Shards of Fate

Kyla's magical Touch often lands her in trouble - but nothing compares to the firestorm that erupts when her estranged sister calls a meeting out of the blue. The reason? Their father lies dying in the hospital from a mysterious illness, the truth behind their sudden reunion a deadly secret neither of them can escape: an anonymous blackmailer calls, giving Kyla five days to find the magical, mythical, possibly non-existent Touchstone - or her father dies.Yeah, her father's illness? Not so mysterious after all.Alone in a city full of people she'd desperately prefer not to kill, and allies she insists she doesn't need, Kyla must race against the clock to find the Touchstone before anyone else can. And before the corpses start racking up… Oh wait. It's too late for that.A twisty, richly imagined urban fantasy from Aurealis award-winning author Amy Laurens, don't miss this standalone in an all-new world inspired by The Snow Queen fairytale! AMY LAURENS is an Australian author of fantasy fiction for all ages. Her story Bones Of The Sea, about creepy carnivorous mist and bone curses, won the 2021 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novella. Amy has also written the award-winning portal-fantasy Sanctuary series about Edge, a 13-year-old girl forced to move to a small country town because of witness protection (the first book is Where Shadows Rise), the humorous fantasy Kaditeos series, following newly graduated Evil Overlord Mercury as she attempts to acquire a castle, the young adult series Storm Foxes, about love and magic and family in small town Australia, and a whole host of non-fiction, both for writers AND for people who don't live with constant voices in their heads. Other interesting details? Let's see. Amy lives with her husband and two kids in suburban Canberra. She used to be a high-school English teacher, and she was once chewed on by a lion. (The two are unrelated. It was her right thumb.) Amy loves chocolate but her body despises it; she has a vegetable garden that mostly thrives on neglect; and owns enough books to be considered a library. Of course. Oh, and she also makes rather fancy cakes in her spare time. She's on all the usual social media channels as @ByAmyLaurens, but you've got the best chance of actually getting a response on Instagram or the contact form on her website. <3