HOUSE OF SHADOWS
“I loved House of Shadows. The characters, writing, and magic captivated me, but there was a lot to love in the details as well – the dragon, the cats who were characters in their own right, female characters with different situations and types of inner strength, and just a little bit of romance.” -- Kristen at Fantasy Book Café.
“House of Shadows possess certain qualities of mystery and intrigue, but the driving force came from the characters and their individual, detailed stories. Despite the multiple narratives and points of view, the author miraculously pulled it all together for a very climactic ending.” -- Gina at My Precious
THE GRIFFIN MAGE TRILOGY
“The Griffin Mage Trilogy is recommended to anyone who enjoys a fantasy story that focuses on vivid storytelling with more emphasis on interaction instead of bold fighting.” -- Jasper de Joode, Fantasy Book Review
“A theme running throughout the trilogy is the importance of trusting people with the freedom to make their own decisions, even if you may not like the result. The plot of Lord of the Changing Winds is full of difficult moral choices, so if you like your fantasy to be subtle and complex, this could be the trilogy for you.” Geraldine at Fantasy Reads
THE FLOATING ISLANDS
An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Kirkus best-of-2011 selection
“Intelligent, richly detailed fantasy featuring two young cousins battered by losses, personal passions, and larger events . . . The author delineates complex characters, geographies and societies alike with a dab hand, deftly weaves them all – along with dragons of several sorts, mouthwatering kitchen talk, flashes of humor, and a late-blooming romance – into a suspenseful plot and delivers and outstanding tale that is self-contained but full of promise for sequels.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
THE CITY IN THE LAKE
“It’s the poetic, shimmering language and fascinating unfolding of worlds that elevates this engrossing story beyond its formula . . . Fans of Sharon Shinn’s books will find a similar celebration of the natural world – from the dense darkness of a forest to the ‘crystalline music’ of the stars – in this vividly imagined debut.” -- Booklist, starred review
“For fans of Juliet Marillier, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Sharon Shinn, looking for that next fix of luscious, romantic, flawless fantasy? Look no farther.” -- Thea James, the Book Smugglers
“OH MY GOD, I was so not prepared for how awesome this book is. Prose, setting, story, characters, everything is top notch and I too loved this book.” – Ana Grilo, the Book Smugglers
Acknowledgements
As always, my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, greatly improved this book with her insightful advice about plotting and pacing.
Sarah Prineas, author of The Magic Thief series, the Winterlands trilogy, and the Cindarella retelling Ash and Bramble, gave me invaluable feedback about characterization both for Black Dog and for this book.
Stephanie Burgess, author of the Kat, Incorrigible series, was kind enough to read through the finished draft right before publication, thus allowing me to correct a few important details at the last minute.
Abi Warner and Melissa Stevens corrected my Spanish. Any remaining mistakes are undoubtedly mine and not theirs. My mother was my first proofreader – thanks, Mom! Mike and Linda Schiffer kindly agreed to read the final manuscript One Final Time to check for lingering typos.
And thank you to all the authors who encouraged me to dip my toe into the intimidating world of self-publishing, either directly or simply by their example.
Table of Contents
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Endnotes
Also by Rachel Neumeier
Praise for Rachel Neumeier’s Books
Acknowledgements
Pure Magic (Black Dog Book 3) Page 37
