Samples of The Preludes of Illumination vol 1: CursedThey have a secret. We all have wished upon a star, had a dream, or secret desire, but beware demons lurk in our mist willing to grant them for a price. As these young witches come into their powers the demons are looking to take their souls. Beware who you express your hidden desires to; you never know what might go wrong with the phrase "I Wish." These witches are hiding in plain sight as our neighbors, friends, and family. These tales show young witches as they learn the secrets and dangers in their world while learning to control the magic that flows in their veins. Loves will be lost, deals will be made, and family members will have accidents because they did not heed the warnings. You never know which one of them has made a deal and are willing to make you the next course for the local demon. Will these young witches be next?

Devil worship, black magic, and witchcraft have long captivated anthropologists as well as the general public. In this volume, Jean La Fontaine explores the intersection of expert and lay understandings of evil and the cultural forms that evil assumes. The chapters touch on public scares about devil-worship, misconceptions about human sacrifice and the use of body parts in healing practices, and mistaken accusations of children practicing witchcraft. Together, these cases demonstrate that comparison is a powerful method of cultural understanding, but warns of the dangers and mistaken conclusions that untrained ideas about other ways of life can lead to.

Burning alive is nothing compared to the heat of his touch. Roasted at the stake as a witch while her lover watches, Ysabel sells her soul to the devil in return for revenge. A fair trade until her ex-boyfriend escapes the bowels of Hell and she's forced to team up with a demon to fetch the jerk back. Remy's seen a lot of things during his tenure in Lucifer's guard, but nothing can prepare him for the witch with the acerbic tongue - and voluptuous figure. Her mouth says 'Screw you,' but her body screams 'Take me.' What's a poor demon to do when his heart makes things even more complicated by goading him to make her his...

244 representations, symbols, and manuscript pages of devils and death from Ancient Egypt to 1913. Fascinating graphics depict demons, witches, and warlocks, more. Works by Dürer, Cranach, Holbein, Rembrandt, others.

Jack Long owes everything to his older brother, so when his brother has to give up one dream to protect another, Jack steps in. He doesn't have much, but a friend's inspiration has Jack taking a huge leap of faith and doing something he never thought he'd do--a ritual. During the ritual in a graveyard, Jack ends up with far more than just the help he came for. With a demon for a house guest, he has no idea what to expect, especially because this demon is hotter than hell.

Ancient evil haunts a seaside mansion in the series that’s a “brew of New England Gothic, character driven suspense, and childhood magic” (Christopher Rice, New York Times bestselling author). Five hundred years ago, Isobel the Apostate was burned at the stake after waging war upon her fellow sorcerers, the Order of the Nightwing. With her dying breath she vowed she would return one day, and conquer the world. Now, Isobel has made good on her promise, and returns to modern day Ravenscliff, where the only person who can stand between her and world domination is Devon March. Young Devon’s fight takes him from Ravenscliff to Tudor England and back again, matching wits and magic against an evil that has waited five centuries for revenge. There’s no escaping the endless dangers that Devon faces, and it is only with the help of a strange collection of friends and allies that he has any hope of beating back the Demon Witch. Praise for Sorcerers of the Nightwing: The Ravenscliff Series Book 1 “The terror begins on page one and never stops! This is my kind of book—filled with magic and dozens of frightening surprises.”—R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author “Seriously scary . . . Best described as Buffy meets teenage Goosebumps . . . Not for the squeamish!”—The Sunday Times