomor in the shrine his mothers made of his roomconfused, cold, and unable to interact with anyone or anything he sees. The only clear memory he has is a dream of a shining city, and its glorious queen, but the dream fades, until he once again meets Emmaby the side of his own grave.
Nathan wants life. He wants Emma. He wants warmth, sensation, a sleep that doesnt leave him confused and aching.
But the cost, to Emma, will be incalculably highbecause Emma just might be able to give him what he wants.
Synopsis
NATHAN Four months ago, Nathan had everything he wanted in life: he had Emma.
Three months ago, he died.
Death hasn't been easy. The only people who can see the dead are Necromancers and their Queen. And you don't want to piss off the Queen of the Dead. She's brilliant light and fire, and if there's no actual hell, she can make a personal one, just for you.
But all she seems to want for Nathan is to send him home -- where he can see the people he loved, even if they can't see him. He doesn't know why. He doesn't care. If he goes home, he can finally see...
EMMA
Four months ago, Emma was in love with Nathan.
Three months ago, he died.
One month ago, Emma began to see the dead. They look exactly the way they appeared before they died; she knows. She's seen her father. She's even argued with him.
Seeing the dead has made her life vastly more complicated. People want to kill her. People want to kidnap her and force her to truly become a Necromancer. People want to kill her friends, just because they know her.
But even if she could get rid of this strange power, she wouldn't, because if it's gone, she'll never see Nathan again...
But the Queen of the Dead has plans of her own, for both Nathan and Emma.
About the Author
Michelle Sagara has published numerous short stories and fantasy novels, including the successful Cast (The Chronicles of Elantra) novels for Luna. She was a two-time nominee for the John W. Campbell Award. She works part-time at BAKKA Books, one of Torontos larger bookstores, and writes reviews for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.