Title: Immagica
Author: K. A. Last
Genre: YA Fantasy/Adventure
Date of Publication: January 26, 2014
Word Count: approximately 68,000
Cover Illustration: Lawrence Mann LawrenceMann.co.uk
Cover Designer: KILA Designs – www.facebook.com/KILAdesigns
SYNOPSIS
Immagica…
Where anything is possible.
Enter at your own risk.
The night before her fifteenth birthday, Rosaline Clayton uncovers a deep family secret. She receives an amulet from her deranged father, and he tells her she must find the book in order to save him. Rosaline is used to her dad not making any sense, so she dismisses their conversation as another of his crazy rants.
When Rosaline’s brother, Elliot, drags her to their nana’s attic to explore, they find the old leather-bound book tucked away in a chest. It sucks them into its pages, transporting them to a magical world. Along the way, Rosaline and Elliot are separated, and the only thing she wants is to find her brother and go home.
The creatures of Immagica have other ideas. After years of war, their land lies in ruin. Using the amulet’s power, they want Rosaline to defeat the dragon and restore Immagica to its former glory. But Rosaline is bound to Immagica in ways she doesn’t understand, and when she discovers the truth about her family, she must follow her heart to save them all.
Map Illustration: Lawrence Mann LawrenceMann.co.uk
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/18194824-immagica
Amazon eBook: http://amzn.to/1aDeheQ
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1et2kn9
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1n8OLkd
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/x/id797107664
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1fs4Zj9
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/TzXmWDfp074
About the author:
K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. K. A. Last is currently studying her Bachelor of Arts at Charles Sturt University, with a major in English, and minors in Children’s Literature, Art History, and Visual Culture. She resides in a peaceful, leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children, a rabbit named Twitch, and a guinea pig called Squeak.
Author web links:
Website: www.kalastbooks.com.au
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KALastBooks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KALastBooks
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/KALast
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kalast
Excerpt 1:
“Where am I?” I asked the breeze.
“You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of craziness,” a voice said from behind me.
I spun around to face the most unusual girl I’d ever seen. She held a bronze spear in her right hand. It was fancy, like a sceptre, with a decorative head that housed a big emerald. What was it with all the emeralds? Maybe I was in Oz.
The stone was shaped like an eye, like the one in the amulet. It seemed to be staring at me, and I shuddered. Above all the fanciness was a silver point that could probably slice me in half in one-second flat.
Frantically, I looked around for something to use to defend myself if I needed to. But my only option was to brain her with a rock—if I needed to.
“I wasn’t talking to myself,” I said. I totally was talking to myself. “I just wanted company.”
The girl laughed. “You should be careful what you wish for in a place like this.”
She looked a little older than me, with pale blue eyes, and an olive complexion. Silver streaked her long, black hair, which had several small braids through it. Her cheekbones were high, and her mouth pouty.
“And where is this, exactly?”
The girl stared at me, as if I should know the answer. I still wasn’t sure if she would hurt me or take me to meet her no doubt equally weird-looking friends. She wore a pair of ripped denim shorts, and her top was a little strange. It was cream in colour, and looked like it was handmade, with lacing up each side and an uneven neckline. Her long legs were encased in shin-high chunky hiking boots, and she had a small leather satchel flung across her body. The spear totally completed the outfit.
“Not quite like Dorothy, is it?” she said, grinning. “She was greeted by munchkins, but you got me instead.”
“You’ve read The Wizard of Oz?”
“Of course.” The girl laughed. “And Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending Story, and Narnia. All the greats.”
Somehow, I found it hard to believe. Where the hell was the library?
“Who are you? And where am I?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips. I could play smart, too, but I hoped I appeared more confident than I felt.
“Which do I answer first? I hope you know who you are.”
“Never mind,” I said, turning away. She’d done her best to annoy me, and I’d only known her for twenty seconds.
“Don’t take it personally.” The girl fell into step beside me. “You’re not the only one who’s ended up here when they first arrived. Not everyone can expect to land in the thick of things.”
“What are you talking about?” I stopped to face her
“I’m Brynn.” She stuck out her hand. I hesitated, but eventually took it. She pumped my arm up and down a few times before letting go. “So, where’s the book?”
“How do you know about the book?” I frowned.
“You usually can’t get here without the book.”
“Where’s here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, not really. Why do you want the book?” I asked.
“I don’t want the book.”
“Then why did you ask about the book?”
“You’ll need the book,” Brynn said. “The book is very important.”
I sighed. “Of course it is.” I pulled it from the waistband of my jeans, but I didn’t hand it over.
“You don’t trust me, do you?” Brynn asked.
“If you were me, would you trust you?”
“I’m very trustworthy.” She smiled and raised her eyebrows.
“But how do I know that!”
She shrugged. “You don’t.”
“Okay, this place is just odd,” I said.
Excerpt 2:
The machine was close enough for me to reach out and touch. It wasn’t actually hanging like I’d first thought; it was supported by a pole that went down the centre of the Eye. In the distance, at the very bottom, there was something red—a light, pulsing softly in the darkness.
All the parts of the machine were shiny, and it was well looked after. I reached out a hesitant hand to touch one of the cogs.
“Please, don’t do that,” a nervous voice said from the other side. “You shouldn’t touch the pupil, it’s very fragile.”
Through the gaps in the mass of parts, I caught a glimpse of a boy. “Pupil?” I asked.
“Yes.” He moved to where I could see him, and scratched his head. “Fragile. It’s fragile.”
The boy looked around seventeen. His white-blond hair fell across his forehead. Behind his thick-rimmed glasses were the most unusual eyes. They looked hazel, but a second later they were green, or hazel with green flecks. As quickly as I decided what colour they were, they changed again. He was tall and lanky, and wore a faded red T-shirt, jeans and rubber thongs. I thought he was cute, in a geeky kind of way.
“Who are you?” I asked, tentatively.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” the boy said, eyeing me sceptically. “How did you get in?”
I held up the amulet. “Key?” I said.
His eyes widened. “Oh. Oh!”
“Hi, Lex.” Brynn gave a small wave
“Brynn. Um … hi,” Lex said. He turned back to me. “You’re—”
“Here to save you. Yes, I know.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “So, your name is Lex?”
“Um … yes. I’m keeper and protector of the Eye. I get to oil the cogs and stuff.” He waved his hand towards the machine
“What does it do?”
“What does it do …?” He scratched his head again, clearly flustered. He reminded me of my dad when he got excited. Lex darted back behind the big contraption and stared at me through the gaps. “What does it do?” he repeated. “It’s the pupil, the life of the Eye, the heart of Immagica. It counts time, and records memories.” His arms flapped, and he stepped back to where I could see him. “If the rose dies, the pendulum stops and … what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t. I’m Rosaline.” I tried to smile, but this guy was seriously weird. Cute, I reminded myself, but weird.
