Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author “deposits the reader back into the wonderful world of Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia where mortals and magicks mix.”—Book Swoon As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger. Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot at winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents,” it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else . . . Praise for Cold Burn of Magic, the first Black Blade novel “An adventurous ride you will never want to get off.”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Jennifer Estep is a genius!”—Simply Nerdy “Packed with action and a nice twist, this is just the book for fans of the Mythos Academy series who want more Jennifer Estep.”—Bristol Herald Courier