From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain Series comes the first novel in a bold and richly imagined world. Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society. Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family. Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter's curiosity. Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing. But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.

With stunning virtuosity, the stories in Jane Urquhart’s dazzling first book of fiction unearth universal truths as they reach across countries and eras. A woman runs away to a cottage in the English moors to escape a love affair; shards of glass reconcile a middle-aged wife to her husband’s estrangement; a grandmother makes a startling confession from her youth; a young woman discovers herself through the life of an Italian saint; and, in a spellbinding story of artistic jealousy, we enter the mind of poet Robert Browning at the end of his life. In these beautifully crafted stories, ordinary objects brim with meaning and memories radiate with significance as Jane Urquhart illuminates the things that lie just beneath the surface of our lives.

Untrained. Untested. Unleashed. As a glassmaker and a magician–in–training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fi re. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade require Opal's unique talents to prevent it from happening again. But when the mission goes wrong, Opal must tap into a new kind of power as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the deeper she delves into the mystery, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance Opal and Kade must learn to control unknown powers powers that could lead to disaster beyond anything they've ever seen.

From New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder Return to the realms of Sitia and Ixia, where a young glass magician becomes ensnared in a deadly power struggle that may cost her everything… Opal Cowan, glass magician-in-training, has discovered a terrifying and powerful new ability: she can steal the power of other magicians. And that makes her too dangerous to be set free. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal defies them to search for Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. But as she travels through the Moon Clan’s lands, she begins to hear disturbing rumors that Ulrick’s desire for blood magic has eclipsed any sense of reason—and perhaps even his passion for her. Deep in hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn’t sure whom to trust. And everywhere she turns, people want to control her powers for their own deadly gain. Opal must make the choices to secure her own future, even as the path she treads becomes more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Previously Published. The Chronicles of Ixia Series by Maria V. Snyder Book One: Poison Study Book Two: Magic Study Book Three: Fire Study Book Four: Storm Glass Book Five: Sea Glass Book Six: Spy Glass Book Seven: Shadow Study Book Eight: Night Study Book Nine: Dawn Study

Part war drama, part romance, Storm from the East is the second installment in Joanna Hathaway’s epic Glass Alliance series War has begun, and the days of Athan’s and Aurelia’s secret, summer romance feel a world away. Led by Athan’s father, the revolutionary Safire have launched a secret assault upon the last royal kingdom in the South, hoping to depose the king and seize a powerful foothold on the continent. Athan proves a star pilot among their ranks, struggling to justify the violence his family has unleashed as he fights his way to the capital—where, unbeknownst to him, Aurelia has lived since the war’s onset. Determined to save the kingdom Athan has been ordered to destroy, she partners with a local journalist to inflame anti-Safire sentiment, all while learning this conflict might be far darker and more complex than she ever imagined. When the two reunite at last, Athan longing to shake the nightmare of combat and Aurelia reeling from the discovery of a long-buried family truth come to light, they’ll find the shadow of war stretches well beyond the battlefield. Each of them longs to rekindle the love they once shared . . . but each has a secret they’re desperate to hide. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.

A crucible of so many elements that would later shape and characterize Williams's work.--World Literature Today