The Magic Collection: Volume 1
(2024)(A book in the Alydia Rackham's Collections series)
A collection of stories by Alydia Rackham
TIDE: RETELLING THE LITTLE MERMAID
Young Galahad Stormcrane comes to a small seaside kingdom to investigate the loss of a Guardian of the Seal—only to find that this guardian has abandoned her post, and made a deal with a sea witch to become human. However, if the prince refuses to marry her, she will die, and the Great Seal will fall into the hands of incredible evil. For the sake of the entire realm, Galahad must somehow arrange a marriage between a royal prince and a mermaid who cannot speak. But what if his own guarded heart becomes entangled?
SCALES: A FRESH TELLING OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The poisonous jealousy of a sister gives birth to curse of vengeance. The body of a princess is warped and twisted into the form of a scaly, snake-like monster, and her mind is lost in shadow. A misfit minstrel, with a voice like sunshine, may be her only hope for salvation--but only if he survives their first encounter. A thrilling and unexpected reversal of the timeless romance of “Beauty and the Beast” launches Alydia Rackham's epic fairy tale series. If you enjoy magic, mystery, and the power of true love, you will relish this tale.
AMATUS: AN ALLEGORY
Crispian has lived in the city of Tutus all his life. He is used to the darkness that always cloaks the world, broken only by the lamps that huddle in the streets and winding alleys. He knows what it is to live in a segregated quarter, away from the despicable Rubrum race. He takes comfort in the company of his few friends, and the Minister--the only people who do not look twice at his missing eye and hand. But when he allows a young woman named Aiva to enter his life--a Rubrum, no less--Crispian comes under attack by forces he can neither see nor understand. Aiva assures him that she knows a place where he can find sanctuary from all of them. Can Crispian trust her to guide him safely out of Tutus, through the cursed ruins of an ancient city and the depths of an evil forest, to a realm that promises to be more wonderful than he can imagine? Or should he believe everything he's ever been taught, and return home before Aiva and the force behind the mysterious light on the horizon lead him to his death?
CURSE-MAKER: THE TALE OF GWIDDON CROW
Gwiddon Crow is a young, vicious Curse-Maker who haunts the Winterly Wood of Albain, free from all laws, unchained from the suffering of her past. Her master, Gwiddon Baba Yaga, calls upon Crow to cast a curse upon the tiny kingdom of Astrum, and destroy the great seal which protects it from Baba Yaga's ally, Mordred the Draid. But the curse goes terribly wrong.
Now, Crow is trapped in Astrum, alone with its resentful, blind prince--and the unbroken Seal is slowly draining her life. She must find a way to free herself from her own spell...
But the only way to do that may lie with the prince whose kingdom she has destroyed.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Young Galahad Stormcrane comes to a small seaside kingdom to investigate the loss of a Guardian of the Seal—only to find that this guardian has abandoned her post, and made a deal with a sea witch to become human. However, if the prince refuses to marry her, she will die, and the Great Seal will fall into the hands of incredible evil. For the sake of the entire realm, Galahad must somehow arrange a marriage between a royal prince and a mermaid who cannot speak. But what if his own guarded heart becomes entangled?
SCALES: A FRESH TELLING OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The poisonous jealousy of a sister gives birth to curse of vengeance. The body of a princess is warped and twisted into the form of a scaly, snake-like monster, and her mind is lost in shadow. A misfit minstrel, with a voice like sunshine, may be her only hope for salvation--but only if he survives their first encounter. A thrilling and unexpected reversal of the timeless romance of “Beauty and the Beast” launches Alydia Rackham's epic fairy tale series. If you enjoy magic, mystery, and the power of true love, you will relish this tale.
AMATUS: AN ALLEGORY
Crispian has lived in the city of Tutus all his life. He is used to the darkness that always cloaks the world, broken only by the lamps that huddle in the streets and winding alleys. He knows what it is to live in a segregated quarter, away from the despicable Rubrum race. He takes comfort in the company of his few friends, and the Minister--the only people who do not look twice at his missing eye and hand. But when he allows a young woman named Aiva to enter his life--a Rubrum, no less--Crispian comes under attack by forces he can neither see nor understand. Aiva assures him that she knows a place where he can find sanctuary from all of them. Can Crispian trust her to guide him safely out of Tutus, through the cursed ruins of an ancient city and the depths of an evil forest, to a realm that promises to be more wonderful than he can imagine? Or should he believe everything he's ever been taught, and return home before Aiva and the force behind the mysterious light on the horizon lead him to his death?
CURSE-MAKER: THE TALE OF GWIDDON CROW
Gwiddon Crow is a young, vicious Curse-Maker who haunts the Winterly Wood of Albain, free from all laws, unchained from the suffering of her past. Her master, Gwiddon Baba Yaga, calls upon Crow to cast a curse upon the tiny kingdom of Astrum, and destroy the great seal which protects it from Baba Yaga's ally, Mordred the Draid. But the curse goes terribly wrong.
Now, Crow is trapped in Astrum, alone with its resentful, blind prince--and the unbroken Seal is slowly draining her life. She must find a way to free herself from her own spell...
But the only way to do that may lie with the prince whose kingdom she has destroyed.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Used availability for Alydia Rackham's The Magic Collection: Volume 1