Book excerpt: The Otherland Chronicles Collection: Book One A collection of the first three episodes of The OtherLand Chronicles: Mirror, Echo, and Blaze. Mirror 17-year-old Alia, a street-smart recent Brooklynite, is disdainful of the warnings to stay in after dark in her new suburban neighborhood. What could possibly be lurking in the tidy greenways between the upscale houses? And yet, it's hard to ignore that something odd is going on here. Strangers keep mistaking her for a girl named Mikhaila, a girl who has mysteriously disappeared. The bodies of four other girls have been found, untouched, but undeniably dead. And at twilight, she meets the enigmatic and disconcerting Bartholomew, a boy who has secrets and burdens he cannot share. The animals are acting oddly, the suburbs are crawling with danger, and everything seems to come back to Bartholomew and a group of recent immigrants with unusual customs, including being forbidden to mix romantically with the locals. When Bartholomew asks Alia to stand in for the missing Mikhaila, she's drawn against her will into a hidden and compelling world where her heart --and her very life --are at extreme risk. Echo Forbidden and Irresistible 17-year-old Alia, a street-smart recent Brooklynite, was disdainful of the warnings to stay in after dark in her new suburban neighborhood. What could possibly be lurking in the tidy greenways between the upscale houses? But girls are showing up dead of mysterious causes, and she finds herself being drawn into a hidden and compelling world, with the mysterious Bartholomew at the heart. There is an undeniable, powerful --and forbidden --attraction between Alia and Bartholomew, prompted by music, woven into a kiss. The pair find themselves becoming more and more entwined, and the situation among the Others is growing more unstable. Although she knows she's being drawn too far into the world of the Others, she cannot resist the lure of the GodSong, or Bartholomew, even when she might lose everything, including her life. Blaze The Queen Returns --.. As the Others struggle to find balance among themselves and the people of their new home, Alia struggles to return to the life as she knew it before her masquerade as the mysterious and missing Mikhaila. When Alia's masquerade was uncovered, she and Bartholomew were forced apart, and he endured a brutal punishment. There is one saving grace --Alia's gift for the GodSong might provide a clue for the Others to settle more fully into their new life, and an Elder will continue to teach her the sacred weapon. As school begins, however, Alia discovers that Mikhaila has returned --her lover dead --and she is to be Bound in a horrifying and barbaric way. Alia again provides an answer, this time for the Rogues, who kidnap her with intent to save their Queen. As war breaks out, Alia is forced to take a role she never dreamed of, even as Bartholomew is thrust into even greater responsibility. How can they ever hope to find happiness together?