The Petralist Series by Frank Morin

Tomorrow, at sixteen, Connor will reveal his secret curse to the world and take his place as a guardian.If he survives today.When armies descend upon his peaceful village, led by superhuman Petralists and clever Builders, most people run and hide. Connor's not that smart. He manages to get caught in the middle of the escalating conflict. Worse, he learns his curse is the rarest of powers, the Blood of the Tallan, and both sides will do anything to control it and secure his loyalty... moreTomorrow, at sixteen, Connor will reveal his secret curse to the world and take his place as a guardian.If he survives today.When armies descend upon his peaceful village, led by superhuman Petralists and clever Builders, most people run and hide. Connor's not that smart. He manages to get caught in the middle of the escalating conflict. Worse, he learns his curse is the rarest of powers, the Blood of the Tallan, and both sides will do anything to control it and secure his loyalty. Connor is fast, but even he can't outrun this avalanche.Truths are sacrificed, loyalties are sundered, and dangerous girls twist his heart into knots.That's when things get complicated.While his friends try to free the village under siege, Connor peels back layers of intrigue and half-truths to find secrets neither side wants him to know. Surrounded by deadly enemies that all claim to be his friends, Connor must choose a course with the lives of everyone he loves hanging in the balance.His only hope is to gamble everything on a curse that could destroy them all unless his final choice is Set in Stone. less

Connor's supposed to be dead.He's not very good at it.He did save his village . . . by destroying it. And the armies vying to control his powerful curse think he died. But he needs patronage from a high lord or his curse will transform him into a raging monster.So Connor creeps back into the land of the living, joining his Aunt Ailsa at the Carraig, the school of the Petralists, hoping somehow to find patronage on his terms.He should have known better... moreConnor's supposed to be dead.He's not very good at it.He did save his village . . . by destroying it. And the armies vying to control his powerful curse think he died. But he needs patronage from a high lord or his curse will transform him into a raging monster.So Connor creeps back into the land of the living, joining his Aunt Ailsa at the Carraig, the school of the Petralists, hoping somehow to find patronage on his terms.He should have known better.At the Carraig it's all about the game, and the stakes have never been higher. With old enemies appearing from under every rock, Connor plunges into games within games that form a maze of conflicting loyalties and deadly intrigue.Dying again isn’t an option. So with the help of trusted friends, Connor launches his own game, breaking all the rules, gambling on the one chance at a free life with the girl he loves. The alternative is chaining his powers to one of the nations planning to unleash him upon the world.Connor doesn't want to kill anyone.He might not have a choice. less

Connor has a problem.No, it's not the fact that his student army is pitiful compared to the competition. It's not even the spies infesting the school, the allies lining up to kill him, or even the fact that Shona plans to force him to lead a bloody war of conquest across the continent.It's what to do about all the secrets... moreConnor has a problem.No, it's not the fact that his student army is pitiful compared to the competition. It's not even the spies infesting the school, the allies lining up to kill him, or even the fact that Shona plans to force him to lead a bloody war of conquest across the continent.It's what to do about all the secrets.Conspiracies centuries in the making are beginning to unravel and truths about patronage, the unclaimed, and the very stones that fuel Petralist powers threaten to emerge from their shadowy grave.If he's not careful, Connor will get dumped in that grave with them.To survive, Connor must outsmart conniving noble houses, dodge international assassins, survive unbelievably bad poetry, and risk new powers that were concealed for very good reasons.Only then can he face his real enemy, concealed in the shadows and waiting to transform him into the worst monster since Tallan himself.Connor's best hope is to embrace the thing he most fears.And become the ultimate unclaimed. less

War is coming . . . Intense student battles, Shona's manipulations, and even the deadly fight to the death against an elemental monster couldn't keep Connor and Verena apart. Now all he wants is to outrun trouble for a while. That's less likely than Hamish refusing dessert. Even if he can reach Granadure, can Connor trust them? If war breaks out, will Verena and her country force him to fight for them against his homeland? He tried dying for a good cause once. It didn't work out so well... moreWar is coming . . . Intense student battles, Shona's manipulations, and even the deadly fight to the death against an elemental monster couldn't keep Connor and Verena apart. Now all he wants is to outrun trouble for a while. That's less likely than Hamish refusing dessert. Even if he can reach Granadure, can Connor trust them? If war breaks out, will Verena and her country force him to fight for them against his homeland? He tried dying for a good cause once. It didn't work out so well. Affinity for War takes the epic adventure, the relentless humor, and the unique magic of No Stone Unturned, throws it in a pressure cooker with gallons of chaos, seasoned with porphyry-induced insanity, and boils it to explosion. WARNING Do not pick up a book by Frank Morin unless you love amazing stories with great action, mind-blowing magic, side-splitting humor, and insights into the human condition that will bring tears to your eyes. You risk finding your next favorite author and losing several days of sleep, so consider yourself warned. "Frank Morin is a master of the young adult fantasy genre." ~Midwest Book Review less

What if your very best effort just made things worse? Connor’s had better days. High Lord Dougal escaped, Alasdair is buried under half a mile of rubble, and Verena is stuck in a coma. Tomorrow’s not looking any better. The dread queen Dreokt is back from her centuries-long slumber. She’s a barking-mad lunatic, who destroys minds and kills on a whim. She’s more powerful than Connor and Kilian combined, and soon all of Obrion will cower under her rule... moreWhat if your very best effort just made things worse? Connor’s had better days. High Lord Dougal escaped, Alasdair is buried under half a mile of rubble, and Verena is stuck in a coma. Tomorrow’s not looking any better. The dread queen Dreokt is back from her centuries-long slumber. She’s a barking-mad lunatic, who destroys minds and kills on a whim. She’s more powerful than Connor and Kilian combined, and soon all of Obrion will cower under her rule. How long before she turns her attention to the rest of the continent? They can’t afford to wait, but attacking her directly is suicide. While Hamish uses sugar-saturated inspiration to invent even deadlier Builder mechanicals, Jean focuses all the resources of her growing school on developing terrifying new weapons. All Connor has to do is start a revolution. If he can escape the queen's deadly minions and set the Guardians free, they might just save Obrion. Well, what’s left of it. Connor’s never tried breaking an entire nation before. He’s going to need more bacon. less