Merlin's Stronghold (Faerie Crossed Book 2)
by Angelica R. Jackson
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Release Date: October 23, 2018
Just when Avery Flynn thinks she’s gaining some control over her magic, the Border between Faerie and the human world collapses in a catastrophic explosion. With waves of wild magic laying waste to Fae and human territories, the blame falls on Avery and her fiery temper.
Clearing her name will mean staying ahead of the grim Wild Huntsman on her trail, and convincing Merlin, the original embodiment of wild magic, to help before the devastation becomes permanent.
But as allies and enemies alike try to force their own agendas on her, trust does not come easily to Avery. She’ll need to set aside her doubts and accept that she can’t do this alone—before it’s too late for both worlds.
Notes on A Compendium of the Faer Folke:
Specimen #1132 was a wholly unremarkable geode, one of a dozen donated geological samples that made their way from a private collection in Cornwall to a university in the United States. About the size and shape of a sleeping cat, the stone’s secrets abided until a research student detected the shifting of an object inside.
With the aid of the latest imaging devices, she was able to peer past the tabby-colored crust and into the interior of the geode. A nebulous form, one with edges too regular to be anything but manmade, intrigued her enough to flout protocol and cut open the specimen. The hollowed interior contained a remarkable array of sphalarite and ferruginous quartz crystals—along with the remnants of a peculiar tome.
The spine still attached to the hand-painted, leather cover suggested a much thicker volume, but only a fraction of loose pages were extant. Inked on various types of unknown skins, the pages contained drawings and descriptions of fantastical creatures: mythological beings and faeries treated as genuine subjects for field study. The title, A Compendium of the Faer Folke, could not be found in any database of historical or contemporary books, however.
Suspecting a prank, the student used radiometric dating methods on the geode, and radiocarbon dating for the book. Test results showed an age of approximately nine million years ago for the geode’s creation, and two hundred years for the book’s materials. It was obvious that the specimen exhibited no signs of tampering, other than the cut she herself made. Before she could publish her findings, the student herself, plus all her notes and samples, disappeared from her locked basement office. Fortunately, before their loss, she invited a local photographer to document the find, and they were able to post images of the now-lost remnants of A Compendium of the Faer Folke to relevant websites.
Requests to confirm the existence of an entire volume in the private library of one Thomas Flynn of Crow’s Rest, California, have been met with silence. It is unknown if any other manuscripts—full or partial—of this fascinating guide to the “Faer Folke” exist. One can only hope that they will eventually come to light.
In keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, Angelica R. Jackson has far too many interests to list here. She has an obsession with creating more writing nooks in the home she shares with her husband, a rescued Basset Fauve de Bretagne named Chloe, and a reformed-feral cat in California's Gold Country. Fortunately, the writing nooks serve for reading and pet cuddling too.
Other pastimes include cooking for food allergies (not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it), photography, and volunteering at a local no-kill sanctuary.
She blogs at Angelic Muse, and is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Independent Book Publisher's Association, Northern California Publishers and Authors, and the Author's Guild.
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