Hi,
So this is one of the other promo’s I talked about yesterday. I do have another coming up in the foreseeable future too – once these are all said and done we can go back to rolling in the snow (or sun for you Aussies) and singing Christmas tunes.
Lantern: The Complete Collection
by Chess Desalls
Genre: YA Fantasy/Sci-fi
Pages: 230
Release Date: September 26th 2017
Summary:
The story of every lantern is unique, just like yours and mine.
This collection includes all three novellas, Lantern, Beacon, and Torch.
Tori discovers a lantern that shines for her and nobody else. Is it a ghost or a living being that must be set free?
Serah unseals a globe made of Celestial Glass. Does success bring her happiness or create more trouble than it’s worth?
Evelyn meets Graham after attending a party where a lantern burns out. Who lights the way to pull the other through?
Experience three different stories, all with a connection to a mysterious lamp maker.
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Teaser/Editorial Review Quotes:
The story of every lantern is unique, just like yours and mine.
“In these three novellas, unhappy teens find themselves displaced in time and saved by love.” – Kirkus Reviews
“From Havenbrim to the here and now, many YA readers will likely stare at the moon and dream.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Lantern is a ghostly tale with a difference which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.” – Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Review of Lantern, Hilary Hawkes
“Serah is a character you cannot help but root for. . . .A wonderful, wonderful read!” – Readers’ Favorite 5 Star Review of Beacon, Melissa Tanaka
Excerpts:
Tori slipped the phone in her pocket and looked up. It was a clear night with a round moon and a sky full of stars. The glow of light brightened as she neared the lantern.
She stopped about a foot away from the pole and shined her flashlight at its base. Unsure whether she felt more relieved or terrified that she didn’t see a pair of shoes and legs, she circled the pole to make sure no one was behind the lantern.
“No one’s shining a flashlight through it, so I can check that off my list. Now what?”
Tori stopped to think. She reached up to hold the lantern in her hands and took a look inside. Once again, condensation from the inside of the globe blocked her view. The glass felt smooth and cool between her fingers.
“Well, Lantern,” she said, “explain yourself. How come you’re out here all alone? And where does your light come from?”
Tori breathed through several beats of silence.
A dot appeared on the left side of the glass as if some of the condensation had melted away. The dot stretched to the right, and then turned back on itself and reached downward, forming the letter T.
Tori’s breath hitched. Her hands sprang free from the glass. Too scared to resume breathing, she watched, mesmerized as another dot appeared, then five more, each forming another letter until the globe of the lantern spelled out a message:
Too Loud
“What?”
The lantern dimmed, and then brightened, as if accentuating its point.
Tori swallowed a lump in her throat. The words looked like they were written by a child, wavy and shaky, like someone forced to write backwards.
Okay, don’t freak out. Lantern hasn’t hurt me; there’s no one else here. Too loud? Maybe it means me—I guess I’m shouting right at it.
“What are you trying to tell me, Lantern?” she whispered. “Are you a ghost?”
Another dot disappeared from the condensation below the T and formed the letter N, followed by more dotting and stretching until a second message appeared:
No I’m Jared
Excerpt 2
Machin turned around and pointed the tongs at the shelf. “Which of the two bulbs do you prefer, Serah Kettel?”
She rubbed her chin. I wonder if this is a test. What do I say? If I choose the wrong one, will he turn me away?
“It’s not a difficult question, child. There is no wrong answer. I’m merely asking for an opinion, your preference.”
The flesh on Serah’s back and arms crawled with a spidery, tingly feeling. “May I take a closer look?”
Machin shrugged and stepped out of her way. The clink of metal hitting metal rang from somewhere behind her. She guessed he’d dropped the tongs back inside the bucket. Flame from the furnace reflected off the glass objects before her, both crystal clear and hollow. Though she found the diamond-shaped bulb more pleasing to look at, there was something about the round bulb—the first of the two Machin had pulled from the furnace. Her knees shook.
Serah pointed a finger at the round bulb.
“Are you sure?” Machin called from behind her.
She stepped forward. Her knees knocked together. Yes. No. I don’t know.
“Yes?”
The tip of her finger kissed the glass.
The bulb filled with smoke. A blue spark formed in its center, and then stretched to a finger-sized lightning bolt that crackled and reached out to her. When it zapped her finger, she fell back.
Serah stared at the ceiling, her finger still pointing—not to the lanterns, but to the round bulb on the shelf.
She lifted her head. Her mouth opened wide in horror. The bulb was empty, as if she’d imagined everything.
Warmth surrounded her outstretched hand and pointed finger. Large eyes blinked down at her from behind goggles.
“Serah Kettel,” Machin said, pulling her to her feet. “You must go now. If you wish to accept the position, return here in two weeks’ time.”
Excerpt 3
Evelyn’s words caught in her throat as a faint blue light flickered inside the globe, forming and spreading into a ball. Then, the ball floated at the globe’s center.
She brushed her fingertips across the glass.
The blue light brightened.
A deafening pop made her turn her head to the left. The lantern next to her burned brighter, then changed from white to yellow to blue. Her hands flew to her ears, her head spinning left and right. All the lanterns along the row were changing color, in both directions, each one transforming with a pop and a puff of smoke.
Tilting her chin, Evelyn glimpsed the world beneath her. Everyone and everything had frozen in time. Feet had stopped, mid-step. Lips that had fallen open had failed to close. Hands and arms stayed suspended in the air, along with those of the mimes caught inside their ice cubes.
“Joyce!”
Evelyn’s breath returned to her in heavy gasps as she scanned the pier for her sister. With her fists tight around the handlebar of the stepladder, she twisted to where she noticed a hot dog stand, and the top of a head with golden blonde hair, but she wasn’t sure it was Joyce—she was too far away.
“Anybody?” she cried out. “For weeks I’ve been trying to tell you there’s something wrong with this light!”
But no one looked up. No one saw her. All seemed incapable of raising their eyes.
Blue light crackled from the base of the lantern and glided across the handlebar. Then, folded around Evelyn’s fingers; the light tugged at her hand. With a shriek, she tried to climb down the stepladder, but she couldn’t break free.
As the smoke from the lanterns cleared, the clouds that had obscured the starlight broke apart and vanished. Evelyn squinted at the spray of stars glittering the sky.
The moon brightened. A beam of moonlight stretched from the sky and joined the blue glow, intensifying the light until it shattered into a thousand sparkles.
Evelyn screamed.
The light that had pulled at her hand had spread and folded around her entire body, drawing the scream and the breath from her lungs until all sound faded.
All light dimmed.
Buy Links:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Lantern-Complete-Collection-Chess-Desalls-ebook/dp/B075553CGW
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lantern-the-complete-collection
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lantern-the-complete-collection/id1275825381?mt=11
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lantern-chess-desalls/1127023891?ean=2940154916773
About the Author:
Chess Desalls is the author of award-winning young adult fiction. 
Her nonfiction writing has been included in academic and industry publications, with a focus on law and technology. She’s also a contributing editor for WritersTalk, South Bay Writers’ monthly newsletter. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.
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Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook
GIVEAWAY:
Blog Tour Organized by:
I hope you enjoyed this post. Personally, I think the covers are to die for. The fairy lights look so realistic and glowy and beautiful and AHHH I have no words for it’s beauty. But anyway – I will have another post up soon full of christmassy goodies for you all.
Until then thanks and happy reading,
Maisy.
Hawthorn Book Reviews 