Serpentstone

Betharad's devotion to her family's legacy will never fade. The newly elected leader of her town is determined to do her best for her community and orphaned siblings. But their lives quickly plunge into chaos with the return of her parents' nemesis.As the ruthless sorcerer seeks vengeance and nightmarish creatures threaten her beloved home, Betharad despairs her lack of magical powers to protect her people. When her siblings are taken hostage, she faces shocking secrets from the past that threaten to claim a fatal price.The Hungry Fire is the gripping first book in the Serpentstone epic fantasy series, but works equally well as a standalone story. A.M. Obst is an Australian living in the UK. He's been writing and making up stuff about places that don't exist for a very long time, but has only recently had the opportunity to turn it into a career.His mother was a school teacher with an interest in teaching children how to read, and she introduced him to J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis at an early age. When you add in an active imagination, a fascination with maps, and an appreciation of beautiful calligraphy, it was probably inevitable that he'd end up writing fantasy.He enjoys reading (and writing) stories with thoughtful world-building, a diversity of characters with agency, and exciting plots with satisfying endings.Outside of high fantasy, he's been known to read science fiction, urban fantasy, dystopian fiction, crime, historical fiction and literary fiction.On social media, he's more active on BlueSky than anywhere else - https://bsky.app/profile/amobstwriter.bsky.social A sentient stone with a grudge against, well, everything and everyone. How can ordinary people survive their encounters with it?

Six years ago, twins Sarnd and Jessa thought they'd rid their world of the malevolent Serpentstone. Since then they've worked hard to set their shocking past behind them.But the Serpentstone has returned, and they're asked to carry it to an abandoned mine where it will be sealed deep underground. The Stone appears to be much weaker than it was, but they learned the hard way never to trust it.The Stone starts to regain its terrifying power, and while Sarnd is desperate to complete their mission so he can go back to his new life, Jessa has other ideas.As their mission becomes a race against time, can the twins learn to trust each other and avoid becoming the creatures they fear the most? A.M. Obst is an Australian living in the UK. He's been writing and making up stuff about places that don't exist for a very long time, but has only recently had the opportunity to turn it into a career.His mother was a school teacher with an interest in teaching children how to read, and she introduced him to J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis at an early age. When you add in an active imagination, a fascination with maps, and an appreciation of beautiful calligraphy, it was probably inevitable that he'd end up writing fantasy.He enjoys reading (and writing) stories with thoughtful world-building, a diversity of characters with agency, and exciting plots with satisfying endings.Outside of high fantasy, he's been known to read science fiction, urban fantasy, dystopian fiction, crime, historical fiction and literary fiction.On social media, he's more active on BlueSky than anywhere else - https://bsky.app/profile/amobstwriter.bsky.social A sentient stone with a grudge against, well, everything and everyone. How can ordinary people survive their encounters with it?