Title: Dragons Walk Among Us
Author: Dan Rice
Genre: YA Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Shutterbug Allison Lee is trying to survive high school while suffering the popular girl's abuse. Her life is often abysmal, but at least her green hair is savage. Her talent for photography is recognized by the school paper and the judges of a photo contest.
While visiting her friend Joe, a homeless vet, Allison's life irrevocably changes after an attack leaves her blind. All her dreams as a photojournalist are dashed as she realizes she'll never see again. Despair sets in until she is offered an experimental procedure to restore her vision. But there are side effects, or are they hallucinations? She now sees dragons accompanying some of the people she meets. Can she trust her eyes, or has the procedure affected her more than she can see?
Excerpt:
An ear-splitting shriek cuts through the clatter of the engine. The sound makes my head ring. Wincing, I throw my hands over my ears. The car swerves, barely avoiding the ditch. Up ahead, the SUV veers into the opposite lane, its brake lights burning red. People scream. Devin brakes hard, and I’m thrown forward and back in the seat like a ping-pong ball.
A bright flash nearly blinds me, followed by a deafening roar that penetrates the buzz in my ears. The SUV flies into the air and lands hard on its side with a resounding crunch of metal, then slides off the road into the ditch.
“Pull over! Pull over!” I yell.
I’m thrown back in my seat as the beater lurches forward, engine whining. I turn to Dalia. Her gaze is locked straight ahead, and her eyes are bugging out. The car swerves, and I bobble in my seat. Haji is screaming and pointing out the windscreen. That’s when I see my mother flying through the air, body undulating. Yellow electrical arcs running over her black body, she swoops over us. I look out the back window. She’s heading for the overturned SUV. I scream at Devin to pull over, but the car careens onward.
Haji grabs the steering wheel, fighting with Devin for control of the shuddering car. A silver truck with outsized tires hurtles toward us in the opposite lane, horn blaring.
“Watch out!” Dalia cries.
Haji wrenches the wheel, and the beater swerves in front of the truck. Brakes squeal. A horn blasts. The truck clips the back end of the beater with a crunch of metal. Everything is spinning. I’m flung forward and backward. My camera somersaults from my hands, strikes the back of the seat in front of me, and clatters to the floor.
The car comes to an abrupt halt in the ditch. Haji and Devin don’t move, laid out in their seats like strung-out junkies. Dalia is wincing, tears welling up in her eyes, and touching her temple with her right hand. I unbuckle myself and lurch in between the front seats.
Buy Links:
· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0951NLKCK
· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragons-walk-among-us-dan-rice/1139530393?ean=2940162168041
· IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781509236558
If money were no object, where would you go for a Spring Break vacation and why?
I'd be in Hawaii with the family because everyone has fun on the islands!
Why is your featured book a must-read this spring?
Does your adolescent need something to read for spring? Do they love fantastical adventures? Then they’ll love reading Dragons Walk Among Us and be fired up to read the entirety of The Allison Lee Chronicles.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs April 1 – 30, 2023.
Drawing will be held on May 1, 2023
Author Biography:
DAN RICE pens the young adult urban fantasy series The Allison Lee Chronicles in the wee hours of the morning. The series kicks off with his award-winning debut, Dragons Walk Among Us. Kirkus Reviews calls his debut’s sequel, The Blood of Faeries, “A fun and ferocious adventure.”
To discover more about Dan’s writing and keep tabs on his upcoming releases, visit his website: https://www.danscifi.com and join his newsletter.
Social Media Links:
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· Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danricewrites
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· BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/dan-rice
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