Path Unchosen
by Kim Cleary(Daughter of Ravenswood #1)
Publication date: September 7th 2013
Genres: Dark Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Synopsis:
When eighteen-year-old Judy Hudson discovers she’s a necromancer and sees first-hand the pain her powers can cause the dead, she just wants to deny who she is. The zombie plague is long over. She wants to find a more normal life, but that’s a challenge when a beautiful otherworldly man, who claims to be her guardian, saves her life.
Judy tries to set right the harm she inflicted on a spirit she raised, but new zombies attack—zombies raised from among the long-time dead. Someone else just like her is out there, and he’s not trying to set anything right. To save her own life, and protect the innocent inhabitants of the nearby town who’ve become her friends, Judy has to figure out who’s raising the dead and why. She must also learn to control the darkness inside her—a seductive darkness that promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.
Judy tries to set right the harm she inflicted on a spirit she raised, but new zombies attack—zombies raised from among the long-time dead. Someone else just like her is out there, and he’s not trying to set anything right. To save her own life, and protect the innocent inhabitants of the nearby town who’ve become her friends, Judy has to figure out who’s raising the dead and why. She must also learn to control the darkness inside her—a seductive darkness that promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.
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Excerpt:
He’d brought me here to kill
me. What other reason could Father Andrew have for driving me to such
a remote spot?
He
dragged me toward a circular stone monolith. It stood close to the
cliff edge, like an oversized dirty white doughnut that dominated the
otherwise flat landscape. Waves crashed in the distance, and salt
coated my lips.
I
tried to pull my arm free, but he gripped my wrist even harder. There
were no buildings in sight, not even a copse of trees to shelter in.
Even if I could escape his grip, where would I run? I’d freeze to
death before I could find help.
The
stone seemed to watch me.
My
heart froze and then pounded. Blood rushed around my body. I knew
this place. I breathed in its faintly familiar smell, and my ears
tingled to the thunder of the sea. I was too far to measure it, but I
knew the stone stood twice as tall as I did with a round hole at hand
height.
How
could that be? I’d never been here before.
The
stone called to me, teased me with sweet laughter. For a fleeting
moment, I smelled flowers and saw children dancing. Was it trying to
communicate with me? Telling me to trust it?
Father
Andrew seemed oblivious to its power. At its base, he pushed me to my
knees and droned out another prayer. I lowered my head and folded my
hands but didn’t say the words.
“Father.”
I coughed and cleared my throat. “What’s happening?”
He
stopped his muttering. “I should have put you back two years ago.”
A
heavy weight pushed against my chest, the same weight I felt in the
chicken shed. “What do you mean?”
He
pressed his palm on the top of my head. “I found you here. It is
best, for the sake of us all, that I bring you back.”
“But
you said someone left me in a box—”
He
squeezed my scalp. “You were left in a box, but here. I found you
here.”
My
leg muscles tightened, ready to carry me away, but my intuition told
me to wait. I gulped deep breaths to calm the pulsing in my veins. He
licked his finger, traced a cross on my forehead, then trudged back
to where Moppet waited in front of the wagon.
Father
Andrew grabbed the blanket, strode back, and hung it around my
shoulders. Tears tracked down his cheeks. He didn’t wipe them away.
This time when he got back to the wagon, he climbed in and set Moppet
to a fast walk. They grew smaller and smaller in the distance and
disappeared.
He
hadn’t killed me. He abandoned me here, where he found me. Was he
giving me a chance to live, or did he expect me to die here? Delicate
crystals of snow drifted to the ground in this surreal landscape. A
pale gray sky hung so low a sudden urge to jump up and touch it
filled my head.
I
climbed to my feet and slumped against the monolith. Something
clunked against the weathered stone. I pulled the forgotten watch
from my pocket and traced my fingertips over the initials. BG—was
this watch, these initials even connected with me?
Whiteness
stretched out in all directions like a crisply ironed sheet.
Snowflakes fell in my hair and eyelashes. The coldness of each one
stung as it landed on my face.
At
least the weathered stone blocked the wind. Where could I find
shelter? Where could I go? Not back to St. Stephen’s that was for
sure. Never back there.
Hunger
gnawed at my stomach. My legs gave way, and I fluttered into
semi-consciousness.
Hot
breath brushed against my neck, and strong hands lifted me from the
snow. Warmth encircled me as if someone wrapped me in a downy quilt,
but it was a fleeting sensation before darkness surrounded me.
AUTHOR BIO

When not writing, revising, or thinking about writing, Kim gardens, plays with her dog, chats on social media, catches up with friends or cooks an Indian feast. She is a member of Writers Victoria, Romance Writers of Australia, The Alliance of Independent Authors, and a certified chocoholic.
Kim grew up in Birmingham, UK, studied medieval history and psychology at Adelaide University in South Australia and has worked all over Australia and in London. She now lives with her husband and an adorable Cocker Spaniel in Melbourne, Australia.
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ReplyDeleteLove the "Dark Feel" of the cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour, Sailon! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Giselle.
DeleteYour books sounds very intriguing Kim. Love the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt
ReplyDeleteLove the description and cover!
ReplyDelete