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Author: Farah Oomerbhoy
Genre/Age: Fantasy/YA
Series: The Avalonia Chronicles (Book One)
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: 16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.
Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way.
Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
Later that night, after I had eaten well and rested, we set out for the midnight market. I followed
Kalen along the small path, from Pixie Bush into the very heart of Goldleaf Forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed to me that we had been walking for quite a while when I could suddenly hear voices
and noises quite clearly in the quiet forest. We came to a large clearing, and the delightful sight
left me spellbound. The forest was alive, radiant and subtly lit by pretty, different-colored
lanterns hanging from the towering trees. Beautifully decorated stalls and multicolored tents had
sprung up all over the place. Some were nestled between the tall trees, and some were
haphazardly placed around the edge of the clearing, forming a slightly wonky circle. Fae of all
sizes, shapes and colors wandered around, having a marvelous time. There were dryads,
naiads, brownies, and little pixies with wings who flitted about the place in groups, laughing and
eating at the food stalls.
We came to a stall, which was manned by a small, funny-looking fae with a pointy nose and
long ears. Kalen identified him as a gnome. He was selling some strangely colored liquid in
glass bottles and was haggling unashamedly about prices with two old ladies, whom I thought
were very sweet.
As we walked through the market, Kalen chattered on.
“Although some of the larger towns have shops that sell magical ingredients for potions,” Kalen
was saying, “this is the only place you can find some of the really rare items.”
I followed Kalen, who was entering a green tent, where the sign outside read: “Buy a plant for
your home and garden.” That sounded quite interesting. Maybe I could buy a plant for Kalen’s
mom—she had really helped me, after all—but I remembered I didn’t have any money.
The tent was not what I expected at all. The inside was bewitched to look like a large green
house; like the forest, it was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. The
moonlight shone through the glass ceiling, and rows of plants and flowers lined the sides of the
tent. We decided to explore.
I walked through the rows of plants, looking at the labels that were written next to them. There
were strawberry plants in a small tray, growing wonderful, juicy strawberries, each one of which
had a dollop of cream on the top. The sign near it said: “Grow your own strawberries and cream.”
“Try one,” said Kalen. “No one is watching.”
I couldn’t resist; I loved strawberries and cream. I popped the whole strawberry into my mouth. It
was delicious and the cream was thick, fresh, and sweet. It was wonderful.
“Lovely, yes?” said Kalen.
“I nodded, since my mouth was full.
“Ms. Herbchild is wonderful at growing things. These strawberry plants with cream are one of
her new inventions, but you can only grow them on trays inside the house, or the gnomes lick
off all the cream.”
I made a face at the thought of eating a strawberry that had been licked by a gnome.
Farah Oomerbhoy is a young adult writer with a master’s degree in English literature from the
University of Mumbai. Farah loves the fantastical and magical and often dreams of living in
Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest. Her debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, Book
1 of The Avalonia Chronicles started on Wattpad where it received a Watty Award in 2015 and
over 1.5 million reads. Since publication, The Last of the Firedrakes has gone on to win a silver
medal in IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards, become a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards and
become an international bestseller. Farah lives with her family in Mumbai, India where she can
be found checking for magical portals in every closet.
Connect with Farah:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarahOomerbhoy
Instagram: http://instagram.com/farahoomerbhoyauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/FarahOomerbhoy
Purchase The Last of the Firedrakes:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/557373
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