My niece was thrilled to share her weekly column for her favorite author and series. Check out Kid Who Reads thoughts on The Gateway Chronicles. I'm happy to be able to give you an exclusive excerpt for what I think is the Best YA novel of 2012. Read my full review of The Enchanted by K. B. Hoyle.
Excerpt:
If she hadn’t seen Colin’s father earlier, she wouldn’t have believed this boy was Colin. His shaggy hair was golden blond like his father’s, and his outfit wasn’t at all Goth. His one concession to his previous style was the tight black T-shirt he wore over dark jeans and sneakers.
He stood with his head bowed, muttering something incoherent. His hands were clenched into fists and he was focused on a spot at the end of the game trail.
There was a sudden oppressive darkness. Even the cold wind seemed to still, and Darcy’s chest grew heavy with fear as sweat broke out on her forehead. Something was here. Colin was calling on dark powers—powers from another world. She had to do something.
She jumped onto the path and yelled, “Colin!”
He swung around. The darkness lifted for a moment and then returned with a vengeance as he hurried toward her. “Why are you here? Why are you here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous for you to be here?”
Colin came on fast. His irises had turned black, and he reached toward her. She jerked away, wanting to run, but stared, mesmerized as the darkness in his eyes spread until it swallowed up the whites. He grabbed her right wrist and held it tight.
“You’re mine,” he growled in a voice that wasn’t his. “Mine!”
Darcy’s cold hand and forearm pulsed. She tried to yank away, but his grip was like iron. The cold spread like a plague up her arm and toward her heart. She shuddered. It entered her chest, and she gasped and whimpered.
Her knees gave out beneath her. Colin seemed to grow bigger as he loomed over her collapsing form.
“Hey!” someone shouted. A blur rushed past her, and Colin loosened his grasp and stumbled backward. A deep growl emanated from his chest, and he lowered his head like a threatened animal.
Darcy sat back and cradled her frozen arm as she gasped for air. Lewis stood over her with his feet planted, facing down Colin.
Colin lunged toward Lewis with a snarl, and Lewis punched him right in the nose. Colin stumbled backward while holding his bleeding nose in both hands.
He swayed drunkenly and looked up at Lewis. His eyes had returned to their usual brown, though a strange gleam still lingered.
“Go,” Colin said, sounding as though he had a bad cold. “Go on, get her away from here.”
Lewis stood in uncertainty, his hands clasped into fists.
“Go!” Colin said again. “I can’t—not right now—not yet . . .” He waved them away and plunged off into the woods.
He stood with his head bowed, muttering something incoherent. His hands were clenched into fists and he was focused on a spot at the end of the game trail.
There was a sudden oppressive darkness. Even the cold wind seemed to still, and Darcy’s chest grew heavy with fear as sweat broke out on her forehead. Something was here. Colin was calling on dark powers—powers from another world. She had to do something.
She jumped onto the path and yelled, “Colin!”
He swung around. The darkness lifted for a moment and then returned with a vengeance as he hurried toward her. “Why are you here? Why are you here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous for you to be here?”
Colin came on fast. His irises had turned black, and he reached toward her. She jerked away, wanting to run, but stared, mesmerized as the darkness in his eyes spread until it swallowed up the whites. He grabbed her right wrist and held it tight.
“You’re mine,” he growled in a voice that wasn’t his. “Mine!”
Darcy’s cold hand and forearm pulsed. She tried to yank away, but his grip was like iron. The cold spread like a plague up her arm and toward her heart. She shuddered. It entered her chest, and she gasped and whimpered.
Her knees gave out beneath her. Colin seemed to grow bigger as he loomed over her collapsing form.
“Hey!” someone shouted. A blur rushed past her, and Colin loosened his grasp and stumbled backward. A deep growl emanated from his chest, and he lowered his head like a threatened animal.
Darcy sat back and cradled her frozen arm as she gasped for air. Lewis stood over her with his feet planted, facing down Colin.
Colin lunged toward Lewis with a snarl, and Lewis punched him right in the nose. Colin stumbled backward while holding his bleeding nose in both hands.
He swayed drunkenly and looked up at Lewis. His eyes had returned to their usual brown, though a strange gleam still lingered.
“Go,” Colin said, sounding as though he had a bad cold. “Go on, get her away from here.”
Lewis stood in uncertainty, his hands clasped into fists.
“Go!” Colin said again. “I can’t—not right now—not yet . . .” He waved them away and plunged off into the woods.
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About the Author:
K. B. Hoyle is a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother to two rambunctious little boys, an expectant mother to baby number three, and has been a classical educator for five years. She always knew from a young age that she wanted to write stories that would inspire people. Her favorite genre to read and write is Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction, so that is where her journey began. K. B. Hoyle began writing her first fantasy novel at the age of eleven, which proved to be valuable experience and practice for the novels she would publish as an adult.Connect with the Author:
K. B. Hoyle is currently writing the Young Adult Fantasy series The Gateway Chronicles, but she never stops brainstorming and planning for all the stories she hopes to write in the future.
Blog: On Alitheia
Twitter: @KBHoyle_author
Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links. Featured Books is a free announcement feature and all information is provided by the author unless otherwise noted.
Posts
I can't wait to read this one! Wonderful excerpt!
ReplyDeleteLOVED this book...my fav so far!
ReplyDeleteYou need the updated "author info" - she had that baby awhile ago! :)