young adult fiction / romance

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power... the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance. Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight. And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. He has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion-- even at the cost of his humanity.

"For as long as Jack 'June' O'Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides--quite literally--with Saul Angert, sparks fly, and everything June has always know is thrown into chaos. Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June--an O'Donnell to her core--never questioned her late father's deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O'Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them. As Saul and June's connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations."--.